I consider myself a chicken noodle soup expert because I grew up on it and observed my grandma’s tricks for over a decade. I do know my chicken noodle soup business and I will share it with you because America needs to know that chicken noodle soup is SUPER easy to make at home, and it has nothing in common with bright yellow packaged or canned stuff that has no chicken in it. There is nothing neon yellow about real chicken soup!
I was concerned slow cooker chicken noodle soup would turn out cloudy because the lid isn’t half open and I’m not skimming the foam like with a stove top version. Not the case – it came out crystal clear and delicious as always! There is nothing more healing than a bowl of hot chicken noodle soup when you are not feeling well or weather outside is dreary, like right about now when Vancouver’s rain has returned. Oh well, better than snow.:)
Looking for more chicken soup ideas? Try my Instant Pot chicken noodle soup, chicken noodle vegetable soup, or quinoa and chicken soup.
Enjoy!
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup Broth Clear
The key to good chicken noodle soup is clear chicken broth. There are 4 tips for making clear broth my grandma taught me:
1. Use cold water for the broth if cooking on a stove top.
2. Add whole peeled onion along with chicken.
3. Keep the lid of the pot half open until water starts boiling (if cooking on a stove top).
4. Once broth starts boiling, remove the foam with small mesh strainer every 30 minutes or so.
Why Whole Onion?
Whole onion is THE most important tip for clear flavourful chicken noodle soup – it “absorbs” the cloudiness. Here is how to peel the onion, so its layers do not fall apart and you can easily discard it whole before serving the soup: cut off only the end (“tail”) part, peel the outer yellow layer and do not trim the root end. That’s it.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
- In a large slow cooker, add chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and water. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
- Discard bay leaves, peppercorns and onion. Remove chicken on a large plate or cutting board. Add pasta, cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until pasta is ready.
- In the meanwhile, shred chicken with two forks and chop dill. Return chicken to slow cooker, add dill, stir and serve hot.
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe like my Ukrainian grandma used to make with crystal clear broth made easy in a crockpot. It is SO GOOD and healthy!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 lbs any chicken pieces (I used drumsticks and breast)*
- 1 medium onion, peeled
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 large celery stalks, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, slivered
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 2 tsp salt
- 10 cups water
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 8 oz any pasta**
- 1/2 cup dill, finely chopped
Instructions
- In a large slow cooker, add chicken, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, salt and water. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or on High for 4 hours.
- Discard bay leaves, peppercorns and onion. Remove chicken on a large plate or cutting board. Add pasta, cover and cook for another 10 minutes or until pasta is ready.
- In the meanwhile, shred chicken with two forks and chop dill. Return chicken to slow cooker, add dill, stir and serve hot.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Freeze: Fully cook, cool completely and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on a stovetop covered on low.
Notes
*I would recommend to use bone in chicken for more flavourful broth. **For healthy pasta option, I like to use broken into pieces whole wheat spaghetti or any small shape whole grain pasta. This time I used organic egg noddles because I wanted to like my grandma used to do, and they cook faster.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
Perfect chicken noodle soup!
★★★★★
Yay, so happy to hear that!
I LOVE chicken noodle soup. This recipe for me was a blast!
★★★★★
Very good! Added dill at the end like you suggested, and I think it’s my new fave herb lol.
★★★★★
Hey Olena! Would love to try this out, I don’t have a slow cooker am I able to use the Stove top method instead? How long should I cook/simmer the soup for then?
Thanks Olena!
Sure. Follow instructions in this recipe on how to make stock, and then add vegetables and pasta. Since it’s only 2 lbs chicken and not a whole chicken, I think simmering for 30 mins after it has come to a boil would be enough.:)
Awesome, appreciate the quick response 🙂
I add turmeric to my broth so it actually is bright yellow. It gives great flavor & is very nutritious & good for you
Great idea! I always forget about it.
I have chicken noodle soup on the menu for tomorrow. It was a pleasant surprise to see you post a recipe for it. It really is the ultimate comfort food. ❤️
Mah, why were you surprised? I make it all the time. My kids’ favourite food!
lol Mine too 😉
Oooh! It’s time again! Thanks for the reminder. That is the best recipe for chicken soup ever. And the fresh dill is a must. Olena introduced me to the wonders of good chicken soup and also dill! My childhood chicken soup was store brand canned concentrate. When I got married, we ‘upgraded’ to the dry powdered kind in an envelope, 2 in a box, with thin little dry noodles! That was what my mother-in-law used and my husband liked it so much better, lol!
Then I got a cookbook and made my own. That was recipe until Olena gave us this and I make it several times each soup season.
Haha! You are right, some things, like men, are the same across the world, no different! Children in ame way where eating is concerned in that way.
I have been sick for over a week, it is time to call the doctor. As much as I don’t like to use regular drugs I know there is a time, if needed.
Again, thank-you for the soup recipe (even though it is what you do!) I really appreciate learning new things and am so tickled with knowing how to get the broth so clear. Also, adding dill to any soup is a new and delicious thing! Before, I have only used it in pickling things!
I have had a cold in my chest that is stubbornly hanging on! I haven’t been hungry and taking in anything healthy at all. saltines, even organic whole wheat don’t offer a lot to help get over a bad cold. Olena pointed me to this link and I followed the recipe exactly. I made it yesterday and ended up with the most crystal clear and flavorful broth ever! I did cheat a little at the very end and toss in a small handful of organic corn and already cooked carrot circles from Thanksgiving dinner.
Olena, your secrets for a clear broth worked perfectly and the soup is the first thing that’s tasted good to me all week! I had to stop my husband after his third bowl so I would have some for today! (My fault for being lazy and not making salad or bread for him) This is my new chicken soup recipe!
Awesome!!! Yeah, men need bread with soup otherwise all soup is gone.:) I limit my husband’s food intake in regards of making a plate versatile besides eating all chicken straight from the pan. They are like kids.
You know, I hate to say it but you might need to see a doctor and do antibiotics or a puffer. Some nasty coughs like this can drag on for months and it becomes dangerous. I’m no doctor by all means but I have some experience in life. My son had the same cough for 3 months last spring. Man, they thought he had asthma. 1 single breath of a puffer made it go away.
Looks yummy! Do I add raw or already cooked potatoes and noodles to the crock pot? Thank you!
All raw. I’m ok with a bit over cooked noodles when it comes to this particular soup. You can add them more towards the end of cooking for al dente results. If you have time.
Looks great! Can’t wait to try it!!!
Clear broth soup is the most comforting soup in my opinion. I can taste the comfort through my monitor screen. 🙂
I agree. I wish I had a bowl of that right now.:) It’s so wet outside.
I love a good old chicken noodle soup, it’s what I would ask my mum to cook when I was sick. The perfect hearty and healthy dish, just what you need when you feel under the weather!
I think everyone has childhood memories about chicken noodle soup.:)
I saw your pictures on foodgawker, I just had to come and look at the big size on here)) so yummy!
I bought my crockpot just over a month ago and made my first chicken soup in it, it was seriously so so good. I’ve been making chicken soup forever but I’ve never cooked it for 6 hours and I think cooking it for that long makes it all that much better (i made mine with drumsticks).
I find photos of soup challenging to take. Some foods are just challenging to photograph. I love crockpot and it’s a way to healthy, cheap and easy meals. How did you cook your soup? Did you add noodles and potatoes at the end?
I cooked my drumsticks for 4 hours on high, then added chopped potatoes, carrots and onions and cooked for another 2 hours on high. I had to skim quite a lot of stuff throughout the first 4 hours because the drumsticks produced a lot of foam… So I made mine without noodles… My drumsticks were not as soft as I wanted them to be after 4 hours, so 6 hours worked perfectly for my soup.
And yes, soups are one of the harder photography models))
Interesting because I have made this soup before with chicken breasts and this time all I had was drumsticks. And that’s what you see.:) I didn’t have any foam and chicken was perfectly soft after 3 hours on High. I took the skin off of my drumsticks before cooking and they were organic. I haven’t seen much foam when making chicken stock with organic chicken.