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.
I made this tonight but I added a few extra small red potatoes and I feel it was too many. The broth is super thick even though I lessened the cream cheese. Should I add more chicken Broth? Otherwise, delish. Thank you.
Sure, adding more broth would probably do the trick.
I tried this recipe to repurposed leftover shredded chicken I had made previously. It was relatively easy to make, I had most of the ingredients on hand, and it went over VERY well with my family! I normally follow recipes exactly the first time and then make adjustments the next time to better suit our taste, but I’m not going to change a thing with this one and will definitely be making it again!
Just made this recipe, I boiled chicken thighs with the bones and skin to make the broth, and then just pulled the meat. Also substituted egg noodles for the potatoes. A little poultry seasoning, thyme, and salt. I did have to add some more broth. My husband loves it. Wonderful recipe!
Made this tonight and it was delicious and perfect for this fall weather in Minnesota!!
This is my favorite, favorite soup! So creamy, so delicious. Everyone always gobbles it up (especially with Mel’s bread sticks). I do sub celery with a can of corn as a matter of preference. Super, super yummy and easy too!
My family LOVES this soup!..probably our favorite soup. I’ve seen online that people make soups in a crock pot that call for a roux by just adding the roux 30 minutes before end of cooking time. Do you think you could that with this soup (or have you ever tried it with a soup)?..adding the roux and cream cheese in at the end? If you think it’s a bad idea, I’ll just keep making it on the stove:)
I’ve done that with the slow cooker creamy wild rice and chicken soup on my site so I think it’s definitely worth trying with this version. Report back if you do!
Mel, could I substitute corn starch for the flour? I’m cooking for my father-in-law to be who has to eat gluten free. Any suggestions? I scrolled through the comments but didn’t see anything about substituting one for the other. So sorry if I missed it. Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes. We had our Thanksgiving early on Saturday, and I made your new pretzel sausage stuffing. It was the hit of the dinner. Of course we also had your green been casserole and cauliflower casserole too. My sisters-in-law and I all swear by your site. Thanks for making us look like rock stars in the kitchen!
I think you definitely could but cornstarch thickens a bit differently…it usually needs to be mixed in a cold liquid and then added and simmered to thicken. I think if you made those adjustments it could work. Good luck!
hello, Mel:) I’ve now made this soup quite a few times…we love it with double the potatoes (adding in another cup of broth, too) and also throw in some frozen corn ~ delicious! thank you for this and so many of your recipes!
I made this tonight and only added a few tablespoons of Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base..It was so tasty! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Hey Mel! I am so in the mood for soup tonight and can’t wait to make this. But I have a question I have all this butternut squash I’m so excited to use as well… Do you think I could throw chunks of butternut into the soup? Or do you have another soups besides the bisque that you think the butternut squash would be good in?
I think it would be delicious in this soup, Carolee!
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;)
This might be a good post-Thanksgiving recipe with leftover turkey. I made it with chicken and liked it, though I think I would double all the veggies. It has a lot of “cream” compared to the amount of chunks. It seemed very rich–I might do less of the Neufchâtel package next time.
just want to let you know how much we loved this soup. Delish! Thanks for sharing all your yummy recipes….you are my go to for something new to try.
Love this soup! Can anyone tell me if it freezes well?
I made this last night and it was sooo yummy! I used the low-fat cream cheese and I added chopped green pepper (I added it in when I put in the carrots and celery) and a bit of spinach (when I added in the chicken). It was creamy and hearty and healthy. I love your website! It’s the first place I head to when I’m looking for a new recipe!
Thanks, for another great recipe. Tonight I made this and your drop biscuits!! My family thanks you for all of your awesome recipes.
I can’t get enough of this soup. I made another quadruple batch today to share with our Life group from church. I mixed the milk and flour with the immersion blender and then added half to the vegetables and broth. The other half I mixed with the very soft cream cheese with the immersion blender. It worked perfectly. No clumps at all. Next time I will just do all the milk, flour and cream cheese as I am sure it will work fine. I finally ran out of the huge amount of leftover carrots and celery from a band contest, so I am finally done making this soup…for a while. Great use of extra veggies!
I made this in a gigantic batch (x6) to freeze. I did it just as you described, except I globbed too much cream cheese in at once. I appreciated the whisking idea as I wouldn’t have thought of that since the soup is chunky. Anyway, I mixed up my milk and flour in a big pot with my immersion blender. Next time, I think I will soften the cream cheese and add it to some of the milk and mix with immersion blender also and see if that reduces clumping.
On another note… I just want you to know. I started making freezer meals to sell to earn money for my husband and daughter’s mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico this summer. I found you just before this started and have found your recipes to be the most reliably magnificent. I am continuing to cook for neighbors and friends because they came to rely on my meals even after the mission trip is over. It is quite a leap of faith to multiply a recipe x 6-12 times without trying it first. Foolish at times, but I wouldn’t do it with any other blogger’s recipes. Just yours 🙂 Thank you for helping to get my fam to Mexico and for helping us pay the Kohl’s bill, and the school book fees and the license plates and helping to pay off the car and on and on and on. Your recipes are the bomb and this thank you isn’t nearly enough. I would really like to hug you too 🙂
I only have about half the recommended amount of cream cheese on hand. Could I get away with that?? Anything I could use in place of it?
Desiree – I’ve never made it with less cream cheese but you could definitely experiment. Might be slightly less thick and creamy but will still have good flavor.
This has become a huge Family Favorite at our house! I always have to double it because it makes the best leftover lunch the next day.
Simply wonderful, thank you for your recipes!
Just made this. Wow. I have made several of your things. Now when I try something new, the kids ask , “Is this Mel’s?” They loved your pizza dough better than “that Wolfgang guy’s”. Now I am off to find something “of Mel’s” for dessert
I made this for dinner tonight, and the highest possible compliment that could be payed for this meal is that my non-soup-loving men- 6 years and 31 years- LOVED this! They both ate seconds and one had thirds! This was fabulously delicious! thanks so much for another great recipe:)
This soup is delicious! I added a handful of frozen corn into the pot towards the end and it was heavenly! Thanks for posting so many wonderful recipes. I have tried many of them and they have all been great. I recommend your blog to everyone I know who’s into cooking!
Seriously LOVED this soup!!! Hubby and the toddler both raved as well! Winner! 🙂 Only small changes I made were adding an extra potato, a few extra carrots, a bit more broth to make it go farther, and used seasoned salt at the end instead of regular salt. You know it’s a winner when you look forward to eating the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!! Thanks for another great recipe.
Hailey – the shredded chicken should work just fine.
Can’t wait to try this! I have some cooked shredded chicken in the freezers to use up….do you think that would work or do you need the chunks of chicken?
Amazing! I loved this. I’m glad I can make it healthier with low fat ingredients and it still tastes divine and rich!
Thank you for your amazing website!
I just boiled my bone-in chicken thighs along with a chicken breast until done, now I’m chopping my veggies while the chicken is cooling and I have my chicken broth all ready, no need to spend extra money on the stuff from the store.
Just whipped this up tonight since it was stormy and raining. Tweaked it a bit to suit my tastes and my family practically INHALED it!! Even my husband that “hates soup” devoured three bowls!! I think next time, I’ll have to double it so that I can enjoy my leftovers, lol! All I added was a cap full of italian seasoning to give it a bit more flavor and a package of the new condensed chicken broth gel from Knorr, then I sprinkled some minced green onion on top when I served it. The hubby added a splash of sriracha to his for some zing and it was great! I will definitely be adding this to my “stormy weather” repertoire!!
I made this soup this week. It was great! I wrote about it here
http://handlingwithgrace.blogspot.com/2012/03/its-little-things-16.html
Husband and toddler approved!
I was inspired by your soup and made a pot for a lunch with some moms from my girls’ elementary school. I added some fresh asparagus. See my post at http://queenoftheeasymeal.blogspot.com/2012/02/creamy-chicken-and-asparagus-soup.html. Thanks for sharing your kitchen creations!
Just made this for dinner tonight for family and friends….the decision was unanimous!! It’s A Keeper!! 😀 Also made the Cheddar and Herb Biscuits to go with the soup…oh yeah..soooo good!! Will be making this again!
I just commented a little while ago, but need to update. I actually sent 2 bread bowls to work w/ my husband in case he wanted to share his soup (plenty for 2 people) w/ someone. I just got a text from him asking for the soup recipe for his co-worker. Score.
Made this last night & it was creamy-dreamy!!! Yummy!!! My only regret is not serving it in bread bowls. My husband took the leftover soup (bread bowl included) to work today. :o) Thanks for another suppertime success!!
I love that, even though I know you’re really my best friend, everyone that reads your blog feels so connected to you. You truly are gifted at finding the best, yummiest recipes and also helping us all feel like we have actually met you. Thanks so much for finding the balance in your life that allows you the time to write this blog so that we can benefit from your expertise. You have shaped so many lives! Thank you for all you do and who you are.
J – definitely worth a try – I think it sounds delicious!
I was looking for a creamy salmon chowder with less fat, do you think if I added flaked salmon and some corn and dill, this would be a good base for my soup? Looks great, Im just allergic to chicken
So we had this for dinner the other night, so yummy. It’s gotten to the point where my husband will start to say something like, “This is so good. This is probably the best…” And then I just smile and he’ll just say, “Is this from THAT blog?” And I’ll say, “yep, she’s my best friend.” You make our life and our meals so happy. Thanks!
Re: Betsy If you read the entire recipe it says at the bottom “…season with salt and pepper.” Mel, I loved this soup! Actually, I love ALL of the food I’ve made from this site.
I made this tonight and it was great. It’s very similar to another cheese soup recipe I make except that one uses american cheese. My 10.5 month old son, who is SO picky, hasn’t eaten so much since I last made my cheese soup :).
This was absolutely delicious. Somehow I cooked my chicken til it was chewy(nasty) so then we had cream cheese and vegetable soup. It was AWESOME!
This soup is wonderful!! My whole family loved it!
We left out the celery (kids!) and added salt and pepper. Oh my goodness, yum!!
Very good soup. But had to add salt and pepper – am I the only one that thought it was a bit bland w/o salt???
Hi Melanie!
I know this is an old recipe, but I wanted to let you know I made this last week with the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and it was a huge hit!!! Thanks again for another successful dinner!!
Tai Christensen
Made this today for Sunday lunch and thought it was fantastic! This will definitely be going into the rotation, especially during these cold months!
We made this tonight and it was fantastic! My husband loved it, and so did I. Definitely will repeat.
So, I’ve been making several recipes from your blog since my sister/brother-in-law first pointed it out to me, but this is the first time I had to comment. My family, my husband and children primarily, are very food intolerant…meaning my husband has irritable bowel and both children and husband have some allergy/sensitivities to dairy as well as a number of additives in processed foods. I love that your recipes are primarily from scratch and I always miss/love recipes like this that also contain dairy, but I recently found a great way to substitute for those who have a difficult time with the dairy. In this particular recipe I substituted 1 cup/8oz of raw cashews (soaked for an hour or barely covered w/water and heated for 1 min in microwave) placed in a high-powered blender with juice from half a lemon and added my 1 cup of rice milk for the milk substitute and added the 4 Tbs. flour and blended. I added this mixture at the appropriate time for adding the milk and cream cheese in the recipe and about 1 tsp extra sea salt and my husband and children loved it so much that my husband asked for it to be on the “rotation”. This is a seriously high compliment since my husband is probably the pickiest eater I know. So, I just had to share–it is possible to make this meal deliciously thick and creamy with extra protein as well and avoid complications for those who struggle with digesting dairy products! Thank you Mel!
I saw the photo of this soup in the sidebar and just had to check it out. So lovely – it’s clearly thick and sounds wonderful. Adding it to my list of must tries!
I almost didn’t make a real dinner tonight, what with all the Thanksgiving prep going on, but I am SO glad I did. This soup was fantastic. I threw in a little sweet potato since I was short on carrots, and added some fresh nutmeg. Even my four year old said, “I don’t hate this soup!” in a very surprised voice.
I made this soup and it was delicious! So glad I’ve found this website because there are so many good things to make!
I had this wonderful soup at a family get-together a week or so ago. My daughter and family was here from Switzerland. She took the recipe home with her and traded one of hers for it – a Mexican stew. I will post that later as it was really good, served with cheese cornbread.