Cream Cheese Chicken Vegetable Soup
This lightened-up cream cheese chicken vegetable soup is delicious and creamy and full of hearty vegetables and tender chicken. One of our favorites!
Creamy, hearty, and absolutely delicious, this cream cheese chicken vegetable soup is amazing. Like, amazing amazing.
It’s not fancy. And it’s not necessarily impressive if you’re just sitting there staring at it, but one taste, and you’ll be won over.
Chock full of vegetables and tender chicken, it is a one-stop solution for a soup that’s simple, tasty and filling.
This creamy soup has been a family favorite for years.
It’s on repeat during the cooler fall and winter months, and I found out pretty quickly that my family far and above prefers thick and creamy soups to any other.
Which means this delicious cream cheese chicken vegetable soup is always a winner.
And it’s become a go-to option for when I’m taking dinner into someone. Always a hit!
A trio of vegetables (onions, celery, carrots) cooks for a quick minute before broth and potatoes are added.
Everything simmers until the potatoes are tender. Give or take, that’s about 10 minutes. So we’re already winning at the fast dinner game.
In goes the milk + flour mixture and then the softened cream cheese.
I interrupt this soup making memo to say that you can further simplify this recipe by blending the milk, flour and cream cheese together until smooth and adding it all together.
Let it cook and thicken for a few minutes before stirring in the chicken.
And that’s it!
The most amazing cream cheese chicken vegetable soup.
Have you made this? Do you love it as much as we do? I hope so! Here are a few other rave reviews:
Heather: Made this tonight and it was delicious and perfect for this fall weather in Minnesota!!
Meg: Just wanted to say that this soup has remained a favorite at our house, and it’s so funny because my husband and son really don’t like soup very much, but they both love this one! Tonight I used half the cream cheese and it still was super delicious. This recipe has good bones;)
What to Serve With This
- Buttery Pull-Apart Bundt Bread
- Green salad or fresh fruit
One Year Ago: My Mom’s Classic Chili
Two Years Ago: No-Bake Spiderweb Cheesecake
Cream Cheese Chicken Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup finely diced yellow onion, about 1 medium onion
- ½ cup small diced celery, about 2 stalks
- ½ cup small diced carrots, about 1-2 medium carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 cups chicken broth, I use low-sodium
- 2 ½ to 3 cups peeled and small diced potatoes, about 2-3 medium potatoes (see note)
- 1 cup milk, I use 2%
- 4 tablespoons flour
- 1 (8-ounce) package regular or light cream cheese, softened
- 2 cups cooked diced chicken
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter and add the onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the veggies are slightly tender and the onions are translucent.
- Add the chicken broth and potatoes. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, about 8-10 minutes.
- In a liquid measuring cup, vigorously whisk the flour and milk together until smooth (or blend in a blender). Whisk the mixture into the soup, stirring quickly, and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the soup begins to thicken slightly. Stir often to ensure the soup doesn’t burn.
- Add the softened cream cheese to the soup in 1-inch pieces. Let the cream cheese sit in the soup and warm through completely before stirring until smooth.
- Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
Recipe originally published in 2008; updated in May 2020 with new photos, recipe notes, etc.
such a delicious soup for a fall day! made my house smell great too! This felt like a really humble soup but then I tasted it and it was fantastic. thank you Mel!!! solved my “what do I make for dinner??” crisis like it was nothing!!! and I had enough to bring some to two friends! slay 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
That’s awesome! So happy you loved this one!
Adding straight cream cheese to this recipe is a horrible idea. I followed the recipe exactly and waited a long time for the cream cheese to soften but it still clumped up and left specks. Really frustrating.
Try whisking the cream cheese with some of the broth next time. Also did you wait too long? You should cube it and you can use a microwave to soften it. Most have settings or you can Google how to soften it. Sounds like you waited too long. If it’s too cold it will curdle. If it’s been out too long it curdles then you add curdled cream cheese to the soup. So either you waited too long or not long enough. You’re going for room temp. Not melted. Not warm. Room temp. Hope this helps!
I forgot to add whisking it can help save it slightly. It won’t have exactly the same taste or texture but should be salvagable. Dairy in soups is very frustrating but that’s not an issue with the recipe. Lots of soup and sauce recipes add cream cheese. That’s a user error. It’s no big deal. Part of life but yeah not a problem with the recipe.
I threw in some sliced mushrooms. I think it would have been a little better with red pepper flakes, maybe. Otherwise, pretty tasty.
Can I make this recipe in a crock pot and double it for a large crowd? Always love your recipes Mel xo
It would probably be best to make it on the stovetop and keep it warm in the slow cooker, but yes, it can definitely be doubled.
I don’t mean to discredit Mel but I have successfully adjusted this for the crock pot.
You make a roux with 4 Tbsp butter and flour each. If your cooker has a saute setting you can do it right there in the cooker! Otherwise make on stove in a small skillet. If you don’t know how to make a roux, I recommend watching a video vs reading instructions. You really need to see what it should look like. Alternatively you can make a cornstarch slurry at the end. You may still want some butter added with the milk or use heavy cream to help thicken. Same amount as the milk.
Then you can switch to slow cook and add everything except dairy and chicken. Warm up your slow cooker first! I usually put it on high for 30 min add the broth, seasoning, garlic, onion, and veggies. Then add the raw chicken breast after 30 min warmup. Slow cook on high 3-4 hrs or low 6-8 hrs. Then you can add your dairy at room temp. So milk & butter/heavy cream at room temp. Cream cheese cubed and softened just like she did here. Then if you want to add the cornstarch slurry to thicken you can do so to get desired consistency. Again if you don’t know how to make it, I would recommend a video vs. Written instructions. It’s so important in cooking.
FYI: I love your recipe Mel and I appreciate you taking the time to post it and respond to comments. My philosophy on recipes is they are more like starting points and you add or deduct or alter what you need to make it work for you. Mel’s tastes and needs will be different than mine or yours. So I find it helpful to view recipe alterations as a necessary part of the process rather than a ding against the author. So thanks again Mel and if you want to add my alterations to make it a slow cook recipe you are welcome to do so!
Hi Daphne, no discredit at all – the slow cooker instructions are super helpful, and I appreciate you taking the time to add such a detailed comment. Thank you!
This recipe was easy to follow and turned out well. It wasn’t quite as flavorful as some and I wouldn’t say it’s a new favorite, but it’s a nice warm comfort meal to add to the list of winter dinners. Thanks for sharing it!
Made this with sweet potatoes instead of russets and it was awesome! Thanks so much for your recipes, Mel! Grabbed some tips from other reviews about added seasoning and it was a hit.
I’ve made this soup multiple times and it’s amazing ! I never have cooked chicken already on hand, but I just take a couple of frozen chicken breasts and add them whole to the broth instead of potatoes in step 2. When they’re cooked through, I then remove and shred/chop them and add them back in along with the potatoes at that time. When the potatoes are then cooked I continue with the other steps. It works perfectly and is sooo delicious! Thanks for another winning recipe!
I love this soup. SO much. It is pretty quick to make and so so good. I often add more liquid (more broth or milk) to make it a little more soupy, as the recipe is pretty thick as-written.
Can I make this base soup and make your dumplings to goin I I
Patsy
I haven’t tried it, but you could definitely experiment!
This is the best cream of chicken soup but we love all of your recipes Mel, they are so good!
Thanks for this tasty recipe! I decided to use up a head of cauliflower and used it in place of the chicken to make it vegetarian, well, except for the chicken stock! It was delicious and my kids loved it. I made some quick drop cheese biscuits and ended up eating it for lunch and dinner… Will definitely make again.
We love this so much. Mostly I leave out the chicken and add corn just to keep it even easier. SOO yummy and easy and makes everyone happy.
Could you possibly put about how many lbs it pototes to use? I buy a medley bag of potatoes and they are on the small side. Thank Mel!
It’s probably right around 12-14 ounces.
I’m leaving this review at the insistence of my 10-year-old who ADORES this recipe. Our whole family loves it and it is a staple in our house. I make two batches- one without chicken and one with- and they are both delicious. Love this easy-to-make deliciousness! Thanks for another winner, Mel!
Thanks, Kristen – so happy your 10-year old loves this recipe so much!
My family has loved this recipe for the past few years! We have omitted the flour for thickening and add a little dill weed.
Mel, this soup is delicious. My question; can it be frozen? It is only for me and I freeze most of my meals in small containers to be thawed in fridge and cooked as needed. Was thinking cream cheese would not freeze well. Thanks again for so many great recipes.
It might be a bit grainy (due to the high dairy content) after freezing and the texture may appear separated, but after heating it up, it might be ok.
Mel, this soup is delicious My first time for trying a cream base chicken soup. Love ur chiken noodle soup too. My question; can the cream cheese chicken soup be frozen?
It is only for me. Love to freeze small portions to pull out of freezer, thaw in fridge & use when ready. Thanks again for many super recipes.
I made this meal last night. It was what I was hoping it would be, on point! Because I only had an entire chicken, I roasted the chicken on the rack with a drip pan with four cups of water below to generate the broth needed. I used only a little canola oil, salt, and pepper. I made this delicious soup with homemade biscuits and with the remaining dark me I made another meal. Thanks for this recipe!!!!!
Made this soup last night and husband and I loved it. So glad I have leftovers for today as I like having soup for lunch every day. Also have about 6 more of your soups I want to make and I’m sure they will be great as well. Thank you Mel !
Made this and added extra veggies so I added double broth and milk mixture. I did not add extra garlic,onion, or cream cheese though. Took me forever to make due to kids but totally worth it!!! Awesome!!!