Chicken noodle soup is a classic comfort food that warms you up and soothes your soul. Making it in the crockpot results in a soup that is rich, flavorful, and ready when you are. With just a few simple ingredients and steps, you’ll have a hearty homemade soup without spending hours cooking and monitoring a stove top soup.
Benefits of Making Chicken Noodle Soup in the Crockpot
There are several advantages to using a slow cooker for chicken noodle soup:
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Convenience Just add the ingredients in the morning and let it cook all day No need to constantly monitor and stir a soup simmering on the stovetop
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Great flavor: The long cooking time allows the ingredients to mingle and develop deep, robust flavor.
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Budget-friendly Chicken and noodles are inexpensive ingredients. Making a big batch of soup stretches your grocery dollars
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Nutritious When you make soup from scratch you control the ingredients. Minimize sodium boost nutrition with veggies.
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Comforting: Few foods are as comforting as homemade chicken noodle soup. The aroma fills the house and warms you up.
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
Chicken noodle soup is simple to make with pantry staples and fresh ingredients:
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Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs – gives the broth great flavor
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Onion, carrots, celery – classic soup vegetables provide nutrients and taste
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Chicken broth – use reduced sodium if you prefer
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Egg noodles – hold their shape better than other pastas
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Herbs and seasonings – thyme, rosemary, parsley, garlic, salt, and pepper
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Lemon juice – brightens and balances the flavors
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these easy steps for crockpot chicken noodle soup:
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Add chicken, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and herbs to the slow cooker.
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Pour in chicken broth to cover ingredients.
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Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
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Remove chicken and shred with two forks.
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Return shredded chicken to pot.
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Add egg noodles and cook 20-30 minutes until tender.
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Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
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Garnish bowls with fresh parsley.
That’s all there is to it! In just a few minutes of prep in the morning, you’ll have a steaming pot of homemade comfort by dinnertime.
Variations and Substitutions
The basic formula for chicken noodle soup is quite flexible:
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Use rotisserie chicken to save time and skip shredding raw chicken.
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Substitute pasta shapes like small shells, ditalini, or alphabets.
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To make it vegetarian, use vegetable broth and add beans or tofu for protein.
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For fun shapes and colors, use carrots, celery, peas, corn, green beans.
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Add potatoes for heartiness and cook through before adding noodles.
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For heat, add diced chiles, sriracha, or cajun seasoning.
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For more texture, include chopped kale or spinach.
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Instead of noodles, use cooked rice or small pasta shapes.
Cooking Tips
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Cook noodles separately for best results. They can get overcooked and mushy if cooked for too long in the crockpot.
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Cut vegetables and chicken into small, uniform pieces so they cook at the same rate.
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Add dried herbs early in cooking, fresh herbs at the end for best flavor.
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For a thicker soup, remove a few cups of broth, puree veggies, and stir back in.
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Let soup rest 10 minutes after cooking so flavors blend before serving.
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Freeze leftovers in portion sizes for quick meals when busy.
Why Make Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Rather than relying on canned soups loaded with preservatives and sodium, making chicken noodle soup from scratch has many advantages:
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It’s economical – chicken and noodles are budget-friendly ingredients
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You control the sodium content by using reduced-sodium broth
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It’s customizable to your taste – add veggies, seasonings, noodles you like
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Much healthier than canned soup – use fresh, natural ingredients
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So comforting and soothing when you’re feeling under the weather
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Fills the house with the inviting aroma of simmering homemade soup
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Freezes well for grab-and-go portions when you need a quick meal
So grab your crockpot and whip up a batch of nourishing chicken noodle soup! It’s simple, budget-friendly, and so satisfying.
How To Make Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken: You can make chicken noodle soup with any combination of bone-in, skin-on chicken parts, but for this recipe, I opted to use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for ease.
- Vegetables: Onion, carrots, and celery are my go-to vegetables for any chicken noodle soup.
- Herbs: Fresh thyme, rosemary, and a bay leaf add that cozy, signature herbal flavor to this soup. You can definitely use dried thyme and rosemary here if you’re in a pinch, but I love the ease of throwing in fresh sprigs, and the more vibrant flavor of fresh herbs.
- Garlic: Three chopped cloves of garlic creates my perfect flavor, but add more or less depending on your level of love for it.
- Chicken Broth: Make sure to use low-sodium chicken broth to avoid an overly-salty soup.
- Egg Noodles: While egg noodles are the most common (and my personal favorite), any short pasta can work. Use it as an opportunity to use up that bowtie or rigatoni that youve had forever.
The best thing about this recipe? It’s not necessary to cook the chicken before putting it in the soup—let your slow cooker do all the hard work for you. Add raw boneless skinless chicken breasts to the slow cooker, along with the veggies, and herbs. Season generously with salt and pepper (this soup is simple, so let the salt and pepper enhance all of the flavors), before pouring in your broth. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours.
Once the chicken is tender, remove the breasts from the slow cooker and use 2 forks to shred the meat. Discard the herbs and bay leaf, then return the chicken to the slow cooker and stir with the soup.
Now is the time to add in your egg noodles, stirring them in to combine.
Cook uncovered on Low until the noodles are al dente. This should take 20 to 30 minutes, but keep a close eye on it. You want to avoid your noodles growing overly soggy. Once done, top with fresh herbs (if you desire), and get ready to cozy up to a bowl of this classic comfort food.
Full list of ingredients and instructions can be found in the recipe below.
- What can I add to chicken noodle soup to make it more flavorful? Fresh herbs, garlic, and a bay leaf will help make your soup more flavorful. If you make chicken soup and feel like its lacking something, this can typically be not enough salt. Finish the soup with a pinch of flaky sea salt, a drizzle of olive oil, and a squeeze of lemon for a brighter, more punchy flavor. If you like spicy food, also consider adding a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne to give the soup some heat.
If you have leftovers, I strongly suggest that you store the noodles separately from the broth. If they’re stored together, the noodles will soak up the liquid and turn to mush—and there won’t be any broth left. If you’d like to cook this soup in advance, the same recommendation applies, though if you’re making it ahead of time, we’d recommend skipping the noodles completely. You can add them into the broth when you reheat the soup, and they should be fully cooked in just 5 minutes.
Same deal if youre freezing—the soup itself freezes well and can be reheated whenever the craving hits, but the noodles will get mushy sitting in all of that broth, so Id recommend cooking them off fresh! Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
- 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled. sliced into coins
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 8 oz. egg noodles
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- Step 1 In a slow cooker, combine chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf; generously season with salt and pepper. Pour in broth.
- Step 2 Cover and cook on Low, 6 to 8 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with 2 forks. Discard herbs and bay leaf. Return chicken to slow cooker and add egg noodles.
- Step 3 Cover and cook on Low until noodles are al dente, 20 to 30 minutes.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
FAQ
How to make chicken soup in the slow cooker?
Set your slow cooker to low. Tip in the onion, celery, carrots and leeks and nestle in the bunch of herbs. Sit the chicken on top of the veg and pour over the stock. Cook for 6-8 hours.
How long does chicken noodle soup take in the slow cooker?
Directions. Combine water, carrots, onion, celery, parsley, salt, garlic salt, pepper, and thyme in a slow cooker; mix well. Place chicken on top and push down slightly into the liquid. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.
Can you put uncooked noodles in a crockpot when making soup?
Yes, you can add uncooked noodles directly to the soup in the crock pot, but it’s best to add them during the last 20–30 minutes of cooking. This allows the noodles to cook just until tender without becoming too soft or mushy.
Can you put raw chicken in a crockpot soup?
It’s not necessary to cook the chicken before putting it in the soup—let your slow cooker do all the hard work for you. Add raw boneless skinless chicken breasts to the slow cooker, along with the veggies, and herbs.
How do you make chicken noodle soup in a crockpot?
This crockpot chicken noodle soup is hearty and comforting, yet incredibly easy to make! To the bottom of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker, add trimmed chicken breasts. Top with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt and pepper, and bay leaf (if using). Dollop chicken base over the top, then pour in chicken broth.
Can you cook chicken noodle soup in a slow cooker?
For a healthier bowl of chicken noodle soup, use low-sodium chicken broth (or stock). For the best flavor, add lemon juice at the end of cooking. Definitely add the noodles towards the end of cooking, or they will become very mushy. This recipe is made for a large slow cooker, 6-quart. Can You Freeze This Soup?
Can you make crockpot chicken noodle soup with rotisserie chicken?
Some people make crockpot chicken noodle soup with rotisserie chicken, but this slow cooker chicken noodle soup makes it so easy to use fresh chicken. After a long, hard day, a big bowl of this soup is the cure! WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHICKEN BROTH AND CHICKEN STOCK? Is there a difference between broth and stock? Yes, there is!
Can you use egg noodles in crockpot chicken noodle soup?
EGG NOODLES: We like using wide egg noodles in our crockpot chicken noodle soup because they keep their shape. Home-style egg noodles can also be used. LEMON: Lemon is our secret ingredient to bring this great soup to life. The full ingredient list and instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
How long do you cook chicken soup in a slow cooker?
JENNIFER SCHWARZKOPF FOR TASTE OF HOME Chop your vegetables and measure out your seasonings. In a large slow cooker, add the vegetables, seasonings, chicken and broth. Cook on low for six hours or on high for four hours. Once the soup is done cooking, remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred it with a couple of forks.
How do you cook chicken noodle soup?
Put the chicken on a board and shred into bite-size pieces using a couple of forks. Return the chicken to the stock with the noodles, sweetcorn, mushrooms, spring onion and soy sauce. Simmer for 3-4 mins until the noodles are tender. Ladle into two bowls and scatter over the remaining spring onion, mint or basil leaves and chilli, if using.