Easy Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

This Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup has tender shredded chicken, carrots, celery, and egg noodles in a flavorful homemade broth. It takes just a few minutes to get everything into the slow cooker, then you can let it simmer away until dinner. It is simple, cozy, and exactly what I want on a cold day or anytime I am craving classic comfort food.

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Chicken breasts – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts cook right in the broth until tender enough to easily shred with two forks.
• Onion – I blend the onion with a little water until completely smooth so its flavor gets distributed throughout the broth without noticeable onion pieces.
• Carrots and celery – These classic chicken soup vegetables add flavor, color, and texture. Slice them evenly so they cook at the same rate.
• Water and chicken bouillon – Together these create the flavorful broth while the chicken cooks. You can also use chicken broth or stock as a substitution.
• Salt – Seasons the chicken and broth as everything slow cooks. You can always adjust the final seasoning before serving.
• Egg noodles – I prefer egg noodles for that classic chicken noodle soup texture. Cooking them separately helps keep them from getting too soft.

Ingredient Additions and Substitutions

One of the best things about Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup is how easy it is to adjust with ingredients you already have.

• Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can replace the chicken breasts. They have a little more fat and stay especially tender in the slow cooker.
• Chicken broth or stock: Replace the water with chicken broth or stock for an even richer broth. If you do this, especially with regular rather than low-sodium broth, reduce the bouillon at first so the soup does not get too salty.
• Leftover or rotisserie chicken: Already cooked chicken works too. Use chicken broth or stock for the liquid and stir the cooked shredded chicken into the soup toward the end instead of slow cooking it for several hours.
• Fresh garlic: Add a few minced garlic cloves if you want a stronger savory flavor.
• Fresh or dried herbs: Thyme, rosemary, parsley, oregano, and a bay leaf all taste great with chicken noodle soup. Just remember to remove the bay leaf before serving.
• Extra vegetables: Peas, corn, green beans, spinach, kale, or zucchini are all easy additions. Add quick-cooking vegetables closer to the end so they do not become too soft.
• Different pasta: Wide egg noodles are my favorite, but bow tie pasta, shells, rotini, or broken spaghetti can also work. Cook according to the package directions before adding to the soup.
• Turkey: Leftover turkey makes this a great soup to make after Thanksgiving. Add already cooked turkey near the end just long enough to heat through.
• Gluten-free: Use your favorite gluten-free noodles and double-check that your chicken bouillon and broth are labeled gluten-free.

Recipe Tips

• Puree the onion really well. You want the onion and water mixture completely smooth. This gives the broth plenty of onion flavor without chunks.
• Cut the vegetables evenly. Try to slice the carrots to a similar thickness and dice the celery into evenly sized pieces so everything cooks at about the same rate.
• Start checking the chicken at 3 hours. Slow cookers vary quite a bit. Once the chicken reaches 165°F and shreds easily, it is ready.
• Use thawed chicken. Thaw frozen chicken before adding it to the slow cooker so it can cook safely and evenly.
• Keep the Crockpot lid closed. Every time you lift the lid, you release heat and extend the cooking time.
• Cook the noodles separately. I know throwing them straight into the Crockpot sounds easier, but separate cooking gives you much better control over the texture.
• Cook noodles just to al dente. They will soften a little more once they are added to the hot soup.
• Don’t add all the noodles to leftovers if you are meal prepping. Egg noodles continue soaking up broth as they sit. Keeping the noodles separate makes leftover soup much better.
• Adjust the broth before serving. Noodles absorb quite a bit of liquid. If the soup gets thicker than you like, add chicken broth or water and season with additional bouillon as needed.
• Watch the salt when using broth. Bouillon and packaged chicken broth can both be salty. If you substitute broth for the water, start with less bouillon and add more after tasting.
• Add fresh parsley at the end. It is optional, but a little chopped parsley adds freshness and color to each bowl.

Recipe Tip

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing Leftover Easy Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup

Making a large crockpot of chicken noodle soup just fills your soul with warmth! This is the perfect soup recipe that is easy to store and reheat when needing a warm soup. Double your batch and freeze one of them for another dinner in the future or share with your neighbor. The gift of chicken noodle soup keeps on giving!

• Refrigerate – Place the extra chicken noodle soup in an airtight container in the fridge for five to seven days. Reheat and enjoy when hungry!
• Freeze – I love to make a huge batch of this slow cooker chicken noodle soup and freeze a large portion. It freezes beautifully for three months in the freezer, and thaws easily in the refrigerator. Once thawed warm the soup on the stove. It’s an ideal meal to make and freeze and give to neighbors or loved ones.
• Reheating – When ready to reheat the soup, simply place it in the crockpot, microwave, or stove top and heat the leftovers until the internal temperature of the soup is warmed through.

Read More: 35+ Easy Dinner Recipes

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How to Make Easy Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup