This is the best Crack Chicken Noodle Soup - it is a delicious, cozy, and hearty soup that is so simple to fix. The whole family will enjoy it and you'll want to make it again and again.
This homemade soup is made with lots of fresh chunky veggies, shredded chicken, and my secret ingredient - Cream of Chicken Soup.
This comforting creamy chicken noodle soup is sure to keep you cozy during the cold Fall evenings.
Over time I've shared more than a few creamy chicken recipes, from my one-pot Creamy Chicken Pasta, readers' favorite Chicken Enchilada Casserole to my all-time favorite Creamy Chicken Stuffed Zucchini Boats.
And this crack chicken noodle soup is sure to become your favorite too.
Why It's Yummy
- This tasty dish is so easy to make from scratch and is loaded with tender chicken pieces, your favorite noodles, and healthy vegetables. It is my kind of soup for lazy weekend lunches/dinners, which even picky eaters have approved.
- Another great thing is that the ingredients are simple, pantry staples that you probably already have on hand. Many other versions of this soup just seem to either have too many ingredients, frozen veggies, and canned soups. In my recipe I wanted the soup to be lighter, and a little healthier.
- Lots of flavors yet this soup is still considered low-sodium. And one of the key ingredients to achieve this is my homemade cream of chicken soup (or if you like mushrooms try mushroom soup or cheddar cheese soup). This base actually makes one of the best creamy broths ever.
There is a skip-to-recipe button in the top left corner along with a clickable table of contents list (just below) that will quickly take you to the part you are more interested in. Enjoy!
Table Of Contents
Why is it Called Crack Chicken?
Once upon a time, there was a famous seasoning blend for chicken - it was called surprise, surprise .. crack chicken. Later, the name evolved into dishes mainly consisting of chicken, bacon, ranch seasoning, and cheese.
Now all these ingredients combined in one will most probably have crack chicken somewhere in the recipe name.
Ingredients
Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
As far as healthy eating goes, I recommend making this chicken noodle soup from scratch, with fresh ingredients and homemade substitutions. I highly recommend taking extra time to make cream of chicken soup from scratch too.
Use fresh chicken if you can and fresh veggies (frozen vegetables just don’t taste the same in the soup).
- Chicken - use leftover chicken from last night’s dinner, grilled chicken breasts, or store-bought rotisserie chicken (check the seasonings on the packaging as these are often not all gluten-free). Chicken can be diced, shredded, or sliced into strips for this soup.
- Bacon - we cook the bacon in the pan until slightly crispy and then add them to the pan. Feel free to use standard or thick-cut bacon, store-bought bacon bits, or low-fat pork alternative turkey bacon instead.
- Pasta/Noodles - I recommend long noodles, egg noodles, angel hair pasta, and spaghetti for this soup.
- For gluten-free noodles, look for similar noodle types but with a GF label on the package. Jovial and Barilla's brands make our favorite noodles from brown rice. Don’t use red lentil pasta as it will quickly become mushy and fall apart in the broth.
- Packet Ranch Dressing mix - you can also make this yourself at home. You can also make your own homemade ranch seasoning.
- Or for a quick shortcut and healthier substitutions simply mix onion and garlic powder (or fresh minced garlic cloves and onion), flavored salt (try my celery salt), and some dried herbs.
- Cream of chicken soup - my recipe is easy and low sodium without sacrificing the flavor.
- Chicken stock/broth - try to go for low-sodium chicken stock as it will allow you to control the number of seasonings yourself. Choose your favorite and best broth, because this is one of the most important base ingredients that will give your soup the right flavor.
- If you’re GF check the ingredients list on the broth package or make your own.
- Vegetables - we will need the usual suspects that are generally used in most of the stews or soups - such as celery carrots, onions, or scallions. Or use whatever odd veggies you have forgotten in the fridge.
- Whole milk or plant-based milk such as almond milk along with chicken stock are the base ingredients in this soup. You can use any fat milk but for the best creamy result use whole milk.
How to Make The Best Crack Chicken Noodle Soup From Scratch?
In a medium skillet, heat little vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil due to its high smoke point) and add roughly chopped bacon. Cook until done, drain, and set aside.
In a large pot or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, combine cooked, cooked chicken, celery, carrots, cream of chicken soup, chicken stock, milk, cream cheese, and ranch dressing mix, and add bacon.
Stir and cook on medium heat. Take it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. About 20 minutes in total.
Throw in your noodles, and sharp cheddar cheese, and simmer until spaghetti noodles are almost cooked. Add some boiled water, if needed.
Garnish with freshly chopped green onions, and crispy bacon, and serve with freshly baked bread. Delicious!
I hope you and your family will enjoy this Creamy Chicken Noodle soup!
Tips and Shortcuts
- Any part of chicken can be used, I prefer boneless skinless chicken thighs due to their tender and juicy texture. For a quick shortcut, leftover chicken from last night's dinner is perfect too.
- Break up the long pasta - to make it easier to eat, break down the pasta in half or even smaller pieces before adding it to the soup.
- To make this soup lighter, you can omit the cream of chicken and use half and half instead or simply milk. The texture will be not as thick but starch from the pasta will help to thicken the soup.
- If you get stuck with too watery soup, you can add a cornstarch slurry to the mix. Mix 1 or 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the same amount of water and slowly pour into the soup. Simmer on low until the soup has thickened.
- Cut your veggies in uniform same sizes so they cook evenly.
- Add more flavor by adding freshly chopped parsley, rosemary or thyme stalks once the soup is done.
- Avoid overcooking the noodles. Cook the noodles until almost cooked and remove the soup from the heat. The noodles will continue to cook in the hot soup.
- Don’t overseason the soup - depending on the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup you’ll be using it is very easy to add too much salt especially without tasting the soup first.
- Taste the soup multiple times during cooking and only add salt and pepper towards the end.
- Chicken broth matters - this gives the soup the main flavor along with the cream of chicken soup. Make sure the one you are using is true and tested and of the best quality.
- If you have time, one of the best chicken stock is when you make your own at home with dark chicken meat on bone and vegetables such as celery, parsnips, carrots, potatoes, garlic, onions, and spices.
Storing, Freezing And Make Ahead Instructions
If the noodles where cooked in the soup then it is best to consume the soup within 24 hours. If at the stage of making, you know you want to keep it refrigerated for days, do not cook the pasta directly in the soup.
Cook it separately and then add to the soup. This way it will not thicken the soup so much.
Store this gluten free chicken noodle chicken soup in the fridge, in the same pot you cook it in, or in an airtight container. It should last for 3-4 days.
Freezing. Can you freeze chicken noodle soup? For best results consume the soup within 24 hours (best flavor). If you need to freeze it does it right away after cooking.
Transfer the creamy soup into airtight containers or freezer-friendly ziplock bags and freeze up to 3-4 months.
Make ahead. In theory, you can make this ahead of time by following the instructions as they are but skipping the addition of noodles.
You can keep the soup refrigerated for up to 3-4 days and once ready to serve, place it back onto the stovetop let it come to a gentle boil, and add noodles.
Cook until done. Or alternatively, you can cook the noodles separately and add then to the soup.
As we are adding the cream of chicken soup here, the soup will be still thick even without noodles starch which helps to thicken the soup even further.
Serving Suggestions
There’s nothing quite as comforting as chicken noodle soup!
What goes with crack chicken?
We love to enjoy crack chicken noodle soup like any other fulfilling soup, with freshly baked homemade garlic bread, ciabatta or panini, and bruschetta.
Grilled cheese sandwiches will work amazingly here as well.
Cornbread or cornbread muffins paired with crack chicken noodle soup taste quite incredible too. You can use less sweetener in the cornbread or omit it completely for a more savory flavor.
Also for Gluten-free folks, we like to use Schar’s Gluten-Free Table Crackers or crostinis. You can definitely find these on Amazon or Walmart.
Thinking About Dessert? Try These!
Variations
- Low-carb soup - leave the noodles out completely. Substitute with lentils or beans.
- Make chicken and rice soup by substituting noodles for rice (can use brown rice as it is healthier).
- Make it Dairy free - use nondairy ingredients such as plant-based milk, vegan or coconut butter or olive oil (for making the cream of chicken), vegan cheese, and coconut cream cheese.
- If you’re lactose intolerant some hard and matured cheeses such as parmesan can be added instead as it contains very little or some no sugar lactose in them.
- No bacon option - don’t like bacon? Leave it out completely or just use to serve on individual portions. A s a tasty substitution I recommend adding fried onions, croutons, fried mushrooms on top.
- No cream of chicken soup - this soup can be made without the cream of chicken soup.
- You can still achieve the thick creamy texture if you use heavy cream, and more cream cheese, cheese. Simmer the soup a little longer until it's thickened but be careful not to boil the cream as it may curdle. The starch from noodle cooking will also help to thicken the soup quite substantially.
FAQs
Once the soup is cooked it should be on the thicker side. But as the noodles sit in the soup, they will become bigger and the starch from these will naturally thicken the soup.
The longer you store the soup, the thicker it gets, To thin it out add more water, milk or chicken broth.
For reheating, take a smaller pot and reheat on the stove until piping hot. Naturally the soup will be thicker after refrigerating and you may need to add some extra liquid to thin it out.
For reheating individual bowls, simply microwave bowl of soup for a couple of minutes.
Sure, for this chicken noodle soup shorter pasta works very well too. Rotini, fusilli, penne, rigatoni all taste great in this creamy soup.
More Soup Recipes
If you enjoy soups and one-pot meal recipes, try these similar hearty soups next time.
ALL DINNER recipes.
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Recipe
The Best Crack Chicken Noodle Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs (cooked and diced or shredded)
- 1 ½ cup homemade condensed chicken soup
- 1 cup milk
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- ½ cup chopped celery
- 2 medium carrots (sliced)
- 1 teaspoon packet ranch dressing
- 12 slices of bacon (+ more for garnish)
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- ¾ cup cream cheese
- 8 oz. thin spaghetti (uncooked, GF if preferred)
- 1 handful of green onions or scallions (for garnish)
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium skillet, heat vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil due to its high smoke point) and add roughly chopped bacon. Cook until done, drain, and set aside.
- In a large pot or dutch oven, over medium-high heat, combine cooked, pulled, or diced into cubes chicken, celery, carrots, condensed soup, chicken stock, milk, cream cheese, ranch dressing mix, and add bacon. Stir and cook on medium heat. Take it to a boil and then reduce the heat to low. About 20 minutes in total.
- Throw in your noodles, sharp cheddar cheese, and simmer until spaghetti noodles are almost cooked. Add some boiled water, if needed.
- Garnish with freshly chopped green onions, crispy bacon, and serve with freshly baked bread. Delicious!
- I hope you and your family will enjoy this Creamy Chicken Noodle soup!
Video
NOTES
- Make my easy Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup recipe instead of buying from he store.
- Avoid overcooking the noodles. Cook the noodles until almost cooked and remove the soup from the heat. The noodles will continue to cook in the hot soup.
- Don’t overseason the soup - depending on the chicken broth and cream of chicken soup you’ll be using it is very easy to add too much salt especially without tasting the soup first. Taste the soup multiple times during cooking and only add salt and pepper towards the end.
- Chicken broth matters - this gives the soup the main flavor along with the cream of chicken soup. Make sure the one you are using is true and tested and of the best quality.
- If the noodles were cooked in the soup, it is best to consume the soup within 24 hours. If at the stage of making, you know you want to keep it refrigerated for days, do not cook the pasta directly in the soup. Cook it separately and then add it to the soup. This way it will not thicken the soup so much.
- Store this creamy chicken soup in the fridge, in the same pot you cook it in, or in an airtight container. It should last for 3-4 days.
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
This recipe has been adapted from My Incredible Recipes
Lili
This is the best crack chicken noodle soup that you'll want to make again and again!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Yes thank you!
Sonal Gupta
I made this soup today and it was DELISH. I didn/t have to make any alterations. Will repeat it again.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
So glad to hear that you liked it Sonal
Vanessa
Yum! So comforting and delicious!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Thanks Vanessa
Lima Ekram
Just made it - very tasty! Loved the flavor combination!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you, we loved it too!
Ieva
So nice and comforting! We love soups during the colder months and this has been on repeat for us this year! Love how simple, but flavoursome your recipe is!
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
thank you Ieva, it's incredibly flavorful!
Amanda Wren-Grimwood
It's definitely soup season right now and this chicken noodle soup was perfect. Packed full of flavour and really satisfying too.
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
Glad you liked it Amanda