My Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup starts with a whole chicken for a rich, flavorful broth. It’s loaded with classic veggies like carrots, celery, and onions, plus fresh herbs and aromatics. And of course, tender egg noodles!
This slow cooker chicken noodle soup is make-ahead friendly and freezes incredibly well, so make a big batch and stock for soup season!
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 mins, Cook Time: 8 hours
- Total Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
- Method: Slow cooker
- Main Ingredients: Whole chicken, carrots, celery, egg noodles
- Flavor Profile: Rich, savory, warm and comforting
- Ideal for: Comfort food meals, weekend cooking, family dinner
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Ingredient Notes
- Whole chicken: I’d recommend using a small chicken, like a 3-pound chicken, to ensure we can fit in enough water.
- Wide egg noodles: Egg noodles come in various shapes and sizes. I always use extra wide egg noodles for texture.
- Carrots, celery, and onions: Can’t miss this trio for chicken noodle soup! You also need minced garlic for extra flavor.
- Thyme, rosemary, bay leaves, Italian parsley: Fresh herbs infuse the chicken noodle soup broth with amazing flavor.
- Water: This liquid base. You can also do half water and half canned chicken broth if you want a richer broth.
- Better Than Bouillon adds a boost in flavor, salt and pepper to taste
- Lemon: A squeeze at the very end, really adds brightness and takes this slow cooker chicken noodle soup to the next level! It’s the same tip I give in my Turkey Orzo Soup.
As always, ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card down below.
Substitutions and Variations
- Chicken: You can also use separate bone-in chicken pieces like thighs, breasts and drumsticks.
- Egg noodles: Feel free to also use pasta, like rotini, bowties, or even small ditalini.
- Extra veggies: Green beans, zucchini, spinach.
How To Make Chicken Noodle Soup in the Crockpot
- Add vegetables. carrots, celery, onions, garlic, salt and pepper to a large slow cooker. I use a 7- or 8-quart slow cooker.
- Add chicken and water. Place the whole chicken on top. Add water, leaving about 1.5 or 2-inch space from the top to allow room for simmering.
- Add herbs. Add the rosemary, thyme, Italian parsley and bay leaves around the chicken. You can tie them with kitchen twine for easy removal later. Push gently to submerge.
- Slow cook. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours, or on HIGH for 4 hours. Either way works great.
- Add egg noodles. Remove the chicken from the crockpot. Then add the egg noodles, cover and continue cooking for 20 minutes until the egg noodles are tender.
- Shred chicken and discard the skin and bones. Return the chicken into the pot, season more as needed, and finish with chopped Italian parsley. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if you’d like.
Tips for Success
- Do not start with a frozen whole chicken. It must be fully thawed first for even and safe cooking. Thaw in the fridge for 1-2 days, or as needed.
- Use a small 3-pound whole chicken. If your chicken is too large, break it down and use half or three quarters.
- For an extra boost of flavor, add 2 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon (chicken base flavor). I love it!
- Use a large slow cooker, ideally a 7 or 8-quart. If you have a smaller slow cooker, adjust the ingredient quantities accordingly.
- Add the noodles at the end. They only need about 20 minutes to cook.
Make Ahead and Freezing
Prep ahead: Peel and chop all the veggies, and store them in the fridge until ready to cook. Make sure to thaw the whole chicken as well, if previously frozen. When ready to cook, it’s all about throwing everything into the slow cooker.
Freezing: Store cooked chicken noodle soup (cooled completely) in an airtight freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheating: If frozen, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave oven or over the stovetop in a pot, adding extra broth as needed. You can also reheat from frozen in a medium pot.
Stovetop Method
If you don’t want to wait on the slow cooker, you can make this chicken noodle soup on the stovetop in under 2 hours. Add the whole chicken, vegetables, aromatics, and seasonings to a large pot with water, bring to a boil, then simmer covered for about 90 minutes. Remove the cooked chicken, add egg noodles and cook for 10 minutes, then shred the chicken and return it to the pot.
Recipe FAQs
Add the noodles towards the end, after everything is done cooking. For egg noodles, about 20 minutes is ideal. If using a different pasta, such as rotini, that may take a little longer.
This can happen sometimes if the chicken-to-water ratio is a little off, for example if the chicken is too large. If this happens, add some extra canned chicken broth at the end, or alternatively water with chicken bouillon.
The chicken should be fully thawed.
What To Serve with Chicken Noodle Soup
- Dinner Rolls: This soup is so good with my Garlic Dinner Rolls or Honey Butter Rolls.
- Biscuits: Cheddar Chive Biscuits or my simple buttery Buttermilk Biscuits.
- Garlicky bread: I love this chicken soup with my garlicky Italian Cheese Bread. Or make my Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese for a soup and salad combo.
- Side Salads: Try our simple house salad or this apple kale salad in the fall.
More Homemade Soup Recipes
Looking for more slow cooker chicken recipes? Try my Slow Cooker Whole Chicken and Slow Cooker Chicken Stew. Lately, my Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs have been a hit at my house too!
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Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds whole chicken (small chicken) - thawed if frozen
- 4 medium carrots - peeled and chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
- Salt and pepper - to taste
- 8 to 10 cups water - as needed
- 2 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon - adds great flavor
- 2 bay leaves - fresh or dried
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme and rosemary - tied with kitchen twine
- 1 small bunch fresh Italian parsley - tied with kitchen twine
- ½ pound extra wide egg noodles
- Chopped Italian parsley - for garnish
- 1 lemon - squeezed at the end for serving
Instructions
- Add vegetables: In a large slow cooker, add the chopped carrots, celery, onions, crushed garlic, 3 teaspoons salt, and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper,
- Add chicken and water: Place the whole chicken on top. Then, add water (the exact amount depends on the slow cooker size, add enough leaving about 1.5 inches space from the top). The chicken doesn’t need to be fully submerged, just almost. Stir in 2 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon for even better flavor.
- Add aromatics: Add the thyme and rosemary sprigs, Italian parsley, and bay leaves around the chicken, gently pushing down to submerge.
- Slow cook: Cover and cook for 8 hours on LOW, or 4 hours on HIGH, until the chicken is fully cooked through and tender.
- Egg noodles: Remove chicken from the crock pot. Then, add the egg noodles, cover, and cook for another 20 minutes until al dente and tender.
- Shred chicken: Meanwhile, shred the chicken, discard the skin and bones.
- Bring everything together: Once the noodles are done, return the shredded chicken into the slow cooker. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Finish with chopped Italian parsley for that touch of freshness.
- Serve: Serve the chicken noodle soup warm, and if you'd like add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end.
Video
Notes
- Use a small 3-pound whole chicken so the liquid-to-chicken ratio is adequate.
- If your chicken is on the larger side, cut it and use about half or 3/4 of it.
- Fully thawed chicken: Do not start a frozen chicken. It needs to be thawed before using for even cooking.
- Make sure to not overfill the slow cooker. Leave space for the broth to simmer.
- Prep ahead: Peel and chop vegetables then store in an airtight container. Thaw chicken up to 1 day ahead in the refrigerator.
- Storage: Place cooled chicken noodle soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat soup in a medium saucepan on the stovetop until warmed through. You can also reheat in a microwave safe bowl until warmed.
- Freezing: Place leftover soup without noodles in a freezer safe airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating, or reheat from frozen over the stovetop.
- Whole chicken: Bone-in pieces breasts, thighs, or drumsticks.
- Egg noodles: Short pastas, like rotini, farfalle, or ditalini.
Camille says
Made as directed in the recipe except my chicken was bigger but all fit in my 7 qt. slow cooker. Sooo delicious.
Tania says
So glad you enjoyed it! We always love a good chicken noodle soup.
Tania says
We just made another big batch of this soup and froze it! The chicken is incredibly tender it just falls off the bone so easily.