Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup, a delicious and comforting meal with very little prep work.
I often get emails requesting slow cooker recipes and I can understand why. Dinner time can be stressful; often the kids are tired, hungry and cranky. This is why slow cookers are great, you can have everything prepped in the morning and when you come home in the evening you have a delicious hot meal waiting for you.
Since my eldest started school I have found slow cookers particularly useful. His busy after school schedule means that when we get in the door we need a meal ready and waiting for us. This Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup is one of our favourites.
The great thing about this soup is that once you have chopped your vegetables you can literally throw everything into the slow cooker and walk away. There is no need to sauté the vegetables before hand. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t!
After the soup has been cooking on a low setting for 6 hours you should remove the chicken and shred it up. The chicken just falls apart and is lovely and succulent. Perfect for kids.
When I post recipes I often receive quite a few questions. I make the recipes a few times before I actually post them and by that stage it is second nature to me. I often forget to explain the reasoning behind things, say how it can be adapted and how you can store it.
I have been running the blog for a few years now and have a better understanding on what readers need and want to know about a recipe. Please keep asking the questions, it helps me become a better blogger.
Here are some tips, tricks and information you might find useful when making this Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup.
- Do you have to use breast meat?
No, I often use thigh meat and it literally falls off the bone. There was a time my kids only ate thigh meat as they found the breast too dry and difficult to eat. Now I use the different cuts interchangeable. I find slow cooking in liquid makes the meat so succulent, regardless of the cut, making it perfect for kids.
- Can I use other vegetables?
Yes, you can easily customise this recipe. I do feel the carrot, celery and onion give the soup great flavour but I often add some extra vegetables. Just consider the cooking time. I often add some peas or corn but always towards the end of the cook time (when I add the noodles).
- Do you have to use spaghetti noodles?
I grew up with chicken noodle soup with spaghetti noodles in it so that is how I make it! You can, of course, use any pasta you wish. The cooking time may vary slightly. I recommend cooking it for the stated time and if not ready, continue to cook on high and check it every 5-10 mins until done.
- What stock is best to use?
If cooking for young children you want to make sure you keep the sodium levels down. I recommend using homemade stock but if that sounds too much like hard work then look for low sodium stocks.
- How do you store leftover Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup?
Any left overs I usually store in the fridge and eat the next day. If you want to freeze it, I recommend freezing it before you add the noodles.
Love slow cooker recipes? Why not try my Slow Cooker Sausage Hotpot.
Have you tried this recipe? I love to hear your feedback, please leave a comment below or tag me on Facebook or Instagram
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
A delicious and comforting soup with very little prep.
Ingredients
- 700g (1 1/2 Pounds) Skinless Chicken Breast *See Note 1
- 1 medium Onion, finely chopped
- 240g (approx 3 medium) Carrots, peeled and chopped * See Note 2
- 80g (approx 3 stalks) Celery, finely chopped
- 2 tsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 tsp Dried Thyme
- 2 Bay Leaves
- 2 litres (8 cups) Chicken Stock *See Note 3
- 250g (8.8oz) Spaghetti, snapped into pieces *See Note 4
- 1 tbsp Fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp Fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
Add chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and chicken stock to a slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours
Remove the cooked chicken breast and shred using two forks, the meat should fall apart easily.
Add the chicken back into the cooker along with the pasta. Switch to a high setting, cover and cook for around 15 - 20 mins, until the noodles are cooked.
Stir in the lemon juice and parsley.
Serve
Recipe Notes
- You can replace the breast meat with thigh meat if you prefer. Just remove the bone and shred at the same stage as you would the breast meat.
- I slice the thinner part of the carrot to give rounds and then dice the thicker end of the carrot. Slice / dice to your preference.
- For young children you should use homemade or low sodium chicken stock to reduce the sodium level. Alternatively reduce the amount of stock and replace with water.
- You can use any pasta you wish but the cooking time may vary, check every five mins after the set cooking time, until cooked. I like to use spaghetti and snap it into thirds, you can snap it into smaller pieces if you prefer.
Nutritional information is an ESTIMATE, calculated using an online nutrition calculator. The facts will vary depending on the brands of products used and they should be used as a rough GUIDE only.
Irene says
April 11, 2018 at 11:20 amHi! This looks like a yummy and easy recipe! Just wondering if I can leave the chicken cooking for more than 6 hours? Thanks!
Di says
April 23, 2018 at 10:42 pmHi!
I’ll be trying this. Looks yummy!
Just a quick question, do you need to add oil in the slow cooker before adding the ingredients?
Amy says
April 26, 2018 at 1:22 amHi Di, no – I just add the ingredients straight to the cooker. 🙂
Emma Parfitt says
May 12, 2019 at 1:44 pmMy pasta went dough like what did I do wrong I sfollowed exactly
Amy says
May 12, 2019 at 10:58 pmHi Emma, I’m not sure what went wrong. Did you add the pasta at the end of cooking? Was it dried pasta or fresh? I used dried so fresh would need less time to cook.
anh says
April 24, 2018 at 5:13 amhello is their an easy alternative for the chicken stock instead of using slow cooker what else can i cool thr chicken stock by
Amy says
April 26, 2018 at 12:11 amHi Anh, I’m sorry – I don’t quite understand what you are asking.
Marie says
April 30, 2018 at 9:13 amHi Amy, just put this soup on, only had 2 chicken breasts, ie 200g. Do I reduce the cooking time?
Thanks
Amy says
April 30, 2018 at 11:47 amHi Marie, I’d just keep it the same. 🙂
Jessie says
May 5, 2018 at 2:42 amWe have eaten this 3 days straight! Very tasty and kids love it.
Amy says
May 5, 2018 at 2:54 am3 days 😉 good job! The recipe does make a lot!! Glad you like it, thanks for commenting and rating.
Daniela says
May 24, 2018 at 3:59 amHi can i cook this on a higher setting in 4hours?
Amy says
May 28, 2018 at 11:55 amHi Daniela, yes 4 hours on high should work well 🙂
Abbey says
July 6, 2018 at 2:28 pmHi there do I have to cook chicken (brown in a pan before putting in slow cooker)? Thanks in advance
Amy says
July 7, 2018 at 3:56 amHi Abbey, no need to brown the chicken before putting it is the slow cooker 🙂
Bec Ellis says
July 16, 2018 at 9:54 amThis looks really yummy. Planning to try this week. Just wanting to know if I put the chicken breasts in slow cooker whole or should I cut into smaller pieces? Thanks
Bec Ellis says
July 16, 2018 at 9:57 amI just scrolled back up to top & saw your photos of whole chicken breasts – doh! Sorry, please disregard my previous comment.
Amy says
July 16, 2018 at 3:59 pmHi Bec, yes you just need to pop the chicken in whole (nice and easy!). You can also use skinless chicken thighs.
Katrina says
July 18, 2018 at 4:17 amCooking this now, already smells great thankyou !! I’m cooking it on high but I found I could not use all the 2L in my slow cooker so I used 1 and half ..
Amy says
July 26, 2018 at 6:42 pmHi Katrina, thanks for the comment. I hope you enjoyed it, did you find the 1.5 litres enough?
Bec Ellis says
July 18, 2018 at 12:09 pmPrepared this today with great success. Absolutely beautiful! Husband, Mother-in-law and I all thoroughly enjoyed & thank you for posting such a simple yet delicious recipe. This will now be a winter staple in our household
Jennifer says
April 12, 2019 at 10:46 amHello your recipe looks both yummy and easy. What is the serving size approximately? 1 cup? Thanks
Amy says
April 13, 2019 at 10:07 amHi Jennifer, Sorry but I’m not sure, to be honest. It is more than a cup though.
Sharon says
September 10, 2018 at 9:48 pmLoved this and my daughter did aswell ❤️❤️Had for dinner and now in soup cup for work tommorrow and l can’t wait to warm it up
Amy says
September 11, 2018 at 12:12 pmExcellent! Delighted you both liked it and thanks so much for taking the time to give feedback 🙂
Allison says
September 16, 2018 at 3:45 pmQuick Question-Do you cook the pasta before you put it in the crock pot or is that when it cooks? This looks so yummy!
Amy says
September 17, 2018 at 10:42 amHi Allison, it cooks in the slow cooker 🙂 Enjoy!
Pauline says
September 30, 2018 at 4:32 pmCan I use fine noodles?
Amy says
October 2, 2018 at 1:31 amHi Pauline, I’m sure you could – they might not need as long to cook.
Brie says
October 5, 2018 at 11:07 amJust put all the ingredients in. Can’t wait to try it!
I’m doing the 4 hours on high. Is there any difference between 4 on high or 6on low?
Amy says
October 9, 2018 at 6:33 amHI Brie, sorry that I am just seeing this message now. There isn’t much difference between the two, it just depends on what timing works best for you. Hope you enjoyed it.
Paige says
October 9, 2018 at 6:08 pmWondering if I can leave the chicken cooking for more than 6 hours? Thanks!
Amy says
October 11, 2018 at 11:35 pmHi Paige, I haven’t actually cooked it for longer but if cooking on low you could cook for longer. 6-8 should be good.
Kristie says
October 15, 2018 at 12:04 amKids loved this and so did I (with a little salt). Will be adding this to our meal plan rota. So easy! Thanks
Amy says
October 15, 2018 at 12:59 amFab, Kristie! I have actually just made this, ready for when we get back from soccer practice tonight!
Zoe says
October 18, 2018 at 8:39 amCame across this recipe so I cooked it exactly the same and it was great 🙂
Amy says
October 20, 2018 at 8:38 amThanks for the feedback, Zoe. Glad you liked it 🙂
Sami says
October 25, 2018 at 6:24 pmHi, I’ve just seen this recipe. Looks delicious will certainly be trying this. Just used my slow cooker for the first time in ages. I made a lovely beef stew and was looking for some soups I could make with it.
Amy says
October 27, 2018 at 2:54 amThanks Sami, hope you enjoy it 🙂
Sami says
October 28, 2018 at 4:38 pmHi Amy,
It was absolutely delicious!
Thank you for the recipe.
George says
October 27, 2018 at 7:14 pmThis was my first time making soup. This recipe is delicious and easy to follow. My family loved it!
your site is my go-to recipe book when I need to find a good recipe quick and I know it’s going to be good.
Thank you for sharing!
Amy says
October 28, 2018 at 9:27 amThanks so much, George. Comments like this really make my day and I really appreciate you taking the time to leave feedback. I hope you continue to enjoy the site 🙂
Cameron Gilmore says
November 3, 2018 at 2:50 pmI want to half the ingredients to get around 4 servings. Should I half the cooking time?
Amy says
November 4, 2018 at 10:21 pmHi Cameron, no I wouldn’t half the cooking time. The heat may be distributed differently unless you use a smaller slow cooker. The soup freezes well so you could always freeze half of the soup.
Janice says
November 3, 2018 at 9:48 pmHi, this looks great. Can it be frozen?
Amy says
November 4, 2018 at 10:18 pmHi Janice, yes. I usually freeze it before adding the noodles. 🙂
Jill says
November 10, 2018 at 2:30 pmAmy, I love this recipe and have made it several times now for my daughter – freezing it into small portions. It’s amazing! I’m making it this week for dinner for the entire family. I came to the page to add ingredients to my shopping list and just noticed this so wanted to give you a heads up. Right under the name of the dish, the description says “A delicious and comforting soup with very little soup” 🙂 I’m thinking it meant to say very little prep! Haha. Thanks again for the great recipe.
Amy says
November 11, 2018 at 10:47 pmHi Jill, thank you for your lovely comment. I’m delighted that you love this soup! Thanks for pointing out the error, I do get my husband to proofread but he misses a lot!
Jill says
November 12, 2018 at 12:08 amHi Amy! I love this recipe. I’ve made it for my daughter several times, freezing it into individual portions. And I’m actually making it this week for the entire family. I was adding the ingredients to my shopping list, and noticed that the description of the dish is “A delicious and comforting soup with very little soup” 🙂 I’m sure the second “soup” was supposed to be “prep”! Wanted to let you know 🙂 Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Kirsten says
November 18, 2018 at 8:59 pmHi Amy,
Thanks for your lovely recipes.
I made this earlier following the recipe exactly but with about 30g less chicken (next time id add even less chicken!) and it didn’t have much flavour. I wonder what I’ve done wrong as everyone else says it’s extremely tasty! I added 4.5 chicken stock cubes and 2l water, does that sound right?
Best wishes,
Kirsten
Amy says
November 18, 2018 at 10:53 pmHi Kristen, sorry that this didn’t work out for you. I don’t tend to use stock cubes but I’d say 4.5 stock cubes sounds about right, is that what it said in the packet? Maybe the stock cubes weren’t flavourful?
Debbie says
November 21, 2018 at 3:32 pmWhat other vegetable can I add to the soup?
Amy says
November 24, 2018 at 9:30 amHi Debbie, you could try adding corn, turnip, parsnip, spinach, broccoli…
Kate says
November 24, 2018 at 10:29 amThis recipe is absolutely AMAZING. I was looking for a chicken soup recipe that was
“different” and this fit the bill. My goodness, I could bathe in this (tho I promise I won’t) Thank you for posting this.
Amy says
November 25, 2018 at 10:47 pmHa ha!! My first ever comment saying that someone would like to bathe in my soup!!!! Thank you for taking the time to rate and comment!
Terra says
November 26, 2018 at 5:30 pmHi. I’m not much of a cooker Haha crockpot recipes are my go to. Is the chicken supposed to be frozen or no?
Amy says
November 28, 2018 at 1:46 amHi Terra, I used fresh chicken. 🙂
Ivy says
December 10, 2018 at 4:11 pmI have frozen chicken and can take it out to thaw for 1.5hr can I then put it in the crock pot on low for 6hrs even if still 1/2 frozen?
Amy says
December 11, 2018 at 1:55 amHi Ivy, personally I wouldn’t cook frozen chicken in the slow cooker. Cooking from frozen means that the chicken will hover in the danger zone of warmth where bacteria can easily grow without being killed off in the cooking process.
Katrina says
November 27, 2018 at 9:26 ami made this and it was YUMMO!! so good and not super heavy!!
Amy says
November 28, 2018 at 1:45 amBrilliant! Glad you liked it, thanks for taking the time to tell me. 🙂
Max Jordan says
November 27, 2018 at 10:40 amI’m sure this soup tastes delicious. All of your recipes that I have tried have been an absolute success!
Amy says
November 28, 2018 at 2:47 amThanks Max!
Melinda Nibbelink says
December 26, 2018 at 2:26 amMade this yesterday! Took to a Christmas Eve family gathering! Was a hit! Very good! Will make again!
Amy says
December 26, 2018 at 9:40 amThanks Melinda, glad it was a hit! Hope you had a fantastic Christmas 🙂
katie says
January 5, 2019 at 1:11 pmHi, Im making this tomorrow for my lunches at work whilst the weather is still chilly. Thank you for the recipe xx
Amy says
January 6, 2019 at 12:01 amThanks Katie, hope you enjoyed it 🙂
Jodie dean says
January 12, 2019 at 1:17 pmHello do I need to add water x
Amy says
January 13, 2019 at 10:21 pmHi Joidie, no just the 2 litres of stock. 🙂
Stacey says
January 14, 2019 at 9:07 amHi iam looking forward to trying this I bought a slow cooker yesterday. Iam only cooking this soup for two and using chicken pieces is it still 6 hours to cook? Thanks
Amy says
January 14, 2019 at 9:32 amHi Stacey, I would personally stick to the recipe and freeze any leftovers. What do you mean by chicken pieces? Thighs / leg / wings etc? Thighs work well in this recipe. If you mean breast cut into pieces I’d be worried it would be too dry.
Hannah says
January 23, 2019 at 10:07 pmThis is probably going to sound really silly, how do I make 2litres chicken stock?
Amy says
January 23, 2019 at 11:13 pmHi Hannah, if you don’t have homemade stock then you can buy stock or use stock cubes to make it. The pack should tell you how many cubes you will need to make 2 litres.
Ben says
January 26, 2019 at 4:04 pmJust made this for my partner and I. It was so delicious! Partner said best chicken soup he ever had.
Amy says
January 27, 2019 at 10:29 amBrilliant! Thank you 🙂
klebefolie says
January 26, 2019 at 6:01 pmThat was delicious! I just made it. My Kids and I both loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Amy says
January 27, 2019 at 10:29 amSo glad it was a hit all round, thanks for taking the time to let me know 🙂
Bonnie Jean says
February 6, 2019 at 4:17 pmOkay. The vegetable been in about 30 mins now. Do i just put the chicken in now? Then wait 30-20 mins shred it up before it finished cooking. My recipe that my friend given me is the same but without the spaghetti noodle. Do i just do what your recipe is? Since I dont get hers?
Amy says
February 8, 2019 at 12:50 amHi Bonnie, I am unsure what you mean. You put the chicken in at the same time as the veggies and cook on low for 6 hours. Then you remove the chicken to shred it, add the noodles and cook for a further 15-20 min 🙂
Jamie Gipson says
February 10, 2019 at 1:25 pmWill it b ok if broke chicken up at 4 hours as my mrs got involved and didn’t listen to the time i said while i was out lol
Amy says
February 11, 2019 at 9:56 amHi Jamie, I’m guessing I’m too late now…if cooking on low you will need 6 hours. 4 may be ok on high but as I haven’t trialled it, I can’t say for sure. Sorry.
Jenna D says
February 14, 2019 at 7:58 pmHi, I’m using a 1.5 litre crock pot, how much stock should I use?
Angie says
February 17, 2019 at 4:04 amI made this last night and it is by far the best chicken soup!!! I used a whole chicken instead and no noodles and it was perfection. I’ve got a cold so heaped in 4 tablespoons of minced garlic…and any excuse to have more garlic. Thanks for sharing. Definitely making this again 🙂
Suzanne says
March 31, 2019 at 9:13 amI was looking forward to this soup for my weekday lunch. Have to say I’m a little disappointed and happy for any suggestions. The spaghetti tastes cluggy not like a noodle I’m use to in this style of soup. Other flavours are spit on just not happy with the addition of the spaghetti.
Amy says
March 31, 2019 at 10:03 amHi Suzanne, thanks for the feedback. Did you add the spaghetti at the end of the cook? I wonder if they were overcooked as I have never had that problem? You could try vermicelli egg noodles, they may be more like what you are looking for.
Diane says
May 6, 2019 at 2:51 amHi Suzanne, I plan to make this tonight and then store in the fridge to consume over a couple of days. I assume it is safe to re-heat and eat in portions for 3 – 4 days subject to the chicken best before date?