My favorite comfort food is homemade chicken noodle soup. It is easy to make, and the aroma of simmering soup is relaxing. Although I have had a stovetop version of this Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup recipe for years, it’s time to share how simple and hands-free it is to use a slow cooker or crockpot. This recipe is perfect for winter Sundays, so you can keep it going while you do other chores or catch up on Netflix. 🙂
HOW BIG IS A SLOW COOKER?
A 6-quart slow cooker would be a good choice. A 5-quart slow cooker was used, but it was too full. You can reduce the recipe by using a smaller slow cooker. This will adjust all ingredients. You will still need to cook the ingredients at the same time.
What are “SPLIT” CHICKEN BIRTHS?
Split chicken breasts refer to a whole chicken breast cut down from the breastbone into two pieces (right breast and left breast), with all the bones, rib meat and skin still attached. Also called bone-in, skinless chicken breasts. This type of chicken breast will give your chicken soup the best flavor. All the flavor is in the bones, connective tissue, and dark-rib meat. You can also get bone-in chicken thighs.
CAN I USE A BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN FOOD?
Although technically you can, your soup will be less flavorful. You may need to make your own chicken broth to get more flavor.
DO FROZEN CHICKEN SUITABLE?
Frozen meat should not be added to slow cookers. It takes too long for frozen meat to thaw and then come to room temperature. This can leave it in the “danger zone”, where bacteria can thrive for too long. You can use frozen chicken if you don’t want it to spoil.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 yellow onion (0.32)
- 3 cloves of garlic (0.24)
- 1/2 lb. Carrots (4 medium) (about 1/2 lb.) ($0.30
- 4 ribs celery ($0.43)
- 2 chicken breasts* (2.5-2.5 lbs. total) ($6.30)
- 1 tsp dried Basil ($0.10)
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley ($0.30)
- 1/2 tsp dried Thyme ($0.05).
- 1 bay leaf ($0.15)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05).
- 8 cups of water (0.00)
- 6 oz. wide egg noodles ($0.68)
- 1 Tbsp salt (or according to taste) ($0.10)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional). $0.20
INSTRUCTIONS
- Slice the celery, chop the garlic and peel the carrots. In a 6-quart slow cooker or crockpot, combine the onion, garlic and carrots with the celery.
- Place the skin-on bone-in chicken breasts on top of the vegetables. To the slow cooker, add the Basil, parsley and bay leaf.
- Add 8 cups of water to the slow cooker. Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook on high for four hours or low for eight hours.
- After cooking the chicken on high for 4 or 8 hours, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Mix the egg noodles and add to the slow cooker. Turn the heat up to high.
- Two forks are needed to pull the chicken meat out of the bones. You can also shred the meat with the forks. Stir the soup with the meat and return it to the slow cooker. After 8-10 minutes, the noodles should be cooked. If the slow cooker was previously set at low, it might take longer.
- After the chicken is returned to the soup and the noodles, have become tender, season the soup with salt. Salting the soup properly will make it more flavorful. You can start with 1 teaspoon salt. Add more salt until you get bold, flavorful soup. About 1 Tbsp (3 teaspoons) is my preferred amount. Just before serving, add a few chopped parsley to garnish.
NOTES
Split chicken breasts are made with bones, skin, and rib meat.
NUTRITION
Serving: 1.5cups Calories: 235.2kcal Carbohydrates: 20.9g Protein: 27.6g Fat: 4.1g Sodium: 1349.6mg Fiber: 2.5g
