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.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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Tried this last night. I did not add salt or pepper for the cooking process, only during the meal. We substituted small shells for spaghetti. The chicken breasts actually fell apart on their own when taking them out of the crock pot.
Simply delicious!
Thank you so much for providing us with your recipes.
So delicious!! I added green chile and made a corn starch paste for a little thickening. It will be wonderful as a leftover!!
Swapped out half the chicken broth with portobello mushroom soup and it was so delish!
Hi all. Can I prepare this the night before and turn it on in the morning?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Gayle,
I would be worried about the vegetables getting soggy and as well as the proper safe temperatures for raw chicken. I would cut everything up and have it all measured the night before, but throw it all in the slow cooker in the morning rather than letting it sit all night. Hope this helps!
hey I just put this in a bit ago I accidently added the lemon juice already so is it ok that cooks with it for the full time? thanx
Made this tonight. It was delicious! I left out the rosemary and added oregano. Thanks for a good recipe. I don’t know what happened that people are having issues with the spaghetti getting mushy. To those who are scared to add the spaghetti: don’t be. Serve when the noodles are to your liking & it’s a perfect soup!
I made this soup today and it was delicious. I especially liked the slight lemon taste. All spices seasoned the soup perfectly.
I made this last night and there was SOMETHING missing. It just didn’t taste right. I realized this morning I didn’t sprinkle lemon juice in it. I did that this morning to the left overs and it changed the whole taste of it. Is really quite good.
Are you my niece?????
This was so delicious, we ate extra and ended up with 8 portions rather than 10. Perfect winter meal! I left the lemon out and substituted chicken breasts with 6 chicken thighs plus one large chicken breast. I also added more veggies (chopped fresh spinach, frozen corn, and 2 diced Roma tomatoes), I substituted oregano and basil for the thyme and rosemary, added a half-teaspoonful of Mrs. Renfro’s Ghost Pepper Salsa. Broken whole wheat spaghetti noodles WERE great in this soup!
You just described a different recipe and yet rated the original recipe with 5 stars?????
Exactly my thoughts.
That’s exactly what I was just thinking lol
3-5 stars on ease to make… my issue is the rosemary. I LOVE rosemary, and I measured 1/2 tsp per recipe as I understand the flavor can be strong. I have learned it does not belong in chicken noodle soup. Next time I try this recipe, if I do, I will NOT add rosemary. Am waiting to add lemon when I serve it, but at this time the rosemary is a solid no from me. This is the first time I’ve ever made home made chicken noodle soup, I’m slightly disappointed. I added more chicken broth powder I have just in attempt to offset the rosemary…. not really working though. Stock alone didnt care enough flavor anyways.
I am just eating this soup now and all I can say is its outstanding.. the only thing i changes was xtra spices and egg noodles.. thanks, I always enjoy your recipes!
This is a keeper… and certainly lives up to the name of DAMN DELICIOUS! 🙂 🙂 Only modifications I made was I included some dried Oregano. I did blitz it with the hand processor to smooth it a bit after removing the bay leaves and before returning the shredded chicken (purely because my husband prefers a slightly smoother soup). I used Egg Noodles instead of the pasta. This recipe is definitely going to become a firm favourite! Thank you 🙂 🙂
Great recipe! Tasty and delicious! I added some adobo and celery seed too. YUM! I did cook my egg noodles separate as I didnt want to risk having soggy noodles, so I just added the chicken soup to the noodles upon serving. Ill be making this soup a staple in our home!
Made this tonight for dinner! My only recommendation is to pay attention to your own flavor pallet! I added 3 tsp chicken base for more chicken flavor. And also kept a super close eye in the noodles. Didnt want to overdo them as others have commented! Definitely going into my recipe book. Family loved it!!
Thank you for my new go to chicken noodle soup recipe. I added fresh cilantro and parsley to the soup base and as always a bit liberal on the spices. Delish!
This recipe was amazing for a nice warming Comfort dinner! All those naysayers out there need to learn to cook! Followed the recipe exactly as written except because you did say to serve immediately and I knew I wouldn’t be. I did cook the pasta on the side so it wouldn’t get mushy. I also used a gluten-free pasta and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing your wonderful recipes with us!
Can I freeze leftovers? I’m thinking I can put this in the slow cooker at night before going to bed and wake up to chicken noodle soup to take for lunch but wondered if I can freeze the other portions?
Outstanding soup! I L-O-V-E your site – such easy, delish recipes. This one was a winner! I had leftovers so I turned your fab soup into a chicken noodle soup casserole…major hit with the fam! Thank you so much for all your time and effort into posting these awesome recipes!
I have been using this recipe for over a year and it never fails. The ingredients are limited to things most people have on hand and even when I substitute oregano for rosemary, it still comes out delicious. My family and friends love it. I love it because it is so easy to put together. I love this whenever the weather gets cold. I don’t see how anyone can make a mistake with this recipe if you follow it directly.
Amazing!!!! My noodles soaked up all my broth and ended up very mushy and huge. How do I tweak this lol
Cook the pasta first then add it into the soup!