Chicken · Slow cooker adaptation

Natasha's Chicken Noodle Soup (Slow Cooker)

Natasha's go-to comfort soup: four chicken thighs simmered in broth and water with sliced carrots, finely chopped celery and onion, finished with fresh dill and a pressed garlic clove. Adapted for the slow cooker so the thighs turn fall-apart tender, with spiral pasta dropped in near the end so it stays plump, not mushy.

R By Richard · Adapted from Natashas Kitchen · Published 23 June 2026
👁 2.6M source views ❤️ 46.2k source likes
⏱Prep 20 min
🍲Slow cook 8 hr (Low) / 4 hr (High)
🍽Serves 6
How To Make Easy Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe - Natasha's Kitchen

Source video by Natashas Kitchen on YouTube. This recipe was adapted with strict source-fidelity rules and is marked for human review.

Natasha's original is a hob recipe: chicken thighs are partially boiled in 10 cups of water and 4 cups of chicken broth for 20 minutes while the onion and celery are sauteed in olive oil and the carrots are sliced. Pasta then cooks in the same pot for 15 minutes, the chicken is shredded back in, and the soup is seasoned with Mrs Dash, a pressed garlic clove and three tablespoons of fresh dill. Adapted for the slow cooker, the thighs braise low and slow in the stock and water with the carrots until shreddable, the sauteed onion and celery go in at the start for flavour, and 6 to 8 oz of spiral pasta is dropped in for the final 20 to 30 minutes on High so it cooks through without disintegrating. The dill, garlic and Mrs Dash go in last. Natasha names chicken thighs as the secret to the soup's depth.

Slow cooker notes: Natasha's original is a 35 minute hob method. Adapted for the slow cooker: the chicken thighs braise gently in the stock and water for 6 to 8 hours on Low (or 3 to 4 hours on High) with the sliced carrots and the sauteed onion and celery, until the meat shreds easily. The hob sauté of onions and celery in olive oil is kept because it carries colour and flavour into a long cook. The spiral pasta is held back and only added for the final 20 to 30 minutes on High so the noodles cook through without going mushy across a long braise. Dill, pressed garlic and Mrs Dash also go in at the end so their flavour does not fade. Salt is reduced at the start (start with 2 teaspoons rather than the original 1 tablespoon) because slow cookers do not evaporate liquid and seasoning concentrates; correct at the end to taste.

Ingredients

Soup base
  • 2400 mlwater
  • 950 mlchicken broth
  • 2 tspsea salt
Chicken
  • 4bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
Vegetables
  • carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2celery sticks, finely chopped
  • 1onion, finely chopped
  • 2 tbspolive oil
Noodles
  • 200 gspiral pasta (add late)
Finishing
  • 1 tspMrs Dash or other salt-free seasoning (add late)
  • 1garlic clove, pressed (add late)
  • 3 tbspfresh dill, chopped (add late)

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and celery and saute, stirring frequently, for 5 to 8 minutes until the onions are golden.

    ~8 min

  2. Tip the sauteed onion and celery into the slow cooker. Add the sliced carrots, the water, the chicken broth and 2 teaspoons of sea salt.

    ~2 min

  3. Nestle the four chicken thighs into the liquid. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours, until the chicken shreds easily with a fork.

  4. Lift the chicken thighs out onto a board. Use two forks to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding any fat or bones. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.

    ~5 min

  5. Turn the slow cooker to High. Stir in the spiral pasta and cook for 20 to 30 minutes with the lid on, stirring once or twice, until the pasta is just tender.

    ~25 min

  6. Stir in the teaspoon of Mrs Dash (or other salt-free seasoning), the pressed garlic clove and the three tablespoons of fresh dill. Taste and add more salt if needed. Leave on warm for a minute, then serve.

    ~2 min

Frequently asked

Why do I add the noodles at the end and not at the start?
Slow cookers braise for hours and pasta dropped in at the start will disintegrate into starch. Stirring the spiral pasta in for the last 20 to 30 minutes on High lets it cook through and stay plump, which is the texture Natasha goes for in the original.
Can I use chicken breast instead of thighs?
You can, but thighs are the better choice for a long braise. They stay juicy and shred properly; breasts dry out and go stringy in a slow cooker. Natasha herself says using chicken thighs is the secret to the soup.
Do I have to saute the onion and celery first?
It is the one hob step worth keeping. Slow cookers steam rather than brown, so the colour and depth come from a quick golden saute. If you are short on time you can skip it and tip everything in raw, but the soup will taste lighter.
What can I use instead of Mrs Dash in the UK?
Mrs Dash is a US salt-free herb seasoning blend. Any salt-free Italian herb blend, or a pinch of dried oregano, thyme and parsley together, will give you the same effect. Add it at the end so the flavour stays bright.
How long does this soup keep?
Two to three days in the fridge in a covered container. The pasta will keep soaking up liquid as it sits, so add a splash of water or stock when you reheat. Freeze without the pasta if you want longer storage and cook fresh pasta in when you reheat.
Extraction notes (transparency): Default servings not stated in the source; estimated 6 from the volume (10 cups water + 4 cups broth + 4 chicken thighs). Slow cooker times are not in the source; they are standard slow cooker conversions for chicken thighs in stock. Salt has been reduced from Natasha's 1 tablespoon to 2 teaspoons at the start as a slow cooker adjustment. Mrs Dash is a US salt-free seasoning blend; UK shoppers can swap any salt-free herb seasoning.