Ingredients
Scale
The Chicken and Broth Base
- 3–4 lbs (1.4–1.8kg) bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks, or whole chicken)
- 4 cups (960ml) good quality chicken broth
- 4 cups (960ml) cold water
- 1½ tsp salt (to start)
The Aromatics and Broth Vegetables (added at the start)
- 2 large carrots, halved lengthwise
- 3 celery stalks, halved
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered
- 3–4 garlic cloves, smashed
- A small bunch fresh parsley stems (reserve leaves for garnish)
- 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 8–10 whole black peppercorns
- 1 small parsnip, halved (optional)
The Bowl Vegetables (added in final 2 hours)
- 2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into ½-inch rounds
- 2 celery stalks, sliced into ½-inch pieces
The Noodles
- 8 oz (225g) wide egg noodles, cooked separately
The Finish
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
Instructions
- Build the slow cooker. Place the chicken pieces in the slow cooker. Add the halved carrots, halved celery stalks, quartered onion, smashed garlic, parsley stems, thyme sprigs, bay leaves, peppercorns, and parsnip (if using). Pour in the chicken broth and cold water. Add the salt.
- Cook. Set the slow cooker to LOW and cook for 6 to 8 hours, until the chicken is completely cooked through, tender, and pulling easily from the bones. Do not lift the lid during cooking.
- Add the bowl vegetables. Two hours before the end of the cook time, add the sliced carrot rounds and sliced celery pieces to the slow cooker. Replace the lid and continue cooking for the remaining two hours.
- Remove the chicken. Using tongs, carefully transfer the chicken pieces to a large cutting board or bowl. Allow to cool slightly — five minutes — until comfortable to handle.
- Strain and skim the broth. If desired for a cleaner presentation, ladle or pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a large bowl or pot, reserving the sliced carrot and celery pieces separately and discarding the halved aromatics and whole spices. Pour the strained broth back into the slow cooker. Alternatively, simply fish out the spent aromatics (halved vegetables, thyme stems, bay leaves) with tongs and leave the broth in the slow cooker. Skim any visible fat from the surface.
- Shred the chicken. Remove and discard the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat into pieces using two forks or your hands. Return the shredded chicken and reserved carrot and celery pieces to the slow cooker.
- Season. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning generously — salt and black pepper. Chicken soup requires more salt than most soups because it is mild at its base. Stir in the lemon juice.
- Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Cook the wide egg noodles according to package directions until just al dente — slightly firm. Drain. Do not rinse.
- Serve. Place a portion of noodles in each bowl. Ladle the hot chicken soup over the noodles generously — plenty of broth, plenty of chicken and vegetables. Scatter fresh parsley over the top. Crack black pepper over each bowl. Serve immediately with crusty bread alongside.
Notes
- Bone-in chicken is the broth. The collagen in the chicken bones converts to gelatin during the six to eight-hour slow cook, producing the golden, slightly viscous broth that distinguishes genuinely good chicken soup from hot chicken-flavored water. There is no substitute for bone-in chicken in this recipe. If boneless chicken is used, supplement with additional good quality chicken broth and accept a lighter, less gelatinous result.
- Cook the noodles separately — always. Egg noodles added to the slow cooker at the start of the cook absorb all the broth, swell enormously, and produce a paste rather than a soup. Added at the end separately, they are perfectly textured. This is the most important technique note in the recipe. If storing leftovers, keep noodles separate from the broth and chicken — cook fresh noodles for each subsequent serving.
- Season generously at the end. The long cook concentrates the broth and the salt level cannot be accurately predicted at the start. Always taste and season the finished soup aggressively — chicken soup that tastes flat almost always simply needs more salt. A teaspoon of salt at the start and a full taste-and-adjust session at the end is the correct approach.
- Add fresh lemon juice at serving. A tablespoon or two of fresh lemon juice stirred into the finished soup immediately before serving adds a brightness that amplifies every other flavor in the bowl. This is the technique that most experienced chicken soup makers use and that most recipes omit. Use it every time.
- The broth gels overnight — this is quality. Refrigerated chicken soup made with bone-in chicken will gel completely overnight, becoming a solid golden block of concentrated chicken goodness. This is the gelatin from the bones — the mark of a well-made soup and a sign that the broth will be deeply flavored when reheated. Warm gently and it returns to clear liquid.
- Fresh parsley at the end — not the start. Parsley stems added at the start contribute their flavor to the broth over the long cook. Parsley leaves added at the very end — immediately before serving — provide the bright, fresh herbal note that long-cooked parsley cannot. Use both: stems for the broth, leaves for the bowl.
- This soup is for someone. Make a large batch. Give most of it away. Keep enough for tomorrow’s lunch. This is what the recipe is for.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 6–8 hours (on LOW)
- Category: Comfort Food, Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free