This Crockpot chicken noodle soup recipe is one of many chicken soup recipes I make for chilly fall nights, snow-piled-against-the-door lunches, mornings when your throat is scratchy– okay, it’s my go-to meal for every event from October through April. This soup has all the good old fashioned flavor of the stove top version your Grandma made with the modern convenience of hands-free crockpot cooking.
Instead of using egg noodles which tend to be thinner, this soup uses a good quality Italian pasta in one of my all-time favorite shapes: cellentani noodles. These are spiraled pieces of heaven, and as the old jingle goes, makes this recipe a soup that eats like a meal!
After you try this soup, I’ve got to more version just waiting for you make!
What I Love About This Recipe
- Prep time is a cinch — twenty minutes!
- Thick, luscious noodles
- A nutritious broth that’s also delicious
- Perfect for every meal!
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup Ingredients
- Bone-In Breasts: Make sure to use bone-in breasts in this crockpot chicken noodle soup recipe as the bones add a lot of extra flavor to the broth. It makes a huge difference in the richness of the broth.
- Celery: Adds texture and natural salty flavor.
- Carrots: Adds just a bit of aromatic sweetness.
- Onion: This adds great depth of aromatic flavor and sweetness after it’s been sautéed.
- Fresh Thyme: Adds great herbal flavor with a woodsy, floral nuances.
- Dried Bay Leaf: This adds very subtle flavors of pine and black pepper.
- Dried Poultry Seasoning: This is the perfect spice blend to enhance chicken flavor. It’s generally a combination of dried sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, and nutmeg.
- Black Pepper: Adds a very mild spice to the soup.
- Better Than Bouillon: This is an amazing ingredient I add to most all of my soup recipes. I fortifies the chicken flavor of chicken broth and gives it a real homemade richness.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? Like other types of noodle soups, this can be stored in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. The flavors will deepen, but be warned: the noodles will absorb much of the broth, making them mushier. Add broth or water to thin as needed. Store in an airtight container with a secure lid.
- Can You Freeze This? Well, yes and no. If you know you are going to freeze it, don’t put the pasta in. As I mentioned above, the pasta will continue to soak up the broth as the soup cools. After it’s frozen, the pasta will be a mushy mess.
- Just prepare as directed without pasta and ladle into freezer-safe containers. When you are ready to serve your chicken noodle soup, just defrost it in a large pot over medium heat. Add the pasta when the soup starts to simmer and cook until al dente.
- Make-Ahead Tips: Pressed for time? You can also pre-chop your veggies! In most cases, cut vegetables can sit in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Making this chicken noodle soup recipe ahead of time will ensure that it is ready to go when you are. Again, prepare it without the noodles until you are ready to serve it. Simply bring your soup to a gentle boil and add your egg noodles. Be sure not to overcook them because they will continue to cook as the soup cools.
- Food Safety: Here are the USDA refrigeration and freezing articles.
Serving Recommendations
The best way to complete your dinner is to serve it with mouth-watering breads. We like it with tender and fluffy lion house rolls, Southern cornbread, Bisquick biscuits, or quick and easy beer bread. Thinking about something heartier? Whip up these hye rollers instead!
More Delicious Chicken Soup Recipes
- Mexican Chicken Soup
- Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Potato Soup
- Matzo Ball Soup
- Chicken Corn Chowder
- Crockpot Chicken And Dumplings
- Chicken Taco Soup
Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breast halves Bone-In and Skin-On
- 2 cups celery Chopped
- 2 cups carrots Chopped
- 1 cup onion Diced
- 1/3 of a bunch fresh thyme
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 heaping tablespoon Better than Bouillon - chicken flavor
- 8-11 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups uncooked dried cellentani pasta
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves chopped
Instructions
- In a large Crock Pot, with a minimum of 6-quart capacity, add all the vegetables, 1/3 a bunch of thyme, bay leaves, poultry seasoning, black pepper, and dissolved Bouillon. Place the chicken breast, skin side down, on top of the vegetables. Add 8 cups of chicken broth.
- Cover the crockpot with a lid and cook on low 8-10 hours or on high 4-6 hours.
- Remove chicken breasts to a plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones from the chicken and chop or shred chicken, into bite-size pieces. Discard bay leaves and thyme stems. Add the pasta to the crockpot, cover, and cook on high for 15-20 minutes or just a few minutes before pasta reaches al dente. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped or shredded chicken back to the soup. Thin as needed with extra chicken broth. Top with 1 tablespoon thyme leaves and chopped parsley and serve.
The best soup, ever!!
I couldn’t agree more! 😀
I TRIED YOUR PORK LOIN RECIPE. BEST I EVER HAD. LOVE THE GRAVY. MAKE IT EVERY COUPLE OF WEEKS. WIFE SAYS IT A KEEPER. WHICH MEANS I CAN BE THE COOK.
THANKS SO EVER MUCH.
You’re so welcome, Mark. Thanks so much for leaving a comment. Hope you try a few more recipes 🙂