Lightened Up Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

This is hands down the best chicken soup EVER. Seriously. For the longest time, I've been trying to find a chicken noodle soup recipe that was just like the fresh chicken noodle soup I love from Whole Foods. Nothing ever came close, until I found this one. It was like a dream come true. It was creamy (but not loaded with cream, if that makes any sense), it had tons of veggies, chicken and just so so so good. It's one of those soups that you can make over and over again and you will love it more each time. It's perfect for those cold and rainy days or for when you or a loved one has come down with a cold. It's like a hug in a bowl. Wow, did I really just say that? It's true though. There is just something so comforting about homemade chicken noodle soup.

Now, I need to let you in on a secret. The noodles. Of course you can use any noodle you want (egg noodles would work great here!), but my noodle of choice is frozen egg noodles. You are probably wondering what the heck I am talking about. Right? I don't even know how I found these, but they really do make the soup and come to find out, they are almost at every grocery store in the frozen section! The brand I use and highly recommend is Reames. Just Google it and you'll be able to see exactly what I am talking about. They are simply the best and take the soup to the next level. Don't feel like you have to use them, but if you can find them, you should definitely try them out. They'll be a game changer, I promise.

Okay, back to making the soup. I'll get off my noodle high now. The chicken soup starts off just as any other chicken noodle soup - onions, celery, carrots and garlic. You've got to have garlic. Once the veggies are nice and soft, you sprinkle a little bit of flour over them (this will thicken things up) and add in lots of chicken broth. The broth and veggie mixture will simmer for about 20 minutes or so to let all the flavors to combine. After the 20 minutes are up, add in seasonings, shredded chicken (a store bought rotisserie chicken works great here!) and the noodles. Stir everything together and cook the soup for another 10-15 minutes, or until the noodles are just about done. Then comes the best part. The creamy part. Once the noodles are cooked, add in a can of low fat evaporated milk. This is the creamy part without having to use heavy cream and adding in tons of extra calories. Give everything one more big stir and this delicious pot of creamy chicken noodle soup is ready to enjoy. 

Do note that this soup will last for up to five days in the fridge. If it doesn't all get all gobbled up right away. The noodles tend to absorb the liquid from the soup, so I like to keep some extra chicken broth on hand to add when I reheat the soup. Those chicken broth boxes are super handy and something I always keep in my pantry!

yum!

Lightened Up Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup (slightly adapted from Well Plated)


1 tablespoon olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup flour
8 cups chicken broth (or stock)
3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 can (12 oz) skim evaporated milk
2-3 cups uncooked noodles (egg noodles or the frozen ones are great here)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon black pepper


In a large pot, over medium heat, add the oil, carrots, onion, celery and garlic. Cook about 10 minutes until the veggies are soft and just starting to brown. Then add the flour and stir for one minute to cook out the flour and coat all the veggies. Then add in the chicken broth and mix to combine. Add in the salt, pepper and oregano and bring the entire mixture to a simmer for 20 minutes. Then add in the shredded chicken and noodles, and cook the noodles according to the time on the package. Once the noodles are cooked, add in the can of evaporated milk, stir to combine and taste for seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper, as needed. Enjoy!

You can enjoy a big bowl of this soup on its own, or it's also great served with a grilled cheese sandwich or homemade biscuits!