This Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup is a hands-off recipe made right in the crock pot. It’s the perfect cozy winter meal made with a flavorful broth, plenty of veggies, juicy chicken, and tender egg noodles.
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Easy Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
This Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup recipe takes all of the effort out of making this classic comfort food without sacrificing any of the flavor. Whether you’ve got sick kiddos at home, are busy with holiday prep, or would simply rather curl up with a book than spend time in the kitchen, this is the perfect recipe for you.
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.
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.
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup 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.
- Salt and Pepper
- 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 little green freshness 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.
- 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 speed up the cooking process slightly.
- 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.
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 Freezing
- 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.
Best Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 large Chicken Breasts
- 1 large Onion diced
- 3-4 large Carrots sliced
- 1 cup Celery diced
- ½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3 whole Bay Leaves
- 4 quarts Chicken Broth
- 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, onion, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, 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. (Note: If you use fresh Homemade Egg Noodles, they may only need about 10-15 minutes to cook)
- Once the soup has finished cooking, stir in the fresh lemon juice. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley. Enjoy!
Nutrition
More Slow Cooker Soup Recipes to Try
- Southwest Black Bean Soup
- White Chicken Chili
- Tuscan Soup
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Homemade Beef Stew
- 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.
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