Grandma's chicken noodle soup is savory, full of flavor and cozy! This soup will warm you up with the most delicious flavorful herbed broth full of noodles, tender vegetables and big pieces of chicken.
Equipment
1 slow cooker 7 or 8 quart slowcooker
Ingredients
2largecarrotssliced
1mediumoniondiced
1mediumchickenabout 3-4 pounds
12cupswateror low sodium chicken broth
2cupscornfresh, frozen or canned
1teaspoonmarjoramdried
1/4cupparsleyfresh, chopped
2teaspoonssalt
1teaspoonpepper
1cupegg noodlesdried, I like the wide egg noodles
1cuppeasfrozen
Instructions
Peel the carrots and cut into thin slices. Dice the onion into bite sized pieces.
Trim any skin from the chicken using kitchen sheers or a sharp knife. Discard the neck and any inners that may have come with the chicken.
Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Add the carrots, corn, onion, marjoram, parsley, salt and pepper to the slow cooker. Pour the water carefully into the slow cooker with the chicken and vegetables.
Cover and cook the soup on high for 4-6 hours and low for 6-8 hours.
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker. Close the slow cooker to keep it hot, and flip the slow cooker to high.
Pull the meat from the bone with two forks turned backward to shred the chicken from the bone. Separate the meat from any bones, skin, or cartilage, which is removed from the meat.
Place the chicken meat pieces back into the slow cooker. Add the noodles and the peas to the slow cooker. Let the noodles and peas cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the noodles are tender. If the peas are frozen it may take a few extra minutes for the noodles to finish cooking. Once the noodles are tender, serve and enjoy!
Notes
You can use chicken thighs or chicken legs in this recipe in place of the full chicken. I recommend using chicken on the bone for the best flavor. Expect to use 3-4 pounds of chicken in total.I recommend using a large slow cooker like a 7 or 8 quart slow cooker. A 6-quart slow cooker can be used with this recipe, but it can be a tight fit with a larger chicken. If you have a 6 quart slow cooker plan to buy a chicken that is on the smaller size or use bone-in chicken thighs or legs to make it easier to fit in the slow cooker. Water can also be reduced by 2-3 cups as needed if using a 6 quart slow cooker. I do not recommend using a 4 quart slow cooker with a whole chicken.Precooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, can be used in this recipe. If using precooked chicken you must substitute chicken broth for water or the flavor of the soup will be too bland.This soup is overall pretty easy to adjust. Sometimes I'll also add any of the following to this soup:
Two to three stalks of celery - diced
1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme
1-2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried basil
You can substitute 4 teaspoons of dried parsley for the fresh parsleyAdd extra salt and pepper to taste at the end as needed.