Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
This slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipe gives you tender shredded chicken, herb-rich broth, and noodles that stay firm, with just 20 minutes of hands-on prep.
Equipment
- 6-quart slow cooker - 5 quarts works too
- Sharp chef's knife - for the vegetables
- Two forks - for shredding the chicken
- Ladle - for serving
- Freezer storage containers - (optional) if you plan to store leftovers
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken - 680 g; a mix of chicken breasts and thighs works best
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth - 1.4 L
- 3 medium carrots - about 1 1/2 cups or 190 g; peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch (6 mm) rounds
- 3 stalks celery - about 1 1/4 cups or 150 g; sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion - about 1 cup or 160 g; diced
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme - or 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt - plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups wide egg noodles - 150 g; uncooked
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped, for finishing
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice - optional, but it brightens the whole pot
Instructions
- Peel and slice the carrots into 1/4-inch (6 mm) rounds, slice the celery, dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Pat the chicken dry and leave the pieces whole.
- Place the whole chicken pieces in the bottom of a 6-quart slow cooker, then add the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic on top. Sprinkle in the thyme, poultry seasoning, salt, and black pepper, and tuck in the bay leaves.
- Pour the chicken broth over everything and give the pot one gentle stir to settle the seasonings, keeping the chicken submerged. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours, until the chicken is tender and reads 165°F (74°C).
- Lift the cooked chicken out onto a cutting board with tongs or a slotted spoon, shred it into bite-sized pieces using two forks, and return it to the slow cooker.
- Turn the cooker to high if it isn't already, stir in the wide egg noodles, and cover and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until just tender. Check at 12 minutes so they don't overcook.
- Fish out and discard the bay leaves, then stir in the chopped parsley and the lemon juice if using. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed, then ladle into bowls and serve hot.
Notes
- Hold the noodles until the end. This is the single biggest fix for mushy soup. Egg noodles need only 12 to 15 minutes, so adding them any earlier guarantees a soft, bloated texture.
- Use a mix of thighs and breasts. Thighs keep the broth richer and the meat moist, while breasts keep it from feeling heavy.
- Start with low-sodium broth. The soup concentrates slightly as it cooks, and you can always add salt at the end but can't take it out.
- Don't skip the bay leaves. They add a quiet background depth you notice only when they're missing.
- Add a squeeze of lemon at the finish. That small hit of acid wakes up the whole pot.
- Cook noodles separately if freezing. Noodles left in stored soup keep swelling and turn to paste. Boil a fresh handful at serving time for any batch you plan to keep.
- Skim the surface once. A quick pass with a fine-mesh skimmer before the noodles go in gives you a cleaner, clearer broth.
- Creamy version: Stir in 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream or 4 ounces (115 g) cream cheese during the last 30 minutes.
- Storage: Refrigerate cooled soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days, or freeze without noodles for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: Warm gently on the stove over medium heat with a splash of broth, or microwave in 60-second bursts, stirring between each.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 245kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 24gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gSodium: 620mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!