Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Published 2/7/2022 • Updated 8/28/2023
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This Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup is a *delicious* fan favorite. This chicken noodle soup recipe is made in the slow cooker with chicken breast, egg noodles, hearty vegetables, and chicken broth.
We love making chicken noodle soup in the crockpot because it’s hands-off and foolproof. It’s a set it and forget it kind of meal that you’ll crave all soup season long!
#1 CrockPot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
We know lots of crockpot chicken noodles soup recipes claim to be #1, but this soup truly is our #1 soup. When I think of classic chicken soup, I think of mostly mushy noodles and not very much “other stuff.”
This crockpot chicken noodle soup recipe is here to prove you wrong! You’ll get veggies, chicken, and noodles in every single bite with the perfect ratio of ingredients. And, flavor? Not a problem! With our blend of fresh and dried spices, your broth will be finger-licking-good.
Why make this chicken noodle soup?
Minimal Ingredients: This recipe calls for minimal, wholesome ingredients that you probably already have on hand! Here are the basics you need:
- chicken breast
- chicken broth
- carrots
- celery
- onion
- broth
- spices and fresh herbs
Can I use chicken thighs instead? Feel free to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead.
Simple Flavors: Don’t underestimate the power of brothy soup! This crockpot chicken noodle soup is flavored with Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, pepper, and tons of fresh herbs. It’s the perfect hot soup to warm the soul and cure the sick because it tastes delicious 😀
Easy to Follow: It doesn’t get much easier than the slow cooker, people. I love this slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipe mostly because you throw everything in the crock pot, turn it on, and BAM, you’ve got your soup ready in anywhere from 4-8 hours depending on what setting you use!
Our Secret Ingredients
We’ve eaten a lot of chicken noodle soup recipes in our day and let me tell you, this one is far from basic because we have a few secret ingredients up our sleeves.
Fresh Garlic: garlic makes the world go round. This recipe calls for 3 cloves of garlic, but we dare you to double it.
Whole Dried Spices: whole dried spices such as minced garlic and minced onion add a ridiculous amount of flavor. We’ve tried chicken noodle soup without them and we now swear by them!
Vinegar: vinegar is truly the secret sauce to balancing a brothy soup. It adds the perfect amount of tang to really bring out all of the flavors. Feel free to use hot sauce (our favorite is Frank’s Hot Sauce), apple cider vinegar, or white vinegar.
How to Make CrockPot Chicken Noodle Soup
Step 1: Chop Veggies
Like I mentioned above, this slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipe calls for a handful of very mild vegetables. That’s why this soup is a good one to make if you or a loved one is under the weather.
quick tip
When cutting your celery, carrots, and onions, make sure to cut them all relatively the same size. I call this size: finely chopped. It’s small enough to get multiple pieces of veggies in the same spoonful!
Optional veggie add-ins
If you’re looking to explore more vegetables, are a few we recommend trying out –>
- potatoes
- sweet potatoes
- a bag of frozen veggies
- green beans
- corn
- spinach
Step 2: Add, Pour, and Mix Ingredients
Once you’ve cut your veggies, it’s time to transfer everything into the slow cooker! Add your veggies, full (uncooked) chicken breasts, spices, and herbs to the slow cooker and pour in your broth. Then, give your soup a good stir.
Make sure that the chicken breast is fully submerged in the broth so that things cook evenly. Other than that, you’re ready to get cookin’.
Step 3: Cover, Set It, & Forget It
Now, the easy part. You simply cover your slow cooker, set it, and forget it! We’re giving you two cook-time options in this recipe. One is on high and one is on low.
- High: turn your slow cooker to high and cook for 3-4 hours or until your chicken is fully cooked.
- Low: turn your slow cooker to low and cook for 6-8 hours or until your chicken is fully cooked. PS: this is the recommended method to get more tender chicken.
How do you know your chicken is fully cooked?
The most scientific way to know your chicken is fully cooked is by using a meat thermometer. If your chicken is 165ºF or higher, then you’re good to go. If you don’t have a thermometer, your chicken should be white in color and firm to the touch.
Try it!
Thermoworks Thermapen
We swear by using a meat thermometer when cooking any cut of meat. The Thermapen is our go-to meat thermometer that works every time.
Step 4: Cube Chicken, Add Noodles, and Cover
Now that your chicken is fully cooked, it’s time to remove your chicken breasts and cube it!
Make sure that you cut your chicken into small enough pieces (just like your veggies) so that you can get a piece of chicken in every bite! Once diced, add the chicken cubes back into your slow cooker.
Now, for the fun part…it’s time to cook your noodles! Add 3 cups of egg noodles to your slow cooker and mix with the hot broth (and the rest of the soup).
Then, cover and let cook for 10ish minutes or until your noodles are cooked!
a note on noodles
Please do note that we’ve only tried this recipe with egg noodles and egg noodles cook rather fast. So, if you are planning to use something else, just do your research
Step 5: Serve Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Hot
Ain’t nobody like cold soup. So? Make sure that you serve your crockpot chicken noodle soup immediately! We recommend adding some fresh parsley top and maybe even a zinger of hot sauce or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Make it Creamy
Feel free to add 1/4-1/2 cup of heavy cream or greek yogurt to the crockpot after the cook time is over. Cover slow cooker and heat the soup until hot!
This will result in a creamy variation that is also delish!
Chicken Soup Kitchen Accessories
Set yourself up for success this soup season and get all of the soup accessories you need. Here are our recommendations:
Chicken Noodle Soup Tips + Tricks
What can I add to my chicken noodle soup to add more flavor?
You can add many different things to chicken noodle soup to give it more flavor. Check out some fun and different options below:
- Tie extra herbs in with the herb bundle from this recipe! Sage would be a great addition to this chicken noodle soup recipe!
- Add a couple of extra garlic cloves to the broth!
- A teaspoon or two extra of garlic powder or Italian seasoning.
- A roux – to make it creamy! Check out our Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe for some inspo!
Is there a difference between stock and broth?
Generally, stock is made with bones and broth is made with meat and/or vegetables! Stock tends to be a bit thicker and the broth is lighter and more flavorful.
Though some recipes call for specifically broth or stock, if you are out of one, feel free to use the other as a substitute in recipes!
If you choose to use low-sodium chicken broth, you will likely need to add more salt into the soup.
Can I use any type of noodle in chicken noodle soup?
Absolutely, you can use any noodle you would like in chicken noodle soup. We use egg noodles because we love the texture and it is what is traditionally used in chicken noodle soup.
The key (no matter what noodle you use) if you are planning to meal prep this slow cooker chicken noodle soup, keep the soup and the noodles separate until serving. This will prevent mushy noodles.
Should noodles be cooked before adding to soup?
In this recipe, you do NOT need to precook your noodles. So, can I put dry pasta in slow cooker? YES! Egg noodles cook rather quickly and after you put the dry noodles in it will only take 10 minutes to cook.
Is homemade chicken noodle soup healthy?
Yes, homemade chicken noodle soup is healthy! If you are going to eat chicken soup, we recommend ALWAYS making it from scratch without additives. In addition, you can watch how much sodium is in each serving.
Can I add more vegetables to my chicken noodle soup?
Of course, you can add more vegetables to your chicken noodle soup! I would stick to heartier root vegetables since they will be cooking in a slow cooker. Just make sure whatever vegetables you use are diced the same size as the carrots and celery.
More Veggie Options
- Idaho potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Cauliflower (cut into bigger chunks)
- Parsnips
- Frozen Vegetables
- Spinach
How do you cream chicken noodle soup?
You can cream the slow cooker chicken noodle soup by adding a 1/4-1/2 cup of heavy cream or greek yoga after the soup is done cooking. Cover the slow cooker and cook for an additional 15 minutes until soup is hot!
Check out our Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe for a similar recipe!
Storage
Store your chicken soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To reheat: place soup in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high for 60-90 seconds.
Freezer Directions
Can you freeze chicken noodle soup? YES! We have one tip for you before we share how to freeze it. DON’T ADD THE NOODLES until you serve it. Why? If you freeze noodles, they will end up mushy and no one likes mushy noodles.
So, to freeze your soup, just follow this simple tutorial on How to Freeze Soup.
- Refrain from adding noodles to your soup. Cook the soup as directed.
- Let the soup cool and then transfer it into an airtight container or freezer-safe gallon-size bag.
- Remove as much air as possible and then seal.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 4 medium carrots, diced (1.5 cups)
- 4 large celery stalks, diced (1 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (2 heaping tablespoons)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried red and green pepper, optional
- 6 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 6 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon Franks hot sauce, or white vinegar
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups egg noodles*
- optional toppings: fresh parsley and a lemon wedge for topping
Instructions
- Begin by creating an herb bundle by tying a piece of string around your fresh thyme and rosemary.
- Then, place all raw ingredients (minus the egg noodles) inside of your crockpot and stir. Make sure your chicken breasts are fully submerged in liquid.
- Set crock pot to high and cook for 3-4 hours OR set crock pot to low and cook for 6-8 hours.
- Once your chicken is tender and fully cooked, remove and slice into small chunks OR shred with 2 forks. Put the chicken breast back into soup and mix.
- Add 3 cups of egg noodles to the slow cooker and mix again. Place the top back on your slow cooker and let sit for 10 minutes in order to cook the noodles.
- Serve with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.
Tips & Notes
- Spices: if you have a coarse Italian Tuscan Seasoning like this one, you can use 1 – 2 tablespoons of it.
- For this recipe, we used egg noodles. If you use a different kind of noodle, the cooking time at the end will vary.
- To freeze: if you are planning to freeze this soup, DO NOT COOK THE NOODLES. We recommend freezing the soup and then making the noodles before serving. Please follow our guide on How to Freeze Soup.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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6 Crockpot Chicken Recipes
Looking for more crockpot chicken recipes? Look no further! Check out 6 similar recipes below. And for an added bonus, check out our Crockpot Freezer Meals post where we teach you how to turn all of these slow cooker recipes into freezer meals.
This soup is delicious. Very easy, put it in the slow cooker and forget it. Yum, yum!!!
I love this soup! So easy and flavorful! Freezes well too
Love this base recipe! changed a few things to fit out taste, and based on what we had at home, that’s the beauty of soups 🙂
This is the absolute BEST chicken soup recipe I have ever had! The robust flavor from the fresh herbs and italian tuscan seasoning are perfect! I’ve made this recipe a handful of times already and plan to keep it in my rotation all year long. It’s super simple and my entire family raves about it. I have shared it with number friends and family as well and they all whole heartedly agree 🙂
I wish I had read the comments first. WAY too much Italian seasoning. I thought it sounded like a lot so I put a little less in and still it was way too much. Next time I’ll more than cut it in half and add a dash of dill and sage and a bay leaf (because I saw other homemade chicken noodle recipes called for those spices).
Hi! We recommended using an Italian Tuscan seasoning…not the classic Italian seasoning! We even have notes about that in the recipe card.
The recipe calls for WAY too much Italian seasoning. It’s all you can taste. If you make this, I’d cut the Italian seasoning I’m half or even more.
You are awesome for sharing all that knowledge. I really appreciate visiting your website again. Thank you for your generosity!
Followed the recipe to the letter and the italian seasoning was too overpowering. Whole pot of food wasted, did not enjoy.
What is I only have frozen chicken? How should I adjust the time?
I’d make sure to fully thaw your chicken before placing in the slow cooker!
Trying the recipe now….but three cloves of garlic minced is nowhere near two heaping tablespoons…I am confused. Can you please advise….I really don’t want this to be really garlicky. Thanks
Recipe looks delicious! I have an instapot and was going to try it in there instead…have you? If so, any idea what the cooking time be?
We have not tested that yet!