This crockpot chicken noodle soup is hearty and comforting, yet incredibly easy to make! No need for a can full of preservatives, homemade is the best!
One bite of this homemade crockpot chicken noodle soup and you won’t want canned soup any more!
Is there anything more comforting than a big bowl of hearty soup? There’s something so natural about it, and it brings you right back to childhood.
If the only chicken noodle soup you’ve ever had is a can of good ol’ Campbells, then simply put… you NEED to try a homemade version! The flavor is so rich, so complex, and it’s incredibly easy to make at home.
Normally I think of chicken noodle soup as “sick food”… something you eat when you’re under the weather. And don’t get me wrong, this crockpot chicken noodle soup is FABULOUS for that, but it’s also fantastic on a night when you’re looking for some comfort food. Paired with a green salad, it’s a great light meal as well!
After a long, hard day, a big bowl of this soup is the cure!
IS CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP REALLY GOOD FOR YOU
It depends on the ingredients you use to make the soup, but when you use quality ingredients, yes! Plus the soups steam warms you and eases any congestion, and the warm brothy soup helps ease a sore throat. There’s a reason it’s the universal soup for when you’re under the weather!
WHAT HERBS ARE USED IN CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP
In this soup I’ve used dried rosemary and thyme, with some fresh minced parsley as a garnish. But some dried tarragon, or using fresh herbs would be great additions and substitutions as well. While not exactly herbs, we’ve also used the classic “mirepoix” or “holy trinity” of diced onions, carrots and celery. These vegetables are used very frequently to start off just about any soup by adding amazing flavor and aromas.
I also like to buy reduced sodium chicken broth, so I can control the amount of salt in the dish.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHICKEN BROTH AND CHICKEN STOCK
Traditionally chicken broth is made from simmering meat, whereas chicken stock is made from simmering bones. Chicken stock has a richer flavor, due to the gelatin released from the bones as they cook, and broth is much lighter, in color and taste. Since chicken noodle soup is traditionally a brothy soup, with a relatively “clear” broth, I always use chicken broth instead of stock.
CAN THIS HOMEMADE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP BE MADE ON THE STOVETOP
Absolutely! You’ll need to make a few adjustments though:
- Add a drizzle of olive oil to a dutch oven and heat over MED heat. Add 2 large chicken breasts and cook 5-7 minutes per side, or until 165 F degrees. Remove to a plate and shred, using two forks.
- Add 2 Tbsp of butter to the dutch oven and heat over MED heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and cook 5-7 minutes, until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in seasonings and bay leaf, then add chicken broth. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce back down to MED heat and boil about 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
- Add egg noodles and boil, stirring often, about 10 minutes, or until cooked to your liking. If you notice the liquid level is down too much, feel free to add an extra cup or two of broth or water.
- Add in shredded chicken, stir and taste to check seasonings. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
Looking for more soup recipes?
- Skinny Crockpot Loaded Potato Soup
- Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana
- Slow Cooker Tomato Basil Soup
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Ham Chowder
- Slow Cooker Hearty Minestrone
- Slow Cooker Italian Meatball Soup
- And MORE!
HELPFUL TOOLS
- Slow Cooker – While inexpensive, this slow cooker is a true workhorse in my kitchen!
- Bear Claws– The perfect tool for shredding meat!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1 - 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat
- 1 med to large yellow onion, diced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into circles
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
- 2 tsp better than bouillon base, chicken flavor
- 8 - 9 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 8 oz. egg noodles (wide or extra wide) ** see chef tip #1 below
- fresh parsley, minced (for garnish)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To the bottom of a 6 quart or larger slow cooker, add trimmed chicken breasts. Top with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, dried thyme, dried rosemary, salt and pepper, and bay leaf (if using).
- Dollop better than bouillon chicken base over the top, then pour in chicken broth. Gently stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or HIGH for 3-4 hours.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker to a large mixing bowl. Shred chicken. Discard bay leaf (if using), and return shredded chicken back to slow cooker.
- Add egg noodles, stir, then cover and cook on LOW for 10-15 minutes, until pasta is tender. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve garnished with minced fresh parsley and a sprinkle of black pepper.
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Chef Tips
- If you would prefer to boil your egg noodles separately, so they don't potentially get over-cooked (since all slow cookers cook differently), you can certainly do that. I've never had any issue with that, but some readers have mentioned it, so I wanted to amend the recipe to reflect potential troubles. Just omit step 4, and only cook the soup for a few minutes after adding the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed, then serve and enjoy!
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Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Recipe posted first on Spend With Pennies, where I contribute recipes monthly.
Jen says
I’ve made this twice. First time I added pasta at the end and pasta turned out mushy so the second time I cooked separately and it was perfect. This is by far the most flavorful chicken noodle soup I’ve ever made. It’s a family favorite!
Mandy says
Going to try this recipe tonight. We did buy bagged noodles but I normally make my own. How long would you recommend cooking them for? I’m also looking forwards to trying this 🤤🤤
The Chunky Chef says
I’ve not tested this recipe with homemade pasta, so I can’t say for certain. If you’re using the bagged dried pasta, then just follow the recipe 🙂
Tori Grace says
Hello, do you think this could be cooked in a pot instead? Im picking up a grocery order at 5 and wondering if it could be cooked in 2 hours.
The Chunky Chef says
Hi Tori, if you scroll up a bit, there’s a section in the post titled Can This Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup be Made on the Stovetop. It has all the information 🙂
Treann Moses says
Hi I will make this exactly what the recipe says but I would like to know if I can thicken it up some using cornstarch and cream will that be OK to do this with this recipe
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, you can do that 🙂 I would add it during step 4.
Haley says
This is the only homemade chicken noodle soup I like! I have tried other recipes and this one was perfect. We didn’t have to add any extra salt or pepper-perfect flavor. Thank you for sharing this recipe!! My hubby is a happy man right now, LOL
John Dickison says
I added just a little bit of yellow food coloring to mine just for looks. Other then that this recipe is flawless very tasty
Patty says
Hey! My soup is looking very cloudy. Is that okay?
The Chunky Chef says
It might be due to the fat cooking that’s on the chicken. It can happen sometimes. I’d give it a strain before adding the noodles.
Jordan says
I’m trying this recipe for the first time and its been cooking for about 2 hours, but it is also cloudy. Did you find that the soup was still okay??
Alexandra Knight says
I used the slow cooker recipe, easy to make, really good, filling and healthy.
I do have a question- do you post calories per serving on recipes? I was unable of find.
Thanks
The Chunky Chef says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I do post the calories per serving, it’s up in the navy blue section of the recipe card – this one is 175 calories per serving, although this can change based on brands used, etc. I don’t post any other nutrition facts as I’m not a nutritionist and don’t want to inadvertently pass along any incorrect information 🙂
Sasha says
Mine was bland as well. That may be the chicken broth I bought. I wasn’t able to make it to the store so I had to try and look online and order it. And my chicken was dry. Was anyone else’s chicken dry?
Meg says
I love making this soup whether someone in the family is sick or if I’m just craving something warm and homey. My aunt however is very sick but is also gluten free. Would it be hard to make this gluten free? Would just subbing the noodles for a gluten free noodle work?
The Chunky Chef says
So sweet of you to want to make this for your Aunt! I have no experience with gluten-free ingredients or recipes, as we don’t have any intolerances or celiac disease in our family. So this is just my non-expert opinion, but I would check that your broth or stock is gluten free, the better than bouillon base is gluten free and swap out for the gluten free noodles.
Jenna says
Added additional seasoning to this soup and a couple slight modifications. However, I’m disappointed my egg noodles turned out mushy! And I only put them in for 8 minutes. The flavor of the soup is wonderful so we will still eat it.
The Chunky Chef says
All crockpots cook differently, and yours might have needed a little less time. Unfortunately, all pasta cooked in the crockpot will have a different texture than pasta cooked in traditional boiling water. If the texture bothers you, you can always boil the noodles separately.
Brittany says
I made this tonight and for some reason it made my noodles mushy. 😩
The Chunky Chef says
Yes, as the noodles sit in the liquid, they’ll get mushy. Also, all crockpots cook differently, and yours might have needed a little less time. Unfortunately, all pasta cooked in the crockpot will have a different texture than pasta cooked in traditional boiling water.
Mike Romain says
Better than Bullion is EXTREMELY salty so use with caution when adding additional salt.
Melissa says
Made this today for the first time and I love it. Will be making it more and more.
Allison Kennedy says
I just made this tonight and it’s incredibly bland. 🙁
I used all ingredients accordingly and even used one container of low sodium chicken broth and one regular. Any suggestions for next time?
The Chunky Chef says
So sorry you found this soup to be bland! I would advise tasting the soup and adding salt and pepper as needed.
Shane says
I added two tsp of seasoned salt but it turned out amazing!!!!
Jessica Jones says
Are the noodles frozen or thawed when you add them to the crock pot at the end?
Or are they raw, hard noodles out of a box?
The Chunky Chef says
They’re the dried egg noodles from a box or bag
Debbie says
If you are going to freeze this (or any noodle soup) it’s much better to add the noodles when you reheat it. Otherwise they get mushy.
Lindsay says
What is the serving size for 6 servings?
The Chunky Chef says
I don’t measure it exactly, but I would estimate around 1.5 – 2 cups.
LaTashia says
Soooo, good!!! It reminds me of a certain soup commercial where the kid is a snowman and once he starts eating the soup, the snow melts away….. Will definitely make it again and freeze any leftovers tonight, if there are any leftovers
: ) Thanks again for sharing the recipe!