Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup: a classic chicken noodle soup recipe made right in the slow cooker!
This soup is super simple to make, ready in less than 4 1/2 hours, and features a luscious and creamy broth — thanks to a surprise ingredient. Try this favorite family-friendly meal today!
This homemade chicken noodle soup made in the crockpot is an easy weeknight dinner. Serve this soup with a side of beer bread, cornbread, 7-layer salad, or even garlic bread!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Hands-off cooking. No sauteing, pureeing, or stirring is needed for this slow-cooker chicken noodle soup recipe.
- Comforting and cozy. If you’re in need of a little pick-me-up on a cold, dreary, or stressful day, a bowl of this creamy soup will do the trick!
- Kid-approved. There’s no such thing as too many family-friendly meals, am I right? This soup is great for grown-ups, kids, and kids-at-heart alike.
- A complete meal. Whereas you can always pair sides with this soup, it can stand alone on its own for busy nights. With vegetables, lean protein, and noodles, this crockpot chicken and noodles check all the boxes of a nutritious meal.
Ingredients
- Chicken breast: Boneless skinless chicken contributes heartiness, protein, and flavor to this soup.
- Carrots, onion, & celery: Chicken noodle soup just wouldn’t be itself without this classic trifecta.
- Mushrooms: We are big mushroom fans in our house. If mushrooms aren’t your thing, however, you can omit them from the recipe.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic really is best for this recipe. You can use pre-minced garlic in a pinch, though.
- Poultry seasoning: Adds a hint of dimension and savory flavor to the soup.
- Salt & pepper: You just can’t go wrong with these classic seasonings.
- Cream of chicken soup: The special surprise ingredient adds richness and flavor to the soup.
- Chicken broth: You can use regular or low-sodium chicken broth.
Substitutions
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken thighs can substitute for chicken breasts for an even more savory and hearty flavor. Bone-in chicken can also be used, though you’ll want to make sure the internal cooking temperature has been reached before removing the chicken from the broth and cubing.
- Herbs: Dried poultry mix makes this soup accessible and delicious, but if you have fresh herbs they can also be used in this homemade chicken noodle soup in the crockpot. 3 tablespoons of any combination of fresh thyme, rosemary, sage, or marjoram would all be delicious.
- Noodles: I usually use wide egg noodles but I’ve also used rotini, wheel noodles, or even small shell noodles. Have fun mixing it up with the noodles or have your kids get involved by having them choose the noodles!
How To Make Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Add: All of the ingredients except for the egg noodles to the slow cooker.
- Cook: Cover the crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
- Cut chicken: Remove the chicken breast from the soup. Cut it into cubes and place it back in the slow cooker.
- Make noodles: Cook the egg noodles.
- Stir: Put the noodles into the chicken soup in the crockpot.
- Serve: Garnish with fresh parsley and serve hot.
Kitchen Tools
To make this chicken noodle soup you will need a crockpot, soup ladle, and some soup bowls.
Recipe Variations
- Add your favorite veggies. I love making chicken noodle soup because you can change it up by adding or eliminating certain veggies. Other tasty veggies would be sweet peppers, corn, zucchini, green beans, or sweet potato.
- Use rotisserie chicken. Make this easy crockpot chicken noodle soup even simpler to make by using shredded rotisserie chicken! Add 3-4 cups of shredded chicken to the crockpot in the last 30 minutes of cooking and follow the rest of the recipe directions as listed.
- Use frozen chicken. Just defrost the chicken completely before using it in this recipe or add 2 hours to the cooking time (and check the chicken for doneness before cubing) to make sure that the chicken is cooked through.
- Add extra protein. Whether you double up on the chicken in this recipe or stir in another protein like kidney beans or garbanzo beans, you can easily add some extra staying power to this soup for those busier and hungrier days.
- Switch up the seasonings. Make this recipe your own by experimenting with seasoning combinations. Add extra dried thyme, rosemary, or sage; stir in fresh lemon zest or juice; or sprinkle with grated parmesan for extra flavor!
Expert Tips
- Slow cooker size. I used my 6-quart slow cooker to make this chicken noodle soup (don’t forget to use these slow cooker liners for easy cleanup). If you are using a smaller slow cooker, just halve this recipe. Furthermore, this recipe can also be made on the slow cooker setting of your Instant Pot.
- Cooking the chicken breast. Though the chicken cooks slowly in the hot broth, the chicken can get tough if overcooked. If your crockpot runs hot or you are concerned about tough chicken, check the internal temperature of the chicken breast throughout the final 30-45 minutes of cooking. Once the chicken is cooked through to 165°F, you can remove it from the soup as it will be cooked through.
- Add the cooked pasta to the soup right before serving. This will prevent the pasta from getting soggy or mushy.
- Meal prep tip. Get the soup ready ahead of time by adding all of the ingredients except for the chicken and noodles to the pot of the slow cooker up to 24 hours ahead of time. Add the chicken to the pot right before cooking. This is a great step to do the evening before a busy morning. Just pop the pot of soup in the slow cooker in the morning and dinner is served when you get home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I put raw chicken in soup to cook?
Yes, you can put raw chicken in soup to cook. In this recipe, the chicken will gently simmer in the hot broth for over 4 hours, cooking it through completely and killing any germs found on the raw chicken.
Why did my noodles turn to mush in the crockpot?
Your noodles turned to mush in the crockpot because they were likely overcooked in the soup liquid. To prevent this, cook the noodles on the stovetop until al dente. Drain and add the noodles to the soup in the crockpot just before serving.
Do you cook noodles before adding them to chicken soup?
Though not all chicken soup recipes made in the crockpot call for cooking the noodles before cooking, this recipe does, as it helps to keep the noodles from getting mushy (see my previous notes on this). Though, if you’d rather save on dirtying a second pot and would prefer to cook the noodles in the slow cooker, you can. Just add an extra 2 cups of chicken broth to the soup before simmering. After you’ve removed the chicken from the soup, turn the crockpot temperature to high, add the noodles, and cook for 25-30 minutes, or until cooked through and al dente.
Storing
- Store: Leftover slow cooker chicken soup keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Freeze: The soup can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Re-heating: Reheat the soup on low in the slow cooker for 1-2 hours or over low heat on the stove until it’s heated through. To reheat the crockpot chicken soup from frozen, just defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before heating it up in the crockpot or on the stovetop.
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Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
This Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup is a classic chicken noodle soup recipe made right in the crockpot! This soup is super simple to make, ready in less than 4 1/2 hours, and features a luscious and creamy broth -- thanks to a surprise ingredient. Try this favorite family-friendly meal today!
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Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 can mushroom stems & pieces, drained, 8 ounces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup, 10.75 oz
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 12 oz. bag wide egg noodles, cooked separately
- fresh parsley, for topping
Instructions
- Add ingredients: In a slow cooker, add chicken, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, cream of chicken soup and chicken broth.
- Cook: Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Cook until the chicken reaches 165°F adding more time if needed.
- Shred Chicken: Remove chicken breasts, shred chicken or cut the chicken into cubes. Put the chicken back into crockpot.
- Cook Noodles: Cook the wide egg noodles according to the package instructions. I recommned cooking the noodles al dente. Add the cooked noodles to the soup and stir.
- Serve: Garnish the chicken noodle soup with chopped parsley beofre serving.
Notes
- Slow cooker size. I used my 6-quart slow cooker to make this chicken noodle soup (don't forget to use these slow cooker liners for easy cleanup). If you are using a smaller slow cooker, just halve this recipe. Furthermore, this recipe can also be made on the slow cooker setting of your Instant Pot.
- Cooking the chicken breast. Though the chicken cooks slowly in the hot broth, the chicken can get tough if overcooked. If your crockpot runs hot or you are concerned about tough chicken, check the internal temperature of the chicken breast throughout the final 30-45 minutes of cooking. Once the chicken is cooked through to 165°F, you can remove it from the soup as it will be cooked through.
- Add the cooked pasta to the soup right before serving. This will prevent the pasta from getting soggy or mushy.
- Meal prep tip. Get the soup ready ahead of time by adding all of the ingredients except for the chicken and noodles to the pot of the slow cooker up to 24 hours ahead of time. Add the chicken to the pot right before cooking. This is a great step to do the evening before a busy morning. Just pop the pot of soup in the slow cooker in the morning and dinner is served when you get home.
- Store: Leftover slow cooker chicken soup keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.
- Freeze: The soup can also be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
- Re-heating: Reheat the soup on low in the slow cooker for 1-2 hours or over low heat on the stove until it's heated through. To reheat the crockpot chicken soup from frozen, just defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before heating it up in the crockpot or on the stovetop.
Calories: 165kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 18g, Fat: 6g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.01g, Cholesterol: 52mg, Sodium: 1434mg, Potassium: 467mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 4477IU, Vitamin C: 4mg, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 1mg
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Thank you for this lovely idea ! We have soups on our menu four seasons and this one is more than welcome !
This soup was spectacular! I only had one can of cream Of Chicken…however I also had a can of cream of mushroom … so, I added that and skipped the mushrooms. I used Old Bay Seasoning as my “poultry” seasoning. And had left over Honey glazed roasted carrots, which added an extra zip.
Thank Jen for another amazing recipe!