The cure for wintertime blues.
How to make Chicken Noodle Soup In the Slow Cooker
As you know, I LOVE SOUP! And what I love even more is soup that I can cook in the crockpot. Yes it takes longer, but I’m a set-it and forget-it kinda gal.
After posting my 25 Comforting Crockpot Soups post, I had SEVERAL emails requesting a crockpot chicken noodle soup. Well, I listened, and here it is my friends!
The Best Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
NOTE: In the comments, you will see that a few people have reported their noodle disintegrating after adding them to the crockpot. I have no idea why this is happening, and have NEVER had that happen any of the times we have made this soup. BUT, I have only used No Yoke brand noodles. Other people have also reported success with No Yoke Noodles and Walmart Generic brand noodles. If you do not have access to those brands of noodles and are concerned, you can also just boil your noodle separately.
Directions
- In a 6 quart crockpot place whole chicken breasts on the bottom and top with , carrots, onion, celery, garlic, olive oil, thyme and bay leaf.
- Next add in chicken broth, water, and season with salt and pepper to taste. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Cover and cook on low heat 6 – 7 hours.
- Remove cooked chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces. Place chicken back in to the crockpot. Now add in egg noodles and parsley.
Cover and cook just until noodles are tender, 5-10 minutes.
- Enjoy with your favorite crackers!
Need even MORE crockpot soups? Make sure to check out my 25 Comforting Crockpot Soups and Stews HERE!
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The Best Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken broth use my EASY homemade broth or low-sodium
- 1 cup water
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I used 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper)
- 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a 6 quart crockpot add in whole chicken breasts, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, olive oil, thyme and bay leaf.
- Next add in chicken broth, water, and season with salt and pepper to taste. I used 1/2 teaspoon salt & 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
- Cover and cook on low heat 6 - 7 hours.
- Remove cooked chicken breasts and cut into bite sized pieces. Place chicken back in to the crockpot. Now add in egg noodles and parsley.
- Cover and cook just until noodles are tender, 5-10 minutes.
Stacie says
Is it possible to make this recipe minus the noodles as I do use white flour anything? Or substitute something healthier? Taking it out or substitution either way is fine.
Kathryn says
Corey, how important is the parsley in your opinion? I have everything in the crockpot now and realized I forgot that!
Corey says
Sorry I just saw this Kathryn! It should be fine with out it 🙂
Corey says
Sorry I just saw this Kathryn! It should be fine with out it 🙂
Robert says
I tried this recipe on high temp for 4 hours before “trying” to get the chicken out to cut it up. It was already so tender that 2 forks managed to pull most of it apart without even removing it from the slow cooker. The rest stayed as tasty bite sized pieces. For prep, I used the pre-chopped quart container of creole “trinity” mix I can get at the local grocery which is onion, celery and green bell pepper and added that right in along with the chopped carrots, some additional celery chopped coarser and a package of sliced mushrooms. Using regular egg noodles, they were cooked just enough after 15 minutes, but I let them sit another half hour on warm and that helped them soak up a lot more broth and made the soup much thicker, which is better in my opinion. Overall, a great recipe you can play with and see what works best for your taste.
Nina says
This recipe was GREAT! I had no issues with ANYTHING. All you have to do is follow the directions! No issues with bad flavoring, or noodles. It was perfect! Thank you so much for sharing! I will be sharing this with my family 🙂
Corey says
Awesome Nina! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Jane says
Wow…this soup is beyond bland! I was encouraged by all of the positive comments, followed the recipe to a tee, and ended up with a tasteless pot of soup. Can’t be just me…..?
Corey says
I am so sorry you didn’t enjoy it Jane. Sometimes if people aren’t used to low sodium broth, it can be lacking that salty taste. I suggest maybe adding some salt to see if that brings out the flavor for you.
Ross says
Do I need to cut down the ingredients to make this in a 5 qt. crock??
Corey says
I used a 6qt… so I think you should still be fine with a 5qt. I had some room left in mine. If anything, you can cut down on some of the broth and noodles, but I would keep everything else the same.
Ross says
I went ahead and tried it with my 5 qt. crock. Still had room to spare. Worked perfectly and was delicious!!
Margaret B says
Do you think 4 hours in the crock pot would be okay? Might not be home in time to get in the pot in time for a 6 hour setting. Thanks- looking forward to the warm soup as we hunker down for a NY blizzard!
Corey says
Stay safe in the blizzard Margaret! Just make sure the chicken in cooked all the way through and you should be fine 🙂
Kelly B says
This was my first time using a crockpot ever. Tried this recipe and everything but the noodles and the chicken came out okay. The chicken ended up being dry maybe because it over cooked? I used raw chicken breasts and followed everything on the instructions except left a couple of ingredients out I didn’t like. I don’t know what brand of noodles I used but they did get really mushy and fell apart. Otherwise it smells delicious and tastes yummy. Next time I’m going to try to marinate the chicken for a couple hours to see if that helps and try to No Yolk brand you were talking about.
Karen says
Hi just wondering what would happen if I left on low for for 11 1/2 hours? as i wanted to put on before I left to work and wouldn’t get home till way over the cook time you had
Tara R says
This is my first time ever making a soup in my new crockpot. It was easy enough so far and already smells great! Is it possible to cook on high for a shorter amount of time? Both kids are sick today and would love to serve for dinner tonight. If not, I can save it until tomorrow… Thanks!
Corey says
You can give it a try Tara. You just want to make sure the chicken is cooked through.
Tova says
Do you happen to have a calorie count for this recipe? It was DELICIOUS!
Glo says
Made this today! Not only is it the best tasting chicken soup I’ve ever made, but I even feel better too! Thanks for sharing an awesome recipe!
Corey says
Thanks Glow! I am so happy you loved it!
Ashley says
I made tonight for my dad who is battling pneumonia and strep, my mom who has a sinus infection, my 11 yeat old son and myself. Everyone, including my very picky and opinionated father, absolutely loved it! Thank you so much for posting the recipe this is definitely my go to chixken noodle soup from here on out!
Corey says
Oh my word! I hope you all get better soon! I hope my chicken noodles helps heal you all up fast 🙂
Erika says
Got this in the crockpot right now… sent husband out for some chicken breasts, he came back with thin-sliced ones (“they were on sale!”), here’s hoping they don’t wind up overcooked! I’ll have to keep an eye out…
Ashley says
In regard to the noodles, I have had it happen once before. It’s all about how long you cook them for. I found it’s best to add the noodles about 1 hour before you eat. This will give it time to cook and absorb the flavor with out getting mushy. I started doing that, and I have not had an issue since!
Marissa says
I found No Yolk brand egg noodles, per all these other reviews, and no I did not put them in early in the cooking process! I put them in for just 5 minutes, turned around, and my delicious broth was getting cloudy. I stirred it up, and there were NO noodles in sight – the broth got whiter, and upon taste-testing, the flavor was still there, but it was silty. If you can imagine melted noodles… it turned my soup into flour-water paste. I had three spoonfuls in a row, trying to rough it out, but the slightly sandy, flour consistency was very weird. Ended up throwing it out and ordering pizza! Waste of time and money 🙁 if I do this again I will use regular pasta, pre-cook it and add at the end.
Corey says
WOW Marissa, that is crazy! I have never heard of noddles melting in just 5 minutes in hot water. That is so strange. Sorry the soup didn’t work out for you 🙁
Jasmine M says
After reading all the comments I did make my noodles seperate to avoid a mushy fiasco and after tasting almost halfway through I added another round of salt and pepper with Italian seasoning and a little cayenne for a some zest which it needed bc it’s pretty bland but I like those extra flavors. Still a good recipe. Thanks.
Courtney says
I’m a little nervous about this soup. It’s been cooking 4.5 hours so far and all of the oil has just floated to the top. My significant other went to taste the broth and told me it was very greasy and there was too much thyme and very bland. I tasted it and experienced the same thing. There are many positive comments so I’m hoping it will turn out in the end, if not, I guess we’re getting takeout.
Corey says
I hope you love it too Courtney! Some people are not a fan of thyme, and prefer to leave it out. That is strange that it is so oily. Did you had a ton of extra oil? I think once it is done and all stirred up, it will be good to go 🙂
James says
Can I cook on high as well for 4-5 hours….not alot of time to go until dinner?
keri says
did cooking on high for 4-5 hours work? I need to make it for tonight! 🙂
Pj says
Made this today & it turned out excellent! Family loved it and no problem with the noodles. Thanks!
Corey says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Pj 🙂
Avery says
Hello everyone,
I love to cook chicken noodle soup from scratch but this recipe was so simple and delicious that I couldnt refuse to make it. The first two times I had used No Yolk egg noodles and had absolutely no problem with the soup. Then got a deal on some other noodles and they disintegrated into the broth making the whole soup taste like a nasty old starch. My best advice is to just use No Yolk egg noodles they are inexpensive and dont disintegrate into the broth.
Corey says
Thanks for sharing that advice Avery. Yes, every time I have made it, I also use No Yolk egg noodles and have never had a problem. I am so happy you love the recipe!
Erica says
Loved this! A great recipe 🙂 I’m avoiding gluten right now so I chopped up a few mini potatoes, added extra of all the veggies and omitted the noodles. With a baby at home I’ve had so little time to cook – it was a great feeling to put together an easy and healthy meal with so little prep 🙂
Todd says
I loved this it was so easy and tasted amazing! Put it together in 10 minutes the night before and came home the next day and only had to do another 10 minutes of work! Thanks for the recipe!
Corey says
SO happy to hear you loved it Todd 🙂
Rick says
I made a few slight adjustments, like adding 2 Bay leafs instead of 1 and I put less Thyme in it because it can be over powering. It was by far my best crock pot chicken noodle soup I’ve made yet. Thank you for the great recipe.
Gina says
I absolutely adore this recipe 🙂 It’s become my go-to chicken noodle soup and I make at least twice a month!
The only thing I would suggest to those finding that their noodles are disintegrating…I usually let the soup cook in the crockpot until it’s done, and then boil the noodles separately in a pot of water, and then serve the soup over the cooked noodles one bowl at a time. If there are soup leftovers, I save them in a Tupperware, and then make the noodles fresh again the next time I have the soup 🙂
Dottie says
Super excellent recipe. I will definitely make it again. After reading your comments about the noodles, I decided to cook the noodles on the stove top. Instead of using water to cook the noodles in, I used broth from the soup. After the noodles were almost done, I poured both broth and noodles back into the soup.
Laurie says
So, the chicken is raw before going into crock pot?
Corey says
yes 🙂
Foon says
I love chicken noodle soup. Am going to try it this week since it’s been cold these few days.
Emily says
cAN i COOK IT ON HIGH FOR HALF THE TIME? hAS ANYONE TRIED THAT? tHANKS!
Kim says
Absolutelty loved this soup! Made it for my little one who had a cold. She loved it and so did I. Will definitely be making this again. Wonderful!! I boiled the noodles separately and just added them in after. Delicious!!
Corey says
Wonderful Kim! I’m so happy you and your little miss loved it 🙂
Grace says
This came out great using rice as well. I put it in last like the noodles and just left it for a while longer to cook. Going to try quinoa next. (No gluten around here)
Corey says
Oh that is a great idea Grace! I love quinoa! It’s funny you mentioned the rice, because I do have a Chicken/Rice soup coming up soon for the site 🙂
Marcie says
Hi, do the chicken breasts need to be thawed? Or can they be frozen?
Corey says
I have only used fresh so far, but I think someone has left a comment about using frozen breasts.
Jess Clark says
I used frozen but defrosted in the microwave
Katie says
I don’t understand what I did wrong. It just tastes like onion. Nothing like chicken soup broth at all. Everyone else seemed to like it, but mine is terrible.
Corey says
Sorry you didn’t like the soup Katie. Did you also add broth to the soup?
Ann Pollard says
I made this today. Omg….it was delicious. Even though I didn’t have any garlic or thyme….it still turned out great. This is now and will be my go-to Chicken Noodle Soup. Thanks for the recipe.
Corey says
Thanks Ann!
Malia says
LOVE THIS RECIPE! Super glad I found you!
Megan says
This was amazing! I don’t think I’ll ever buy canned again! I had no problem with the noodles at all..and my house smelled so good! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Laura says
I also had a problem with the noodles. I did only put them in for 5 mins and they were fine. However something else had come up and we did not end up eating the soup until the next day. As I was scooping it into another container I noticed it was starting to thicken and I wasn’t seeing as many noodles but thought it would be fine. When I took it out the next day there was no noodles left and it became a stoup. I added another can of broth and more noodles. It looked great at first but within 10 mins of the noddles boiling the same thing happened. We did eat it anyway because we don’t believe in waste and it did taste very good just more of a stoup then a soup.
bob says
Guess if I try it again will risk using different noodles. I like the fact that it’s easy to make but I want soup, not stew I guess. Again, I used the Columbia brand No Yoke noodles? Suggestions?
Corey says
Bob, I have used No Yoke Noodles, and just this week made it again with Publix brand egg noodles. Many people have also reported Walmart’s brand working well. I hope that helps 🙂
Krystina says
Hi Corey!
Thanks for an amazing recipe! I used the great value noodles and left them in for 15 minutes and they turned out PERFECT. Perfect meal for this cold October day watching football in michigan 🙂
Reneé says
The soup was great no problem with the noodles. Can you freeze the leftovers?
Corey says
While chicken soup is a great freezer meal, there’s one component that doesn’t hold up very well when defrosted and reheated: the noodles. They will get very mushy. If you are planning on making this a freezer meal, I would leave the noodles out, and then when you defrost and reheat, add in some freshly cooked noodles.
Patricia says
I think I am catching a cold so I decided to make chicken noodle soup. I make wonderful stove top soup, but I found your slow cooker recipe and thought I could fix it and forget it. Now I am going to drink a cup of tea and take a nap. Thanks!
Corey says
I hope you feel better!
Kyleigh says
Can I use regular olive oil?
Corey says
Sure 🙂
Zoraya says
Good chicken soup. Easy to make and my family loved! Thx.
Fawn says
Cold and rainy today. This is in the crock pot now. 🙂 looks fabulous
Diane says
The noodles only disintegrate if you don’t read the directions thoroughly and add them at the beginning, instead of waiting until the end (or, i would imagine, if you overcook the at the end they would probably also disintegrate). I know… I did it the first time! This soup is delicious (when you follow the directions!) – Thanks for the recipe!
Kiki says
For everyone asking about putting it on High and halving the time: yes, it does work–just be aware of two things: A, absolutely make the noodles separately (I actually kept the noodles and soup totally separate even after the fact and stored them in separate containers so the noodles would remain firm for as long as possible), and B, you may have to add a little extra spice at the end, as the shorter time/higher heat might mean things don’t absorb quite as well as they do for the longer time on low. But the good news is, yes, you can make it on High in the shorter time slot if you run up against time and really want some tasty soup!
bob says
Noodles WERE put in at the end. I didn’t even boil them, but simmering after caused them to turn to mush. If I make it again the soup won’t cook the noodles, I will. Then I will add them right before serving. I hated to throw the soup away but the noodle left such a disgusting broth it looked so milky.
Larry says
I love making soups and other delicious foods in my slow cooker. As a widower, I like to freeze these foods to enjoy later. So my question is: How well does this freeze with the noodles added?
Thank you for all the time and effort you take in posting and answering questions.
Kaleena says
This was great! I followed the recipe almost exactly. I used almost 2lb chicken breast and omitted thyme and used a couple pinches of dried basil instead. I took the advice and cooked the noodles on the side. Since I had quite a bit of chicken there wasn’t a whole lot of liquid left after 7 hours so I added the cooked noodles and noodle water which helped! Served with a few drops of Maggi and extra pinch of chopped parsley. Yum!
Jennifer says
This was AMAZING! Made it for dinner tonight and could just keep eating. Because I have something inherently wrong with me that I cannot follow a recipe I usually change a lot. Not this time! I did use all broth and no water, added poultry seasoning,Trader Joe’s everyday seasoning (I have no idea why but I use it..well every day!) I used 3 bay leaves just because I love them and a touch of white pepper. Pretty much used recipe as written other than a few extra seasonings and it was truly one of the best I have ever had. Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Can’t wait to try more!