Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
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So hearty, comforting and soothing (and so easy!). Perfect during the cold weather or fighting off a cold!
Featured Comment
why i love this recipe
- Hands-off cooking
- Big batch soup recipe, great for freezing and planning ahead
- Warm hug-in-a-bowl
- Slurping up all the spaghetti noodles
chicken stock versus chicken broth
Chicken stock
Chicken stock is lower sodium and thicker than broth, and is made from bones and vegetables.
Chicken broth
Chicken broth is made from meat and vegetables. Store-bought broth is often times saltier than store-bought stock.
tips and tricks for success
- Use the right size crockpot. A 6-qt slow cooker is ideal for this recipe. For a smaller slow cooker, simply half the recipe with the same cook time.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Let the noodles cook with the soup. The pasta does not have to be pre-cooked prior to adding to the slow cooker. The beauty of this recipe is its ease – no extra pot needed here. Go ahead and throw in your uncooked, broken spaghetti noodles, letting it infuse all the lovely flavors.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemon juice will elevate your chicken noodle soup, adding a fresh, bright flavor and balancing out all the saltiness and richness of the soup.
pro tip
Avoid overcooking your chicken noodle soup.
Even with its gentle heat feature, you can overcook chicken noodle soup in the slow cooker. The chicken will dry out, and the vegetables will turn to mush. Do not leave the slow cooker on longer than necessary.
what to serve with chicken noodle soup
Tools For This Recipe
6-qt slow cooker
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, there is a ton of flavor in the skin but this will also yield a little more grease and fat into the soup, yielding a more rich soup.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Don’t have any spaghetti noodles on hand? Wide egg noodles or rotini would both work very well in this recipe!
Here is our favorite homestyle chicken noodle soup recipe made on the stovetop.
100%! This is also another one of our favorites made so easily (and quickly) in the IP.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the noodles (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked noodles when serving.
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 ounces spaghetti, broken into thirds
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Equipment
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. Place chicken into a 6-qt slow cooker.
- Stir in chicken stock, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours.
- Remove chicken from the slow cooker and shred, using two forks.
- Stir in pasta and chicken into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for an additional 30-40 minutes, or until pasta is tender.
- Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
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This is an essential chicken soup recipe for all. It has everything you need for a great soup. I added chili flakes, cilantro and lime and it was delishious, but the recipe alone is great. My standard from now on.
Wow. This one’s a keeper. I’ll be making this one again for sure! For mine, I shredded a rotisserie chicken already cooked and omitted the parsley and lemon as it tasted fantastic and was afraid those ingredients would be too overpowering. I put mine in the slow cooker on high for a few hours until the vegetables were to my liking.
Made this recipe twice now . First time used spaghetti noodles this time
Used egg noodles. Much better with egg noodles. Recipe is off the chart delicious.
I loved it and so did hubby and 8 yr old daughter. Been trying to eat healthier.
Nice and refreshing and no-guilt fullness. Also took me probably 21 minutes total for getting it started in the morning. When it was ready, I squeezed in a small amount of juice from a lemon half, then I personally added extra lemon in mine, and after getting used to, it grew on me and the acidity was just wonderful to me.
My substitutions only due to availability (incase anyone needed help with any) was for the slow cooking I just had some baby carrots on hand & put those in, and didn’t even bother chopping them. Also, the only onion I had was half a yellow one, and a full red one so I did half yellow and half red too, and wasn’t a huge deal. Also for the chicken stock I had a jar of powder buillion and boiled 8 or so cups of water and added that. Also I went with egg noodles instead 40 minutes before serve time, but they will end up too soft. yet my hubby and daughter didn’t seem to complain, but good for me to keep in mind for next time. Thank you so much for this recipe.
Two things about this particular recipe got my attention, shredding the chicken and using spaghetti. I dislike chunked or diced chicken but prefer shredded in any and all chicken recipes. It’s just my thing. Also, I agree broken spaghetti is best for chicken noodle soup I guess because I grew up with Campbell’s and so any other noodles leave me unenthused. Of course you can tweak with your preferences, but when I saw this recipe I knew this would be the best for me. I made it in my slow cooker and I’m happy to say it’s just right, spices and flavors blend beautifully for a chicken soup. I truly love this recipe and will use it from now on!
Does anyone know why my spaghetti came out so gummy?
The only thing I can think of is maybe your slow cooker run a little hot and you wouldn’t need to cook them as long as the recipe says. I never do sometime I put the noodles in and turn the crockpot off just before serving Hope this helps
BEST CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP EVER! I have made it 2 times and everyone who eats it says it is DAMN DELICIOUS! I didnt change a thing – PERFECT as it is!
Made this as stated and had to use extra broth to cover everything. It was damn delicious as usual for anything from your site. I had no problem with sticky noodles or anything else mentioned. Thanks
Fabulous, easy soup. We love it. I added a little Cayenne Pepper to give it a kick!
My family and I added different things like jalapeño slices and oyster crackers to our individual bowls, which was fun.
I have made this twice now with wonderful results. I didn’t change a thing! This is now moving into our soup rotation.
My mom has Covid and I made this soup for her twice! She loved it so much and now she calls it Covid soup!
I changed up the recipe a little. I dont like cutting onions so I substituted 1 pkt of onion soup mix. I also added 4 tsp of chicken boullion to add some extra flavor. I doubled up on the veggies, and boiled the noodles and scooped into the bowl upon serving as to avoid any soggy noodle issues.
Thanks again for this wonderful recipe!!!
I do the same with the noodles. I add them in each individual bowl . I do that with all homemade soup.The lemon is the kicker. The best!
First time I ever made chicken noodle soup and it was great, not because of me but because of this recipe.
Can you use chicken broth instead of stock?
Yes they can be interchanged
I’ll admit I was hesitant adding the lemon but I’m so glad I did. This soup was delicious!
I used chicken thighs and rice noodles that were leftover from Thai chicken noodle soup, and it was incredible! I made it on slow cook mode in my instant pot. Will make again. So easy!
I haven’t made this yet but have been looking forward to it. I want to use rotessiere chicken instead of breasts or thighs. Can I use already cooked chicken and just lower the cook time or will that destroy the flavor profile of the soup? Thanks!
I always use leftover chicken. Works great! Don’t change the recipe at all.
Love this recipe!!! So easy, and tasty. I make this soup at least once a week in the winter months.
I have made the Instant Pot version and it was nowhere as delicious as this. The long cook time really mellows the rosemary, which brings that true, homemade flavor out. I used 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice and fettuccine noodles. I am curious if using whole wheat or legume pasta will also work, so will give it a try, but will cook the pasta separately first.
Just truly loved this recipe got up Sunday morning at 8 o’clock and looked up recipes saw this when it looked delicious I tried it and it is delicious thank you so very much the only thing I did was I took a bonus in this chicken breast instead of leaving that hole I caught it cubed.
Pretty good basic recipe. Novel using spaghetti usually I use egg noodles. I did tweak it a bit ~ sautéed the onions and garlic then browned the chicken ever so slightly. In addition to the breasts, tossed in some thigh meat, too, as it was on sale and ups the flavor considerably. Next time would use bone in skin on as someone else suggested; skim the fat if needed. I liked the lemon, the wife not so much. Will add to my bowl not hers in the future. And I do appreciate everyone’s comments, those that followed to a t as well as those who’ve made soup a few times. Always like to learn.