Delicious and Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup That Practically Makes Itself!
What’s better to serve up (or to slurp up!) when you or someone you love is under the weather? Hot and nourishing, chicken noodle soup has a place at the tables (and bedsides) of just about every American household, especially during cold and flu seasons where it serves as more than just an endearing entrée or scrumptious side. My recipe for this classic dish, filled with nutrition (from beta-carotene filled carrots, fibrous celery, and protein-packed white meat chicken breast!), is made about as simply as it ever can be with the help of your countertop crock-pot! Full of flavor and so, so easy to make, this chicken noodle soup’s got multiple ways to make you feel good!
Forged in the American melting pot…
The modern chicken noodle soup we would all recognize is often considered to be an American dish, but its origins are more complicated than that!
Mankind has been boiling water ever since we could collect freshwater and utilize fire for cooking, and subsequently boiling our food into primitive soups in the process, especially as agriculture bloomed in ancient cultures across the globe. Chicken soup has been made in some way, shape, or form ever since the domestication of chickens circa 8000 BCE in Asia. Cooked noodles, like the ones used in today’s chicken noodle soup, even date back to 4000 years BCE with sources tracing their origin back to ancient China. Around a thousand years ago, carrots originated as a root crop in what is now known as Afghanistan, Iran, and Uzbekistan. While celery, another ingredient in our crock-pot rendition of the classic, has its roots in the Mediterranean and is often mentioned in ancient Greek literature, making our seemingly quintessential American chicken noodle soup quite the global affair!
The union of noodles and chicken broth isn’t quite American, either! Chinese longevity soup combines long noodles meant to represent a long, healthy life with boiled chicken. Jewish immigrants brought over their recipes (usually including matzo meal and egg noodles) for the comfort food and a homestead solution to common sicknesses. So what, if anything, is American about chicken noodle soup?
The chicken noodle soup we’re familiar with now, with its simple and comforting recipe, is the culmination of all of these cultural influences and the rising popularity and ease of canned soups, especially Campbell’s. America’s melting pot became a collective cooking pot, combining flavors from across the world and unifying under the shared components that make a delicious and nutritious soup: protein-rich chicken, hearty noodles, and healthy root vegetables! The ease with which Campbell’s classic chicken noodle soup could be quickly whipped up has made prepping chicken noodle soup quick and simple; however, for the freshest ingredients and the most nourishing results, you can’t go wrong with the crock-pot!
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 large carrots, peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 ribs celery, chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
- 7 ounces egg noodles (about 3 cups)
- Fresh parsley, chopped (optional, for serving)
How to Make Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Step 1: Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and chicken stock.
Step 2: Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.
Step 3: Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme stems. Thyme leaves should have infused into the soup.
Step 4: Transfer chicken to a bowl or cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, then shred into small pieces and return to the soup.
Step 5: If the slow cooker is set to low, switch to high. Add egg noodles, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.
Step 6: Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with fresh parsley, if desired.
FAQs & Tips
How to Make Ahead and Store?
Chicken noodle soup in the crock-pot is so easy to make and even easier to store! If your crock-pot can separate from its heating element, remove the interior bowl, cover, and store whole in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. If you must, portion your chicken noodle soup into divided containers and store in the fridge until you’re ready to eat – then, just pop one container’s contents into a pot with a splash of additional water and safely boil.
What Vegetables Will Help Vitalize My Chicken Noodle Soup?
Delicious chicken noodle soup should always include some fantastic root vegetables. Ours has carrots, onion, and celery by default; however, for extra heartiness, you could add potatoes to the mix and get a deliciously spud-y stew! For some added health benefits, add some grated ginger to the stock and help kick that cold!
How Do I Thicken Up a Chicken Noodle Soup That’s Too Thin?
If your soup is too runny or too thin, you may have too much water content in your stew! You can add more fillings to help balance out the stock or, if you’d prefer, you can add whole milk or a corn starch slurry (made of 1:1 corn starch and water) to thicken up the stock!
Serving Suggestions
Chicken noodle soup goes well with a hot compress, a cup of tea, and your favorite binge-able show on a sick day; however, when you’re savoring the flavor of chicken noodle (and not fighting a flu!), crock-pot chicken noodle has a place at the table with totally dippable Cheese Quesadillas, To-The-Brim Boursin Stuffed Mushrooms, and Fondant Potatoes!
Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 4 large carrots peeled and chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 ribs celery chopped (about 2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 cups chicken stock or low sodium chicken broth
- 7 ounces egg noodles about 3 cups
- Fresh parsley chopped (optional, for serving)
Instructions
- Place chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and chicken stock.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours, until chicken is fully cooked and vegetables are tender.
- Remove and discard the bay leaf and thyme stems. Thyme leaves should have infused into the soup.
- Transfer chicken to a bowl or cutting board, let rest for 5 minutes, then shred into small pieces and return to the soup.
- If the slow cooker is set to low, switch to high. Add egg noodles, cover, and cook for 10 minutes or until noodles are tender.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with fresh parsley, if desired.
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