Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

Here in the Upper Midwest, January is a long month, with more of winter yet to come. And it's been an interesting one, with temperatures varying 30 degrees from day to day. When it's chilly and you need a good comforting dinner, soup is always the answer! This Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup was a big hit with my family. Using a rotisserie chicken makes it super simple - just chop up some veggies and get simmering! Cooking chicken in the Instant Pot is also an easy way to prepare chicken for recipes.

(To cook chicken in the IP, I add about 1 cup of water, season the chicken and set to manual pressure for 6 minutes for fresh and 12 minutes for frozen...times will vary slightly depending on the size of your chicken pieces.)

For the noodles in the soup, I used German Spaetzle which I got at Aldi. They are more egg-y than traditional pasta and work really well in this soup. They are also excellent topped with beef stroganoff! However, I am also a big believer in use what you have - so whatever pasta shapes you have in the cupboard will work just fine! Enjoy this soup with some crusty bread and a big green salad and you'll be warm from the inside out!

Find more inspiration at Inspire Me, Fabulous, Hearth and Soul.

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

3 cups cooked, chopped chicken
5 Tbsp. butter
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 tsp. parsley
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. small pasta shapes or fettucine or spaetzle

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain.

Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter and add carrots, onion, celery, parsley, thyme and garlic powder. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium-low and add flour. Stir and cook for three more minutes.

Add broth and stir with wooden spoon until combined. Add cooked chicken and stir. Reduce temperature to low. Simmer for 4-5 minutes.

Add cooked pasta, peas, cream and salt and pepper to taste. Cook and stir until peas are warmed through. Serve immediately. Makes 6-8 servings.