To Use Chicken Skin or Not to Use Chicken Skin
Before putting the split chicken breasts in the slow cooker, I remove the chicken skin, but you are not required to. The skin has a lot of flavor and fat, so you can leave it on for an especially rich soup. Simply remove the skin while you’re deboning the chicken meat.
What Are “Split” Chicken Breasts?
Split chicken breasts are whole chicken breasts that have been divided into the right and left breast segments along the breast bone, but the skin, rib meat, and bones are still attached. Also known as bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. To get the best flavor in your chicken soup, use this kind of chicken breast. The flavor is concentrated in the connective tissues, dark rib meat, and bones. Bone-in chicken thighs are also a great option.
Can I Freeze Chicken Noodle Soup?
Yes! This recipe makes a huge batch, so you’ll probably want to freeze half of it. Make sure to divide the soup into single portions just after cooking (so it cools quickly), cool it completely in the refrigerator over night, then transfer to the freezer the next day. You can freeze in quart-sized freezer bags or reusable freezer safe food storage containers.
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 3 cloves garlic ($0.24)
- 1/2 lb. carrots (about 4 medium) ($0.30)
- 4 ribs celery ($0.43)
- 2 split chicken breasts* (2-2.5 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 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.05)
- 8 cups water ($0.00)
- 6 oz. wide egg noodles ($0.68)
- 1 Tbsp salt (or to taste) ($0.10)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional) ($0.20)
- Chop the celery, peel and slice the carrots, dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Put the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic in a 6-quart crock pot or slow cooker.
- After removing the skin, arrange the bone-in split chicken breasts over the slow cooker’s vegetables. Fill the slow cooker with the basil, parsley, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper.
- Cover the ingredients in the slow cooker with eight cups of water. After covering the slow cooker, cook it for four hours on high or eight hours on low.
- Once the chicken has cooked for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low, carefully transfer it to a cutting board and dispose of the bay leaf. Put the egg noodles into the slow cooker, cover it, and set the heat to high. Stir everything together.
- Shredded the chicken meat as you proceed, use two forks to extract the meat from the bones. Put the meat back in the slow cooker and stir it into the soup. After the soup has been simmering for 8 to 10 minutes, the noodles should be soft. If the slow cooker was initially set to low, this could take an additional few minutes.
- When the noodles are soft and the chicken has been added back to the soup, start adding salt to the soup. The soup won’t really taste that good until it’s salted appropriately. Add salt, one teaspoon at a time, until the soup has a strong, flavorful consistency. I use about 1 Tbsp (3 tsp). Just before serving, add a handful of chopped parsley as a garnish.
Scroll down for the step by step photos!
