A big hot bowl of slow cooker chicken noodle soup is the perfect comforting meal on those chilly days! It’s an easy set-it-and-forget recipe with lean white meat, hearty root vegetables, flavorful herbs, and large egg noodles.
Jessica’s Recipe Science
- Use boneless chicken breasts for lean meat or bone-in thighs for richer, more flavorful stock from the added gelatin.
- A mirepoix of carrots, onions, and celery balances sweetness, aromatics, and umami, building the soup’s flavor base.
- To prevent mushy noodles, cook pasta on “high”. Egg noodles take 30 minutes for the starchy pasta to absorb the stock and soften.
Featured Comment 120
“Super good and easy! Definitely a keeper in the recipe book, thank you so much.”—Natasha S.
Why It Works
We’ve all been there: When cold and flu season hits, you feel like a zombie. I know I only want a big, warm bowl of comforting soup. This crockpot chicken noodle soup recipe is one of those simple mom-approved remedies that relieve you when you’re not on top of your game.
Using a crock-pot makes the preparation nearly effortless. Just place chicken breast pieces in the vessel and a classic combination of onions, carrots, and celery. Drop in some thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf to add depth and pleasing aromatics when you lift the lid. Big, tender egg noodles swim in the savory soup base, giving you that extra energy you need.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
- Chicken: I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The thick pieces of lean meat gently cook in the hot soup liquid. Alternatively, you can use boneless or bone-in chicken thighs. Note that cooking with the skin on will add more grease to the liquid.
- Vegetables: A mirepoix of carrots, onions, and celery creates the classic chicken noodle soup flavor.
- Seasoning: Minced garlic adds a hint of spicy allium notes that mellow out over time. Salt and pepper enhance the liquid’s savory taste.
- Herbs: Dried and fresh herbs add fragrant aromatics and dimension to the soup. I infuse rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves into the cooking liquid.
- Liquid: Use chicken broth or stock as a flavorful, simmering liquid. I prefer chicken stock as it adds more richness and flavor from the gelatin in the bones.
- Pasta: Wide egg noodles are a top choice for chicken noodle soup. Their soft yet tender bite complements the proteins and vegetables.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
This easy crockpot chicken noodle soup recipe is simple to customize! Try these tasty options:
- Chicken Options: Fresh or leftover roasted chicken or turkey also makes for a quick and easy protein add-in at the end of cooking.
- Add More Vegetables: Add fennel, butternut squash, any type of potato, zucchini, green beans, or corn to the soup. Make sure to cut each vegetable into similar bite-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Pasta Substitutes: Other types of pasta, such as ditalini and rotini, can be used. Even broken pieces of thin fettuccine work well. Just note that semolina-based pasta may take a little longer to cook as it is more durable than egg noodles. You’ll add them to the Crock-Pot after the chicken and vegetables finish cooking. Alternatively, you can cook the noodles separately on the stovetop to speed up the overall cook time.
- Make it Creamy: If you prefer creamy chicken noodle soup, add ½ to 1 cup of heavy cream when warming the shredded chicken at the end of cooking.
- Make it Spicy: Add in red pepper flakes, chipotle, chili powder, cayenne, hot sauce, or Sriracha.
How to Make Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Step 1: Add the Ingredients
This slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipe is straightforward to prepare! I use a 6-quart Crock-Pot, which works nicely. If you have a smaller unit, cut the recipe in half. Add the chicken, vegetables, herbs, and stock to the slow cooker.
Step 2: Slow Cook
Cover and cook the soup for about 3 ½ hours on high or 5 ½ hours on low setting. Chicken breast is lean and can dry out if left in the pot for too long. Use an instant-read thermometer to check for doneness every 30 minutes past the recommended cook time. Target the internal temperature of the chicken at 160ºF (71ºC).
Step 3: Shred the Chicken
After removing the chicken from the vessel, keep it covered. Don’t shred the chicken until ready to serve to prevent moisture loss.
Step 4: Cook the Noodles
Stir in the dried egg noodles and cook on high for about 30 minutes or until they become tender. Different types of pasta may need more or less time, so adjust accordingly to prevent them from getting mushy.
Step 5: Warm the Chicken
Gently stir the shredded chicken into the soup and let it warm for about five minutes. This ensures the chicken absorbs the flavors of the stock while staying tender. Brief and even heating helps prevent the meat from becoming overcooked or dry.
Step 6: To Serve
Before serving, sprinkle the homemade chicken noodle soup with fresh parsley for a burst of color and brightness. Then, grab a bowl and a spoon and dive into this cozy, comfort food.
Frequently Asked Questions
Raw chicken can be cooked along with any other flavorful ingredients for soups. This gently cooks the poultry in the simmering liquid, adding flavor to the meat and soup. Ensure the chicken is fully cooked, between 160 to 165ºF (71 to 74ºC), before shredding and serving. It’s easy to see if the meat is still raw and pink. If using frozen chicken, defrost it first.
Yes! Add the dried pasta to the slow cooker about 30 minutes before serving to prevent the noodles from turning too soft and absorbing too much chicken stock.
The dried pasta can be cooked in chicken stock, broth, and other ingredients. This should be done at the end of cooking, right before serving. If the starchy pasta absorbs too much liquid, add more stock and season with salt as needed. The pasta could also be cooked separately and then added to the soup.
Cook the pasta in the slow cooker on the “high” setting at the end of the recipe process right before serving. The time may vary depending on the size and shape of the noodles. I find that 25 to 30 minutes gives a nice tender egg noodles. If using a different type of pasta, check at 10 minutes and then every 10 minutes after that time to gauge the doneness.
More Crockpot Recipes
If you tried this Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below!
Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced ¼" thick
- 1 ½ cups yellow onion, ½" dice
- 1 cup celery, ¼" pieces
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped, or ¾ teaspoon dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped, or ½ teaspoon dried
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 8 cups unsalted chicken stock, or broth
- 8 ounces wide egg noodles
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Instructions
- Add Ingredients – In a 6-quart slow cooker, add chicken, carrots, onions, celery, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, and chicken stock.
- Slow Cook – Cover and cook on the high setting for 3 ½ hours, or on the low setting for 5 ½ hours. Cook until the chicken reaches 160ºF (71ºC), adding more time as needed.
- Shred Chicken – Remove chicken and transfer to a clean plate. Cover with plastic wrap to keep warm. Shred into smaller pieces right before serving.
- Cook Noodles – Add pasta to the slow cooker and cook on high setting for 25 to 30 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
- Warm Chicken – Add shredded chicken back to the slow cooker, cover, and let cook for 5 minutes on high heat to re-warm. Season the soup with more salt and pepper as needed.
- To Serve – Garnish the chicken noodle soup with chopped parsley before serving.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield: About 8 cups
- Serving Size: 1 cup chicken noodle soup
- Storing: Completely cool the chicken soup. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Add more stock if needed for reheating.
- Reheating: Cook over medium heat on the stovetop until hot.
- Freezing: Store in individual containers or resealable bags for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or run the container over cool water, then reheat.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
Jennifer H says
Made this tonight and was good, but flavor was lacking slightly. KEY to adding flavor is to add some poultry seasoning to the pot. Made a huge difference and gave me the flavor that was lacking and what I was expecting.
Stephanie Gerrish says
Hello! Quick question – should I pat dry the chicken before putting in the crock-pot?
Jessica Gavin says
You can dry the chicken pieces, but not required.
Michelle says
Hi! May I ask, if I need to double this recipe to feed a crowd, will it all fit in one standard 6 qt. crock pot still, or do I need to use 2 crock pots? Thanks!!!
Jessica Gavin says
I would use two crock pots if double the recipe.
Caprice Garcia says
My husband does not care for his chicken shredded can I cut them into cubes
Jessica Gavin says
Yes, you can remove the chicken after it’s fully cooked and cut into cubes.
Michael Scampini says
Turned out great. I added chopped fennel and 4 spoonfuls of white miso paste and it was fantastic. Because I like the taste of celery in soup, I doubled it and added a tspn of celery seeds. I did use frozen chopped carrots that I had in my freezer because I wanted to get rid of them. They were a tad mushy at the end but still good. Fresh would have been better for this, or had I added the frozen halfway through.
I also added 2 cups of water with a bullion cube for a bit more broth and 4 diced mini potatoes because I had to use them. The combination of everything really worked well and tasted great. The fresh herbs are a must especially for the rosemary. M ok with dried thyme but nothing compares to fresh rosemary.
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks for sharing your tips! Your modifications, especially the miso paste sounds delicious to add to the chicken noodle soup.
Angela A says
Did you really mean 8oz of noodles? That’s not a lot at all. I got an 18 oz bag of wide noodles.
Jessica Gavin says
Yes, the noodles expand a lot. You can add more if you’d like.
Jim says
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but adding a little MSG and some red pepper flakes really popped off on the flavor. No where near enough to be spicy, but added a little something.
Also I was hungry and cheated with pressure cooking instead of slow cooking. Likely why the seasoning in my batch felt slightly lacking.
Either way, I love the final result. And only took like 30 mins prep to bowl. Will definitely make it again.
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks for sharing your flavor-boosting tips for the chicken noodle soup. I do something similar with some soy sauce for an umami flavor, but not to make it the dominate taste in the soup.
Tom says
I have a question.. when is it safe to taste test the soup? I want to taste a little of the stock to see if the seasoning needs any adjustments, but I dunno if the chicken is done cooking yet. It’s been in on low for 2.5 hours. I’ll be sure to leave a review when I’m finished! So far, so good though! 😉
Jessica Gavin says
Great question! Salmonella is destroyed at temperatures above 150ºF. That would be a safe time to check the flavor of the liquid. However, I would look to see if the chicken has turned opaque. If it’s still raw, do not taste the soup. It’s best to adjust the seasoning level once the chicken is cooked and before you add the noodles.
Mike says
Can I use a dutch oven instead of a slow cooker? Same recipe?
Jessica Gavin says
I have a stove top chicken noodle soup version that I would recommend using instead. The temperature on the stove top is too variable, so I would not cook for several hours unless you are checking frequently.
Tricia says
I recommend using chicken broth and not
stock as it ruins the flavor IMO. I’m actually going to toss it because it tastes kind of sweet. I think if you use broth it will taste fine.
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Tricia. May I ask what brand of stock you used? I haven’t had the experience that it tasted sweet before.
Karen says
College Inn Chicken Broth gives soup a sweet flavor. I went back to good old Swanson broth.
Jessica Gavin says
Great to know!
Will Bray says
Can you use frozen chicken breast if so how long should I adjust the cooking time if any?
Jessica Gavin says
I recommend defrosting the chicken first so the vegetables don’t become too mushy with the extended cooking time.
Marie says
Hi Jessica, I was looking for a crockpot recipe for chicken noodle soup, and I’m so glad I found yours. It turned out delicious! The only thing I added was some oregano. I will definitely be trying some of your other recipes soon!
Jessica Gavin says
Thank you for your feedback, Marie!
Nikkole says
I’m not sure what I did wrong. I followed the recipe to a T and it had no flavor. I am so bummed. It was all new spices and everything. Any ideas?
Jessica Gavin says
I would add more salt to taste to the stock to enhance the flavor.
Sophie says
I added some chicken boullion to it cause I like a super savory flavor and I liked that
Jessica Gavin says
Thanks for your feedback! I’ve also found that some soy sauce adds extra umami and savory notes.
Lucia says
Fry the chicken it will add more flavor maybe even fry some of the veggies too