Few things are as comforting as a steaming bowl of homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, and your slow cooker makes it easier than ever. This Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup is the perfect cozy winter meal made with flavorful broth, plenty of veggies, juicy chicken, and classic homestyle egg noodles all simmered in a cozy wholesome meal.
It’s the perfect set-it-and-forget-it comfort food for busy weeknights, chilly days, or when anyone in your family needs a comfy-cozy dinner. By the time dinner rolls around, you’ll have a hearty, delicious soup ready to ladle up. Plus, the leftovers are just as good the next day.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Effortless Prep: The slow cooker does all the work- no need to stand over the stove.
- Comfort Food: Warm, nourishing, and perfect for cold weather or under-the-weather days.
- Family Friendly: Kid-approved and easy to customize for picky eaters.
- One-Pot Wonder: Minimal dishes for easy cleanup.
Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
This slow cooker recipe takes all of the effort out of making this classic comfort food without sacrificing any of the flavor. All you need to do is slice and dice your onions, carrots, and celery then place them into the slow cooker along with chicken breasts, seasoning, and broth. Cover, set it, and go about your day.
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If you want to go the extra step, our Homemade Egg Noodles taste incredible in this soup and are incredibly easy to make. You can have your kids help you cut out fun shapes using cookie cutters, or just slice into wide noodles. Don’t even worry about cooking the noodles ahead of time – just toss them into the crock pot about 10-15 minutes before the soup has finished cooking.
And if you want an even more cozy dinner recipe, try serving them in Homemade Bread Bowls.
Key Ingredients
- Chicken – I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast for my Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup but chicken thighs or chicken tenders would make great substitutes. If you want to speed up the cooking process, you could also use rotisserie chicken or leftover diced chicken and add it towards the end. This way, you are mostly cooking just to blend the flavors and cook the veggies.
- Onions – Either white or yellow diced onions work great.
- Carrots – Peel and slice the carrots into even pieces.
- Celery – You’ll need about 1 cup of diced celery. It should be about the same size as the diced onions.
- Italian Seasoning – Italian seasoning adds great flavor, but can be replaced with dried oregano.
- Bay Leaves – Fresh bay leaves have the strongest flavor, but dried will also work. I like to store fresh bay leaves in the freezer so that I can pull them out as I need.
- Chicken Broth – you can use any type of chicken broth or stock that you’d like, including Homemade Chicken Stock. Vegetable broth is another good substitution.
- Noodles – Homestyle egg noodles are my favorite noodles to add to chicken soup. They have a great texture and the flavor pairs perfectly with the chicken and broth. This is also a perfect soup to add Homemade Egg Noodles to – the texture of homemade noodles is amazing, and they can even be cooked right in the soup.
- Lemon Juice – This balances out the flavors once the soup has finished cooking. Feel free to add the juice from a whole lemon if you like.
- Parsley – Chopped parsley is an optional garnish that adds a touch of fresh green to each bowl.
How to Make Chicken Noodle Soup In the Crockpot
- Add ingredients to slow cooker. Into a slow cooker, add the chicken breasts, onion, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, bay leaves.
- Cook. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Dice the chicken. Once the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees, remove it from the slow cooker and allow to cool for a few minutes before dicing.
- Add the noodles and finish cooking. Return the diced chicken to the slow cooker, then add the dry noodles and continue to cook for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the noodles are tender. (Note: If you use fresh Homemade Egg Noodles, they may only need about 10-15 minutes to cook)
- Serve. Once the soup has finished cooking, stir in the fresh lemon juice. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Tips for Speeding Up the Cooking Time
Slow cooker soup is convenient, but it does take a long time. If you’re looking for ways to speed up the cooking time a bit, here are a few tips:
- Make this soup on the stovetop. You can follow our instructions for Easy Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup that can be made in just about 30 minutes.
- Sautee Veggies First (Optional): sautee onions, carrots and celery before adding to the slow cooker.
- Cook the noodles separately. This eliminates the final cooking stage, saving at least 30 minutes.
- Pre-boil the chicken broth. You can boil the chicken broth before adding it to the slow cooker to slightly speed up the cooking process.
- Use leftover or rotisserie chicken. Add everything but the chicken and noodles to the slow cooker and cook on high for about 2-3 hours, or just until the veggies are tender. Add in the chicken and cooked noodles, stir, and cook for a few minutes until warm and the flavors have combined.
Recipe Variations
- Low Carb: Skip the noodles or use zucchini “zoodles” or cauliflower rice.
- Extra Veggies: Add spinach, kale, peas, or corn in the last 30 minutes.
- Lemon Chicken Soup: Stir in fresh lemon juice and zest before serving for a bright twist.
- Creamy: Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream, half and half or even a half can of cream of chicken soup.
- Gluten Free: Use gluten-free pasta or rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you want to be able to freeze your leftover Chicken Noodle Soup it is best to keep the noodles separate. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months, then thawed in the fridge overnight. You can freeze chicken soup with the noodles in it, but the texture will be rather mushy and not ideal.
If you plan on having any leftovers, it’s a good idea to cook the noodles separately and add them to individual bowls. Egg noodles are easy to overcook and don’t hold up very well to being reheated.
My favorite noodles to use for Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup are either dried store bought egg noodles or Homemade Egg Noodles. The flavor and texture taste amazing in soup. You can substitute other types of pasta if that’s what you’ve got.
It’s not recommended to add frozen chicken to your slow cooker because it takes too long for it to heat up to a safe temperature. If you plan to use frozen chicken, it’s best to let it thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
Yes! Making slow cooker rotisserie chicken noodle soup will actually cut the cooking time down slightly, making it a great choice.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerator: Store leftover chicken soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days if the noodles are already mixed in, or up to 5 days if the noodles are cooked and stored separately.
- Freezer: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Note that it’s best to freeze the leftover soup without the noodles as they will become rather mushy once they thaw and reheat.
- To reheat: Add soup to a saucepan and warm over medium heat, occasionally stirring, until warmed through. Add extra noodles and a splash of lemon juice as desired.
More Comforting Soup Recipes You’ll Love
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken breasts
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 large white onion, diced
- 4 large carrots, sliced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 bay leaves
- 12 ounces dry egg noodles , or 1 batch of Homemade Egg Noodles*
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh
- 1 tablespoon parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- Into a slow cooker, add the chicken breasts, chicken broth, onion, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaves.
- Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Once the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 160 degrees, remove it from the slow cooker and allow to cool for a few minutes before dicing.
- Return the diced chicken to the slow cooker, then add the dry noodles and continue to cook for an additional 20-30 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.
- Once the soup has finished cooking, stir in the fresh lemon juice. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Refrigerator: store leftover chicken soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days if the noodles are already mixed in, or up to 5 days if the noodles are cooked and stored separately.
- Freezer: store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Note that it’s best to freeze the leftover soup without the noodles as they will become rather mushy once they thaw and reheat.
- To reheat: add soup to a saucepan and warm over medium heat, occasionally stirring, until warmed through. Add extra noodles and a splash of lemon juice as desired.
- If you use fresh Homemade Egg Noodles, they may only need about 10-15 minutes to cook.
Nutrition
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More Slow Cooker Soup Recipes to Try
- Southwest Black Bean Soup
- Crock Pot Beef and Noodles
- White Chicken Chili
- Tuscan Soup
- Green Chili Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Hearty Vegetable Soup
- More Soup Recipes
- More Slow Cooker Recipes
Our Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup recipe is the perfect cold weather cozy day dinner. It requires just a few minutes of prep and is loaded with juicy chicken, tender egg noodles, and veggies.
Categories:
Chicken, Crockpot, Easy Weeknight Meals, Fall Recipes, Healthy, Main Dish, Nut-Free, Soups, Winter Recipes,
Tasted great but needed to double the chicken broth. When it was time to add the noodles, there was not enough liquid to cook them.
Not sure if the recipe is right – my crockpot only fits 3 quarts of chicken broth! Excited to try it this evening. Will update rating according to how it tastes!
I hope you enjoyed it!