It’s hard to express what I truly feel when I smell the chicken noodle soup I prepared in the crockpot. It feels like a warm hug from home. This crockpot chicken noodle soup gets even better when I realised I prepared a healthy version.
It really has every careful ingredient and taste to give a cozy feel, and takes little effort. All I had to do was put everything in the slow cooker and leave it to do its thing.
Ingredients
For the Soup Base:
- 1 and a half pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 moderately sized carrots, peeled and cut into a quarter-inch round disks
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary
- Salt and black pepper
For finishing:
- 2 cups of egg noodles
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- ¼ cup of parsley
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Prepare your vegetables first. Prep your vegetables before cooking so your soup turns out to your desired taste as well as cooking time.
Step 1
Dice your onion into pieces about a quarter inch large, then slice your carrots.
Make circle carrots so that they cook at the same speed.
Chop your celery into similarly sized pieces so that everything is even in taste.
You should mince your garlic finely. This prep work is the key to a successful soup.
2. Layer Ingredients in the Slow Cooker
Due to their larger size, the chicken thighs or breasts should be put in the slow cooker’s bottom layer, where they’ll absorb moisture from the other ingredients.
Over the chicken, layer the minced garlic, diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery.
Then, the bay leaves should be placed in the mixture to add more flavor to the broth.
Evenly cover everything with dried thyme, parsley, and rosemary.
Then, be sure to add some salt and pepper-salt should be around 1 teaspoon, and pepper should be around 1/2 teaspoon.
This can be adjusted to taste later on, but you should be more generous with it.
3. Add the Broth
Add the chicken broth to the mixture, ensuring the chicken is completely covered.
The broth should be high enough to cover everything, but it is okay if some of the vegetables are poking out, since they will get softer and shrink more during the cooking process.
Mix everything very gently so the water can absorb all of the seasonings.
4. Cook on Low
Using the lid, cover the crock pot, and switch it to low heat. Let the meal cook for 6 to 7 hours to finish cooking.
If you’re in a hurry, feel free to switch it to high and cook for 3 to 4 hours instead.
You’ll know the meal is ready when the chicken is fully cooked and can be shredded effortlessly with a fork, and the vegetables are cooked and tender without being mushy.
You will know the chicken is cooked through when it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
5. Shred the Chicken
Using tongs, a slotted spoon, or anything else, grab the chicken from the crock pot and place it on a cutting board.
To shred the chicken, you will need two forks and lots of muscle.
To do this, you need to hold onto the chicken with one fork and pull the other fork in the other direction.
This will separate the chicken into lots of tender strands.
After shredding the chicken, place it into the soup so that every spoonful will have protein.
6. Noodle Preparation
About 20 minutes before serving the food, add the egg noodles to the crockpot.
Make sure the noodles get drowned in the broth.
After that, close the lid and set to cook on high for either 15 or 20 minutes until the noodles have finished cooking.
The noodles should have cooked to the level of al dente, but should not have a full bite left to them.
If there is a readership proceeding with a plan on meal prep, or if there are concerns about leftover food,
Cook the noodles to their perfect level of doneness in advance, and set the noodles separately to serve in each bowl, on the side of the principle meal, in order to prevent them from soaking up too broth.
7. Tuning and Finishing Touch
First, the bay leaves must be removed.
Then, add the lemon juice, which can help brighten the dining experience with a nifty, restaurant-like tang.
Sample the broth and, if case, add more seasoning, salt or pepper if things are removed from the priceless level of improvisation of the meal.
For finishing, add the fresh, approved and chopped parsley for a lighter and smoother series of food herbs in which each can relish.
8. Serve
Spoon hot soup into bowls and distribute the chicken, vegetables, and noodles equally.
It should look steaming and aromatic, with a golden, clear broth.
Serve with some crusty bread, crackers, or a simple green salad.
Recipe Notes and Tips
Chicken choice
If you’re leaning towards chicken thighs, then dark meat is preferable, as it stays more tender and moist and adds more flavour.
While chicken breast is a much leaner option if you’re after a low-fat soup. It’s completely up to you.
Overcooking the noodles
To avoid the noodles from going mushy, add them in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
If you’re running the soup ahead, it’s best to keep the noodles on the side and mix them in when you reheat.
Vegetable consistency
Try to cut all the vegetables into the same size, as it helps with even cooking.
Since the carrots take the longest, cut them a bit thinner to about 1/4 inch.
If you want to add a deeper flavour, then I suggest saut́é the onions, carrots, celery,
And garlic with a bit of olive oil in a skillet for 3-4 minutes before you add them to the crock pot.
Caramelisation is a good way to add some sweetness to the soup.
If your soup is too thick after the noodles expand, just pour in additional chicken broth or water until you reach the soup texture you want.
Dried herbs work just fine when cooked in the soup, but for finishing,
Adding in some chopped fresh, bright parsley works wonders, as well as fresh thyme or dill if you have some.
Ingredient Swaps
For a low-carb option, replace the egg noodles with spiralized zucchini, or you can even use rice noodles, whole wheat pasta, or orzo as well.
Other small pasta shapes like ditalini or small shells are also good.
If you want a time saver, rotisserie chicken is a good option.
In the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken just to warm it up.
Other than that, turkey is a perfect chicken substitute.
If you have vegetable broth or bone broth, you can replace it with the chicken broth.
Bone broth is great because it adds extra protein, but also a rich texture to the soup.
If you want, feel free to add or swap in some of these other veggies: peas, corn, turnips, parsnips, green beans, kale, or spinach.
With the more hearty vegetables like parsnips, you want to add those in the beginning, but for the spinach, do that in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Dill, basil, and cilantro offer other flavour profiles and are a good substitute for parsley.
Rosemary and thyme, added during cooking and removed, amplify the herbal flavour.
For a variation to a creamy chicken noodle soup, add ½ cup of heavy cream, half-and-half, or coconut cream during the last 10 minutes.
Storage and Reheating
Leftover soup can be kept for up to 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge.
Leftovers tend to get better after a day, and soup flavours deepen.
Keep in mind when reheating that you will likely need to add liquid since the noodles will have absorbed liquid.
Soup can be frozen for 3 months, but it’s better to freeze it without noodles, as they can get mushy.
It’s best to freeze the broth, chicken, and vegetables, and cook the noodles when you are going to serve them.
How to Store
Let the soup cool completely before putting it in freezer-safe containers so that they have about 1 inch of room at the top for expansion.
To warm individual servings, place them in the microwave and heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring about halfway through
For larger servings, warm them in a pot on the stove on medium heat until warmed all the way through,
Add a little bit of chicken broth or water if there is a thick film on the soup.
For soup that has been frozen, first take it out of the freezer and let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Then, heat it in a pot on the stove and add fresh noodles for the last 15 minutes of heating.
Making Veggies Ahead
Before the day you plan to make the soup, take the time to cut the veggies and store them all in the refrigerator.
Then, in the morning on soup day, you can just take all the veggies out and add them to the slow cooker before turning it on and heading to work.
Then you can come home to a fully prepared dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
If I have frozen chicken, can I still make the soup?
Of course, you can add frozen chicken directly to the slow cooker.
You’ll just need to extend the cook time by about 1 hour on low, or 30 minutes on high.
Don’t forget to shred the chicken after it has reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit on the inside.
Why isn’t my chicken noodle soup full of flavor?
There isn’t one specific answer to this. Chicken noodle soup requires just the right seasoning added in stages.
When you add seasoning salt to the chicken, let it simmer, and add it again after you add the noodles, each step will enhance individual flavorings.
Later, let it simmer, and add it again after you add the noodles.
Each step will enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
The fresh lemon juice to finish off the recipe is key for brightening the acidity, so don’t skip it.
My noodles are mushy. Is there any way to fix that?
If you are making a large quantity of soup, it’s helpful to cook the noodles separately and add them to each serving bowl and then ladle the soup over them.
This is helpful for large quantities so that the noodles can’t absorb all of the liquid while in storage.
Healthy Homemade Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
It's hard to express what I truly feel when I smell the chicken noodle soup I prepared in the crockpot. It feels like a warm hug from home. This crockpot chicken noodle soup gets even better when I realised I prepared a healthy version.
It really has every careful ingredient and taste to give a cozy feel, and takes little effort. All I had to do was put everything in the slow cooker and leave it to do its thing.
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- For the Soup Base:
- 1 and a half pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 moderately sized carrots, peeled and cut into a quarter-inch round disks
- 3 celery stalks
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon of dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon of dried rosemary
- Salt and black pepper
- For finishing:
- 2 cups of egg noodles
- 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
- ¼ cup of parsley
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Instructions
Prepare your vegetables first. Prep your vegetables before cooking so your soup turns out to your desired taste as well as cooking time.
Step 1
Dice your onion into pieces about a quarter inch large, then slice your carrots.
Make circle carrots so that they cook at the same speed.
Chop your celery into similarly sized pieces so that everything is even in taste.
You should mince your garlic finely. This prep work is the key to a successful soup.
2. Layer Ingredients in the Slow Cooker
Due to their larger size, the chicken thighs or breasts should be put in the slow cooker's bottom layer, where they'll absorb moisture from the other ingredients.
Over the chicken, layer the minced garlic, diced onion, sliced carrots, and celery.
Then, the bay leaves should be placed in the mixture to add more flavor to the broth.
Evenly cover everything with dried thyme, parsley, and rosemary.
Then, be sure to add some salt and pepper-salt should be around 1 teaspoon, and pepper should be around 1/2 teaspoon.
This can be adjusted to taste later on, but you should be more generous with it.
3. Add the Broth
Add the chicken broth to the mixture, ensuring the chicken is completely covered.
The broth should be high enough to cover everything, but it is okay if some of the vegetables are poking out, since they will get softer and shrink more during the cooking process.
Mix everything very gently so the water can absorb all of the seasonings.
4. Cook on Low
Using the lid, cover the crock pot, and switch it to low heat. Let the meal cook for 6 to 7 hours to finish cooking.
If you're in a hurry, feel free to switch it to high and cook for 3 to 4 hours instead.
You'll know the meal is ready when the chicken is fully cooked and can be shredded effortlessly with a fork, and the vegetables are cooked and tender without being mushy.
You will know the chicken is cooked through when it has an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
5. Shred the Chicken
Using tongs, a slotted spoon, or anything else, grab the chicken from the crock pot and place it on a cutting board.
To shred the chicken, you will need two forks and lots of muscle.
To do this, you need to hold onto the chicken with one fork and pull the other fork in the other direction.
This will separate the chicken into lots of tender strands.
After shredding the chicken, place it into the soup so that every spoonful will have protein.
6. Noodle Preparation
About 20 minutes before serving the food, add the egg noodles to the crockpot.
Make sure the noodles get drowned in the broth.
After that, close the lid and set to cook on high for either 15 or 20 minutes until the noodles have finished cooking.
The noodles should have cooked to the level of al dente, but should not have a full bite left to them.
If there is a readership proceeding with a plan on meal prep, or if there are concerns about leftover food,
Cook the noodles to their perfect level of doneness in advance, and set the noodles separately to serve in each bowl, on the side of the principle meal, in order to prevent them from soaking up too broth.
7. Tuning and Finishing Touch
First, the bay leaves must be removed.
Then, add the lemon juice, which can help brighten the dining experience with a nifty, restaurant-like tang.
Sample the broth and, if case, add more seasoning, salt or pepper if things are removed from the priceless level of improvisation of the meal.
For finishing, add the fresh, approved and chopped parsley for a lighter and smoother series of food herbs in which each can relish.
8. Serve
Spoon hot soup into bowls and distribute the chicken, vegetables, and noodles equally.
It should look steaming and aromatic, with a golden, clear broth.
Serve with some crusty bread, crackers, or a simple green salad.
Notes
Recipe Notes and Tips
Chicken choice
If you're leaning towards chicken thighs, then dark meat is preferable, as it stays more tender and moist and adds more flavour.
While chicken breast is a much leaner option if you're after a low-fat soup. It’s completely up to you.
Overcooking the noodles
To avoid the noodles from going mushy, add them in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
If you're running the soup ahead, it’s best to keep the noodles on the side and mix them in when you reheat.
Vegetable consistency
Try to cut all the vegetables into the same size, as it helps with even cooking.
Since the carrots take the longest, cut them a bit thinner to about 1/4 inch.
If you want to add a deeper flavour, then I suggest saut́é the onions, carrots, celery,
And garlic with a bit of olive oil in a skillet for 3-4 minutes before you add them to the crock pot.
Caramelisation is a good way to add some sweetness to the soup.
If your soup is too thick after the noodles expand, just pour in additional chicken broth or water until you reach the soup texture you want.
Dried herbs work just fine when cooked in the soup, but for finishing,
Adding in some chopped fresh, bright parsley works wonders, as well as fresh thyme or dill if you have some.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1½ cups (approximately 12 ounces)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 245gTotal Fat: 5ggSaturated Fat: 1.5ggCholesterol: 65mgmgSodium: 680mgmgCarbohydrates: 22ggFiber: 2ggSugar: 2ggProtein: 27gg
Conclusion
This is the easiest slow cooker chicken noodle soup recipe. It’s the perfect family meal, healthy, and can be left to cook all by itself.
It will fill your house with the delectable aroma of spices, vegetables, and chicken all simmering together in a broth.
It will definitely be a meal that everyone loves to eat.