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 beforehand. 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 leftovers 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
- Slow Cooker Sausage Hotpot.
- Slow Cooker Chicken Curry
- Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Beef Ragu
- Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken
Have you tried this recipe? I love to hear your feedback, please leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @healthylittlefoodies
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Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
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.
Stacey says
I am going to make this recipe Wednesday and will let you know how I go if the family like it it will become a weekly meal
Amy says
Thanks Stacey, I hope you enjoy 🙂
Dawn Wilson says
I’ve just finished making this and it’s really bland, any tips on how to get more flavouring there?
Amy says
You maybe just need to add more salt. Did you use chicken stock to make this?
Becky says
I have made this several times and delicious … can I cook this on high? … with winter upon us, I usually hear of a neighbor who is ill and want to make the this soup … don’t want to take 6 hrs to make it for them especially when ya have to shop for the ingredients…
Amy says
Hi Becky, if cooking on high I’d cook for 3.5 hours. I’m so happy you enjoy this soup 🙂
Becky says
Thank you Amy for your quick reply …making tomorrow- have a couple friends who need some good soup ..
Louise Helliwell says
I love this recipe and have made it before. I think this time I’ve added too much thyme and it’s tasting too herby is there anything I could to rectify this?
Amy says
Hi Louise, I’m sorry for the delay, this advice is probably too late now (unless you froze it). I can only really suggest that you try to seive some of the thyme out. You can also remove some of the liquid and replace with fresh stock.
Danielle says
So easy! I’m a shift worker with 2 little ones so this absolutely will become a staple dinner for us
Amy says
Thanks Danielle, an easy dump and go recipe. So glad you liked it 🙂
Isabella Johnson says
Great soup enjoyed by all
Amy says
Thanks Isabella 🙂
Nadia says
Hi I’m looking at cooking this tomorrow night for the first time dump question but do you have to brown the chicken first?
Amy says
Hi Nadia, no need to brown. Everything goes in raw in this recipe 🙂
Cam says
Followed the recipe to a tee. Ours ended up in the bin. It tasted like the merky water you rinse off pasta. So before spending 7hrs and a heap of cash like we did, you may want to cook the ‘noodle’ (spaghetti) separately, thoroughly rinse it, and then add it later. Otherwise you’ll be getting take out like us.
Amy says
Hi Cam, I’m sorry you didn’t have success with this recipe. I’ve had so many positive comments on it so I’d love to know where it went wrong for you. When did you add the pasta? It should only be added at the end of cooking.
Carianne says
I agree with Cam about the spaghetti addition. Next time I’ll cook the spag separately because the starch from the pasta affects the taste of the chicken stock liquid. Normally you get the chance to rinse pasta before teaming it with something, whereas adding it within the soup while cooking gives it a murky look and taste. I also used less spag because 250g is quite a lot. But it’s a delicious flavour and a huge quantity which is handy. Lovely flavour otherwise.
Amy says
Thanks for your feedback Carianne, this information is very helpful for other readers. I’m glad you enjoyed the flavour and hopefully, it will be perfect when cooking the noodles separately 🙂
Em says
This is my go-to chicken noodle soup recipe. The lemon juice makes all the difference. So easy, so fresh. Have made this so many times… it’s finishing off in the slow cooker right now.
Amy says
Thank you Em! The lemon juice really does make a difference, just rounds it off! Thanks for the 5 stars, so glad you enjoy it 🙂
Georgie says
My 3rd time using this recipe today and I can’t wait to eat it later this evening!
Amy says
Fantastic Georgie, so glad you like it and thanks for taking the time to rate 🙂