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Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Noodle Soup

Slow Cooker Italian chicken noodle soup with a tomato-kissed broth, tender shredded chicken, and ditalini/egg noodles cooked in the final 30 minutes. It finishes with wilted spinach and a parmesan-and-basil topping for a cozy Italian-American bowl.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

chicken thighs
  • 1.5 lb chicken thighs
carrots
  • 4 carrots sliced
celery
  • 3 celery sliced
onion
  • 1 onion diced
garlic
  • 4 garlic minced cloves
diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
cannellini beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans drained
chicken broth
  • 8 cup chicken broth
Italian seasoning
  • 2 tsp Italian seasoning
dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
red pepper flakes
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
ditalini or egg noodles
  • 8 oz ditalini or egg noodles added last 30 min
fresh spinach
  • 2 cup fresh spinach added at end
parmesan
  • 0.5 cup parmesan for garnish, shavings
fresh basil
  • 0.25 cup fresh basil for garnish
salt and pepper
  • 1 salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

  • 1 slow cooker

Method
 

Add ingredients to the slow cooker
  1. Place chicken thighs, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, diced tomatoes, cannellini beans, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, dried basil, and red pepper flakes into the slow cooker, ensuring everything is submerged in the broth as much as possible.
Slow cook
  1. Cook on Low for 6-8 hours or on High for 3-4 hours, until the chicken is tender and easily pulls apart (visual cue: broth looks deeply seasoned and aromatic).
Shred the chicken and finish the soup
  1. Remove the chicken, shred it, and return the shredded chicken to the pot so the broth is evenly filled with meat (visual cue: chicken disperses throughout the soup).
  2. Add ditalini or egg noodles and cook on High for 20-30 minutes until tender (visual cue: noodles soften and the soup thickens slightly).
  3. Stir in fresh spinach and cook for 5 minutes until wilted (visual cue: spinach turns bright green and soft).
  4. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve with parmesan and fresh basil (visual cue: toppings sit fresh on top of the hot broth).

Notes

Pro tip: If your soup seems very thick after the noodles, loosen it with a splash of chicken broth before serving. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days; freezer is not recommended because noodles can get mushy after thawing. For a lower-carb option, replace the pasta with small zucchini noodles added at the end (reduce noodle cook time and cook spinach as directed).