Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup is a winter classic! Bone-in chicken breasts are slow cooker for hours in chicken stock – the result is an incredibly flavorful and delicious chicken noodle soup (no mushy veggies or noodles here) that will warm you from the inside out. Perfect for cold winter days or if someone you know is feeling under the weather!
This easy Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup is a classic soup that is perfect for cold winter days or if anyone in your household is feeling under the weather! This warm & cozy soup recipe is full of tender chicken, carrots, celery, and the perfect seasonings, all served over spaghetti noodles (or your favorite noodle of choice).
The BEST Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
During our cold season here in Minnesota, a classic chicken noodle soup is a must! When we aren’t making our classic chicken soup on the stovetop, you can find us keeping things super simple and making this chicken noodle soup in our slow cooker. It makes for a warm and cozy dinner at the end of a cold day. We have always served this flavorful soup over spaghetti noodles, but you can use any of your favorite types of noodle (i.e. egg noodles, rotini, etc.).
Why This Recipe Works
- Bone-In Chicken Breasts: Using a skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts results in a greater depth of flavor!
- Veggies aren’t mushy: We add veggies closer to the end of cooking so they don’t get super mushy!
- Noodles aren’t mushy: We cook these separately so they don’t soak up that yummy broth or over-cook!
What You Will Need
- chicken stock – either grab your favorite from your local grocery stores or make your own homemade broth for even more depth of flavor!
- bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts – we highly recommend using chicken breasts or chicken thighs that have the bone-in and the skin-on to get the most flavor, but you can also use skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs.
- sweet yellow onion & head of garlic – perfect for bringing great flavor to your soup base, option to add more or less garlic depending on your taste preferences.
- bay leaf, kosher salt, & ground black pepper – simple seasonings that are a must for any homemade soup.
- fresh thyme – a fresh herb that is a nice compliment to these traditional soup flavors.
- carrots & celery – the traditional vegetables that are a must for any chicken noodle soup!
- your favorite noodles – we used spaghetti noodles, but you can use egg noodles or even zoodles if you want!
What Kid Of Noodles Do You Use For Chicken Soup
For us, we grew-up enjoying chicken noodle soup with classic spaghetti noodles. Sometimes we keep the spaghetti noodles whole and sometimes we break them into smaller pieces to make them more bite-size. However, many people are used to enjoying their soup with egg noodles or another type of noodle. The best part of this recipe is that you can use ANY noodle you want, you could even use zoodles!
Can I Put Frozen Chicken In The Slow Cooker
No, it is not advised to place frozen chicken in your crockpot. It takes too long for the chicken to thaw and then sits in the “danger zone” (a time when bacteria grows) for a while before being fully cooked. So you will want to make sure you fully thaw your chicken before placing it in the slow cooker.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- Place your fully thawed chicken and chicken stock to the crockpot.
- Add onion, garlic and fresh thyme (as well as salt and pepper).
- Turn your slow cooker to either the high setting for 4 hours or the low setting for 8 hours.
If cooking on HIGH: 1 hour before cooking time is done remove the chicken breasts, discard the skin and bones and shred the meat. Place back into the slow cooker along with the carrots and celery.
If cooking on LOW: 2 hours before cooking time is done remove the chicken breasts, discard the skin and bones and shred the meat. Place back into the slow cooker along with the carrots and celery.
Cook your noodles of choice separately on the stovetop. Then you can either add the fully cooked noodles to the slow cooker before scooping it into bowls or you can place the cooked noodles in a bowl and ladle the soup over the top.
Storing Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Once your soup has cooled a bit there are two different ways you can store your leftovers in order to enjoy them later:
- refrigerator: simply ladle your soup into airtight containers and store in your fridge for about 3-4 days and reheat on the stovetop or microwave when you are ready to eat.
- freezer: for best results you want to freeze your soup before adding the noodles. If you freeze the soup with the noodles in it, the noodles will become very mushy in the thawing and reheating process. Just place the soup in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. When you are ready to eat you can thaw, reheat, and enjoy over freshly cooked noodles.
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