Healthy Crockpot Chicken Noodle and Kale Soup Recipe

Comforting, healthy, and nourishing – that’s what this crockpot chicken and noodle kale soup is! This chicken and kale soup is my go-to soup when I feel under the weather or want something cozy on a chilly winter evening. It is incredibly easy to make thanks to the crockpot! Give it a try and you’ll see how great of an addition kale is to your traditional chicken noodle soup.

Healthy Crockpot Chicken Noodle and Kale Soup Recipe

Friend, this soup is SO incredibly easy to make. It’s the kind of meal that you quickly throw into your crockpot in the morning to cook all day long.

At the end of the day you have a quick finishing touch and boom DINNER IS DONE!

We all need easy dinners, right? That’s this one.

In our house, we’ve been loving this soup since my oldest was just a little guy. Almost 12 years later we all still love!

It’s still one I keep coming back to because it is filled with so much nourishing, good-for-you ingredients. And who doesn’t love chicken noodle soup?!

A key to making this the most nourishing soup is to use bone broth. If you’ve never made it at home, definitely try my crockpot bone broth recipe – it’s super simple and a staple to keep on hand, especially during the cooler months

Why you’ll love this crock pot chicken soup recipe

Hearty soup – This soup is perfectly filling and a complete meal. It’s hearty and a winner all around for the family. My husband loves all the chicken and flavor, while my kids are big fans of the egg noodles that cook up quickly for this crockpot soup.

Extra good stuff – Adding more nutrition into meals is something I’m passionate about and this healthy recipe with leafy green kale is no exception! You’re getting protein chicken, fiber from loads of vegetables, and extra goodness from the bone broth (a must during soup season!)

Ingredients in chicken noodle soup with kale recipe

Scroll down to view the recipe card below for the full ingredients list, nutritional information, and step-by-step instructions.

• onion
• carrots
• celery stalks
• garlic cloves
• curly kale
• boneless skinless chicken thighs
• sea salt
• black pepper
• chicken bone broth
• egg noodles

How to make crockpot chicken noodle and kale soup

Step 1: In the bottom of your crockpot, layer onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and kale. Season chicken thighs with sea salt and pepper then lay them on top. Pour chicken broth onto the rest of the ingredients in the crockpot.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Step 2: After 6-8 hours, turn the crockpot heat to high. Using forks or kitchen tongs, lightly shred the chicken (you can remove the thighs as well and shred them outside the crockpot).  This should be easy since they have cooked so long.

Step 3: Stir in the noodles, place the lid back on, and allow the noodles to cook and soften for about 30 minutes. Enjoy this healthy flavorful meal!

Serving suggestion

I love pairing soup recipes with crusty bread like my no-knead artisan einkorn bread or soft and delicious no-knead whole wheat focaccia bread.

Adding a salad alongside is a great way to add even more vegetables into your mealtime. Try my kale crunch salad or strawberry kale salad – both are great to prep in advance!

How to store

Make a big batch any day of the week and have leftovers ready and waiting to be enjoyed. Once the soup is fully cooled to room temperature you can add to a large airtight container or individual containers to take on the go.

Warm this healthy meal over medium heat until warmed through. As the soup stores, the extra liquid will be absorbed into the noodles. Add a little more of your own chicken stock into the reheated soup if you’d like.

Substitutions, optional variations & dietary adjustments

Below you’ll find a list of substitutions that will work well in this slow cooker chicken kale soup recipe. 

If you try something different out, please leave a comment below letting us all know how it turned out!

Chicken thighs – Any shredded chicken will work in this recipe like using lean chicken breast or shredded rotisserie chicken if you have that on hand. You can also swap out the chicken to make a vegetarian option by using white beans like cannellini beans, navy beans, or great northern beans. Feel free to also add beans into your chicken noodle soup for extra fiber!

Vegetables – Carrots, onion, and celery are the classic trio of chicken noodle soup. That said, swap in and use what you have on hand! If you have cremini mushrooms or sweet potatoes will add new fun flavors to this soup. Once you try it as written, have fun adjusting to use what you have around!

Curly kale – Baby kale, spinach, or any other hearty green leafy vegetable will work here in place of curly kale.

Egg noodles – Any type of noodle will work for this soup. You could also swap in little gnocchis for a chicken and kale gnocchi soup!

More homemade soups you’ll love

• Zuppa Toscana Soup
• Healing Chicken Turmeric Soup
• Creamy Cheddar Broccoli Bean Soup
• Creamy Black Bean Soup

If you try this simple recipe, I’d love it if you left a star rating and comment below letting me know how it turned out!

XO

Heather

Originally published in October 2013. Updated January 2024.