Creamy Leftover Chicken Noodle Soup (or Turkey) w Sage

Slightly creamy and reminiscent of sage stuffing, Creamy Leftover Chicken Soup with Noodles and Sage is a tasty and easy recipe! Great with turkey too!

I have a confession to make.  I (usually) don’t like chicken soup.  Perhaps I had one too many “cold remedies” as a child.  But the sage flavor and creaminess of this leftover chicken soup makes it a happy exception! 

It all started on a Thanksgiving that didn’t go as planned. With much of the family gone, we ended up having our holiday dinner in a private dining room at the retirement community where my mother and stepfather lived. 

It wasn’t the Thanksgiving of my dreams–until they served this soup.  The unique and special flavor made me realize how much beauty can come from compromises and not giving up on a solution (special thanks to my stepfather here).  And how ppropriate for a holiday based on gratitude!

Why You’ll Love This!

Flavorful and Unique.  This soup has tasty notes of Thanksgiving stuffing (from the sage), plus the comforting feel of classic chicken noodle soup.  Yum!

Easy.  Just sautee some onion and celery, chop some carrots and mix all the ingredients together and cook.

Frugal.  With this soup you can turn leftover chicken or turkey into another full meal!  You might even repurpose some leftover Thanksgiving carrots (if you do, since leftover carrots are cooked, just add them toward the end).  

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Onion.  This adds flavor.  You can also use shallots or leeks
• Celery. This adds flavor.  You can also use celery root
• Oil. This is used to sautee the celery and onion and it also adds richness.  I used organic chicken fat, but butter or liquid oil should be fine.
• All purpose flour.  This helps create a thicker chicken noodle soup.
• Chicken broth.  This provides the broth.  You can use homemade or a good commercial broth.
• Carrots.  These add flavor and nutrition
• Sage, parsley, turmeric.  These add flavor and color.
• Salt. Salt is a flavor enhancer.
• Egg noodles.  The best noodles for this are homestyle, sometimes called “kluski.”  The noodles are cooked in the broth rather than separately both for ease of preparation and as a slight thickening boost.
• Leftover chicken.  This adds flavor, texture, and protein to the soup.  I’ve been known to serve rotisserie chicken just to have leftovers for this soup.  Leftover turkey works great as well!
• Half & Half.  This adds creaminess to the soup. You can use whole milk, a non-dairy substitute or extra chicken broth if needed.

Special Tools

• No special tools required!

Step by Step Directions

Sautee chopped onion and celery in oil.

When tender and starting to brown, add flour and sitr until moistened.

On medium heat, gradually add chicken broth to the pan, stirring to keep lumps from forming.

Add carrots and herbs, then simmer until carrots are almost tender, about 15 minutes.

Add chicken and noodles and cook until noodles are tender (see package directions for time estimate). Stir in half & half and serve.

How to Serve

I think this is just as good a comfort food as Classic Chicken Noodle Soup.  In fact it may take this even further with its sage-derived Thanksgiving overtones!  So, consider serving it to a sick child or to a friend who needs a pick-me-up.

Of course, the Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup is also great for everyday eating.  It makes a delicious lunch, served with a sandwich (half or whole) or as a soup and salad combo.  Or for a very light lunch, serve by itself , maybewith a loaf of crusty bread or a basket of muffins.

You could even use this as a dinner starter soup, perhaps in a cup sized portion to not dampen the appetite for the main course.

Leftovers

Leftovers should last 3-4 days, refrigerated and it’s just as good as the first day. 

And while I usually try to avoid freezing dishes containing pasta (which can get soft or gummy), this holds up quite well.  In fact, my youngest likes me to make it for her birthday and not share with anyone. Then she likes the leftovers frozen in individual servings so she can extend the joy!  

Tips and FAQs

Many people will use a chicken or turkey carcass in making leftover chicken or leftover turkey soup.  But in this case, I wanted a quick, simple soup, so I used a prepared broth. 

But I never throw away a carcass.  I use my Chicken Bone Broth Recipe and I either freeze or pressure can it so that it can be used in a later recipe.  And pro tip here: if you don’t have time to make stock from your poultry (or beef) bones, freeze them and pull them out later when you do.  (This is especially useful for beef bones where you may need more than a single meal provides.)

How did you decide on the specific spices and herbs for this chicken soup?  This soup uses sage, parsley and turmeric to achieve its unique flavor. First, I was trying to recreate the Thanksgiving soup I’d had which is what drove the heavy use of sage. Parsley is used as a nod to classic chicken noodle soup.  And finally a light touch of turmeric enhances the flavor and color.

Delicious Chicken Recipes

• Apple Soy Glazed Chicken Legs from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Bang Bang Chicken Pasta from Blogghetti
• Crispy Garlic Parmesan Chicken from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
• Autumn Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner from Jen Around the World
• Huli Huli Grilled Chicken from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Japanese Soboro Donburi from Pandemonium Noshery
• Leftover Chicken Soup with Sage from Art of Natural Living
• Sopa de Pollo Borracho from That Recipe

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Leftover Chicken Soup with Noodles and Sage

Slightly creamy and reminiscent of sage stuffing, Creamy LeftoverChicken Soup with Noodles and Sage is a tasty and easy recipe!

Author: Inger

5 from 4 votes

Print

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1/2 cup onion finely chopped, or leek or shallot
• ¼ cup celery chopped (or celery root)
• 3 Tablespoons oil I used organic chicken fat, but butter or liquid oil should be fine
• 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
• 4 cups chicken broth homemade or good commercial
• 1 cup carrots chopped, about 3 carrots
• 2 Tablespoons fresh sage or 1 Tablespoon dried sage
• 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley or 1 Tablespoons dried
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• 0-2 teaspoons salt will vary based on amount of salt in the broth
• 2-3 ounces homestyle egg noodles aka “kluski”
• 1 cup chicken chopped
• 1 cup half & half

Instructions

 

• In a large saucepan, sautee chopped onion and celery in oil. When tender and starting to brown, add flour and sitr until moistened.
• On medium heat, gradually add chicken broth to the pan, stirring to keep lumps from forming. Add carrots and herbs, then simmer until carrots are almost tender, about 15 minutes.
• Add chicken and noodles and cook until noodles are tender (see package directions for time estimate). Stir in half & half and serve.

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Updated from original, published on Dec 15, 2016

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