Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
This Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup recipe makes it so easy to make homemade chicken noodle soup from scratch. It’s comforting, healthy and perfect for a cold day!
Chicken noodle soup is one of the best comfort foods, especially when you have a cold or just aren’t feeling well. With this simple crockpot soup recipe, making chicken noodle soup from scratch has never been easier!
I love to take classic recipes, such as chicken noodle soup, and make them easier and faster to prep. I’ll often use my slow cooker or pressure cooker to help me cook wholesome meals with less effort. See my slow cooker beef stew recipe, crockpot pot roast, these slow cooker chicken recipes and these instant pot recipes for more tasty ideas. These kitchen tools can help you to prepare meals ahead of time and get quick dinners on your table.
This chicken noodle soup is a dump and go recipe, meaning you can put all of the ingredients in your crockpot without doing any cooking ahead of time. You’ll save time in the evening because most of the dinner prep work will already be done. I love making crockpot soups on chilly days. This crockpot taco soup is another great recipe to have in your back pocket when you need an easy make ahead meal.
If you’re looking for a quick chicken noodle soup recipe that you can prepare after work, my Instant Pot chicken noodle soup has the same homemade flavor as this slow cooker recipe and also includes stove top instructions.
How to Make Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
To make this crock pot chicken noodle soup, you will start by adding all of the ingredients, except the egg noodles, to your slow cooker. Here’s what you will need:
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are my preference for this recipe. You could also use boneless chicken thighs. I get my chicken from ButcherBox. You really can taste the quality of ButcherBox free range organic chicken, even in this slow cooker soup!
- Onion and Garlic: Chop the onion into small pieces. Mince the garlic, either with a knife or garlic press.
- Vegetables: I use carrots and celery in this classic chicken noodle soup recipe. You could also add potatoes or parsnips.
- Herbs: Fresh thyme or fresh rosemary are my favorites in chicken noodle soup. You can also use dried herbs if you don’t have fresh. See the cooking tips box below for more information about seasoning your soup with herbs. A bay leaf also adds flavor to the soup as it simmers. You’ll remove the bay leaf once the soup is done.
- Salt and Pepper: You’ll season the soup twice, first before it cooks in the slow cooker. It’s always a good idea to taste your soup again after it has finished cooking, and add more seasoning as needed.
- Chicken Stock or Chicken Broth: You can use either chicken stock or broth in this soup recipe. I prefer the richer flavor of stock. Try to find unsalted chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth, so that you can adjust the salt level yourself. If you have some homemade Instant Pot bone broth on hand, it makes an extra nutritious base for this soup.
- Egg Noodles: I use extra wide egg noodles, and cook them right in the slow cooker during the last 10 minutes of cook time. If you prefer, you can cook the egg noodles separately on the stove and add them to the soup. I usually choose the easier method, with less dishes.
Once you’ve added everything (except the noodles) to your crock pot, you will cover the pot and cook your soup, either on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Be sure to check that the chicken has cooked through and the vegetables have softened.
Once the soup is done, you’ll remove and shred the chicken. The chicken will be so tender that it should shred easily. You can learn more about how to shred chicken here.
The last step to making crockpot chicken noodle soup is to add the egg noodles to the crockpot. Continue cooking the soup on high for about 10 minutes, or until the noodles have softened. I always err on the side of undercooking the noodles a bit because they will continue to soften as they sit in the broth.
Serve your crockpot chicken noodle soup with some crusty bread for soaking up extra broth and a green salad for a complete meal.
How to Reheat Leftover Chicken Noodle Soup
You can keep this crockpot chicken noodle soup in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. As the soup sits, the noodles will continue to absorb some of the broth and will become very soft. I don’t mind this, but if you do, you may want to cook the egg noodles separately so that you can add them right before serving your soup.
Reheat the soup in a pot on the stove, stirring occasionally. Alternatively, you can reheat individual bowls of soup in the microwave until the soup is hot.
Cooking Tips for Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- I recommend chopping the vegetables into small bites. This soup is the best when you can get a little bit of everything on your spoon for each bite! Chopping the veggies up small also makes this healthy homemade chicken noodle soup a kid-friendly meal.
- Wait and add the uncooked egg noodles to the slow cooker after the soup has cooked. The egg noodles will only take about 10 minutes to cook in the slow cooker.
- Fresh herbs give this soup wonderful flavor without being overpowering. You’ll add whole fresh sprigs of the herbs and then remove the stems after the soup has cooked. A few of the herb leaves will fall off of the stems into the soup. I’ve made this chicken noodle soup with fresh thyme and fresh rosemary and both are delicious.
- If you don’t have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs. Try rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, or a combination of your favorites. Use between 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried herbs total.
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced, about 2 cups
- 3 ribs celery, chopped, about 2 cups
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (see note)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups chicken stock, or low sodium chicken broth
- 7 ounces egg noodles, about 3 cups
- fresh parsley, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Put chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper and chicken stock or broth.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs and discard. It's ok if some leaves fall off of the thyme stems into the soup.
- Remove the chicken to a clean bowl or cutting board. Let it rest for 5 minutes and then shred it into small pieces. Return the chicken to the soup.
- Meanwhile, if the slow cooker is not on high, set it to the high setting. Stir in the egg noodles. Cook on high for 10 minutes or until the noodles are tender.
- Taste the soup and add salt and pepper as needed. Serve.
Notes
- If you don't have fresh herbs, you can use dried herbs. Try rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano, or a combination of your favorites. Use between 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried herbs total.
Hello Kristine, Am making a pot of chicken soup for a nabor friend returning from surgery. Another nabor has given me all the bones & chicken left from her Costco rotisserie chicken; I have some from an IP chicken made from one of your recipes. Since the chicken has already cooked, should I reduce the cook time? Am going to use either my 6qt. IP on Slow Cook, or my larger crockpot. Thank you. Sally
You can’t reduce the cook time because then the vegetables won’t cook enough. I would add the chicken during the last hour of cooking, so that it can heat through. You may also need to increase the overall cook time by 30 minutes or so (since you’ll be adding cold chicken to the pot it may take a little longer to finish cooking).
Hi there was just wondering about how many chicken breasts would you say for 5 people?
This recipe serves 8 people and uses 1 pound of chicken, which is about 2 boneless, skinless breasts. I would recommend making the recipe as written for 5 people, and you may have a little bit of leftover soup.
I’m making this today again! I thought I would share how wonderful this soup is! We love it. I follow the recipe exactly as written except I make the noodles separately because we have some that like a little and some that like a ton. Perfect toss and go soup. Thank you!