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!
Video
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.
Ann says
Your soup seems to be a big hit. Two questions. It calls for yellow onion as does all Holy Trinity recipes. Is it ok to use a sweet onion or does it significantly change the flavor? Next question. I am bringing this to a pot luck. Will the egg noodles hold up for a couple of hours on low setting in the crockpot?
The Chunky Chef says
Sweet onion should work just fine, and I think the egg noodles would get a bit mushy (unfortunately). I would boil them, drain them, and store them in a resealable bag. Then make the soup (minus the noodles of course), and add the noodles right before serving at the potluck 🙂
Denise says
Loved it!
Barbara Pammer says
Excellent soup! So easy to make. I’ve !are this soup twice in the past month and have shared with friends and family.Everyone loved it!
Deanna says
I posted a comment on Pinterest in November a few years ago when I first made this. This has become my go to homemade chicken noodle soup recipe. I make this when it’s cold, someone’s sick, or upon request. Today I have the holy trinity, it’s cold, my middle son is sick and he requested me make his favorite chicken noodle soup for him. This is a win because he hasn’t wanted to eat anything! Love this soup and your recipes! Thanks so much!
Janie says
What is the sodium content in this recipe??
The Chunky Chef says
As this isn’t a health-focused website, and I’m not a nutritionist, I don’t provide full nutritional information for recipes as there is a potential for error, and I wouldn’t want to potentially and/or unknowingly pass along incorrect information. If full nutrition information is important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer, or that you seek a nutritionist/dietitian for exact nutritional information.
Tayler says
I tried this recipe and found the noodles ended up coagulating and I had to throw the entire batch of soup out. Very disappointing. Any suggestions for how to fix this?
The Chunky Chef says
Oh no! We’ve never had that problem, but you could try stirring the pasta more as they cook, or you can always boil the pasta separately 🙂
Jimmy says
That happened to me. Soup tasted great but there was no liquid left over. I’ll have to boil the noodles separately.
Megan says
This is now my go-to homemade chicken noodle soup recipe! A big hit at our house. I like to add a squeeze or two of fresh lemon juice at the end. Delish!
Rebecca says
Excited to make this tonight! Just wondering when I should start this. Is it better to do the 8hrs or 6hrs doing it on low?
The Chunky Chef says
The range of time is there because all slow cookers cook a bit differently (some faster, some slower), so you just need to cook until the chicken is cooked through to an internal temperature of 165°F.
Muriel says
I would like to know what is “ better than bouillon chicken base over the top, “ ?
Are you saying chicken bouillon cubes. I lived in Canada and we have chicken bouillon cubes that they sell in most grocery stores here .
So was wondering if that is what you meant.
Thank You.
The Chunky Chef says
This is what I’m referring to https://amzn.to/3vVdMbX 🙂
Janet says
Me and my grandkids made this , but used homemade noodles. They had fun helping and it was absolutely delicious will be making all the time now.
Kara says
Everyone in my house loved this soup except for me lol! I’m growing to enjoy it more, but herby flavors are just not for me.
Julie A Vincentsen says
I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this soup. Even my very picky housemate likes it! Super win for me. I made it today as part of my lunch rotation for the month 🙂 I will freeze half the recipe for later in the month!
Jan says
This was really good! I used leftover chicken and loved it. Even my fussy hubby liked it. I’ll be making this again.
Kerri says
Planning on making with rotisserie chicken already cooked, do I need to still cook that long in the crockpot?
The Chunky Chef says
No it won’t need that long, just a few hours to heat things through. If I was using shredded precooked chicken I would probably just make the stovetop version and omit the step about boiling the chicken 🙂
Renee says
I love this soup, so tasty!! I’m so glad I came across your recipe!!
Bianca says
I did really like the recipie however I found the pasta hasent held the shape well and I felt it needed some water to dilute the stock. Next time I will try bow tie pasta.
Sunne says
Can you use a whole chicken in it? I have a frozen whole chicken that I think would give it more flavor
Amanda says
I’ve only tested this recipe as written. So without testing and retesting it myself, I can’t say for certain if that would work. If you try it, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Sunne' says
I thawed out the chicken last night and I’m making it today so I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Sherrie says
This is amazing! Loved the flavors and my entire family ate it up! Will definitely make this again.
Amy says
It was quite delicious and I enjoyed it. Easy too. Only downside is all the ads popping up while you try to read the recipe. They block the page and make it difficult. It is quite frustrating. It even blocked my writing in my email address 🙁
Andrea says
So easy and soooo yummy! The parsley for garnish really adds a nice finish. Thank you for sharing!
Amanda says
I really love this recipe. So easy and quick to prepare. I have made it with homemade dumplings instead of noodles as well an still just as great.
Marti Bowland says
Made with roasted Hutterite chicken and precooked instapot white rice added at the end in place of the noodles. Out of rosemary so added savory (my favorite herb). It’s a wonderful recipe. Hubs really liked it. Another great recipe from the chunky chef.