I really love the way the slow cooker develops the flavors of soup while I’m doing other things. This no-noodle chicken soup freezes wonderfully and is perfect any day of the week!
For a long time I didn’t eat much pasta, and I’ve never really loved noodles in any soup. This slow cooker no-noodle chicken soup is the result of several years of experimentating with different ingredients to replace the noodles. I thought I needed something so I tried cauliflower, green beans, zucchini. However, I didn’t love any of them for different reasons. So, I finally decided to just try the chicken and mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion), without any other vegetables. It’s now our favorite chicken soup.
The seasonings, using bone-in thighs, and the long simmer time make a soup so flavorful, you won’t miss the noodles!
Key Ingredients for No-Noodle Chicken Soup
- Bone-in, Skin-on Chicken Thighs: It’s really important to use bone-in and skin-on to get the flavor we’re looking for.
- Mirepoix: I like to buy the containers of mirepoix at Trader Joe’s but you can buy frozen or cut up your own. This ingredient is very important since there are no other vegetables in the soup.
- Chicken Stock (or broth) AND Chicken Base: To add more flavor to the broth, I like to use both chicken stock and a little bit of Better than Bouillon chicken base. You can just use one or the other but your broth won’t be as flavorful.
- Butter: This adds a bit more fat to the soup and might be the key ingredient in the list to give this soup it’s hearty mouth-feel.
- Seasonings: A variety of seasonings to add flavor and parmesan rind and mushroom seasoning to add umami.
Note: Make sure to check recipe card for full list of ingredients
Preparation Steps for No-Noodle Chicken Soup
- Add all ingredients except lemon to a large slow cooker
- Cook on high for 4-5 hours
- Remove chicken from slow cooker, remove bones and skin, and return chicken meat to slow cooker
Substitutions/Additions
- You can experiment with removing or substituting the seasonings to your taste
- Add other vegetables or noodles if you prefer a noodle soup
Time Breakdown
Total Time |
4 hours & 15 minutes |
Hands ON time |
15 minutes |
Hands OFF time |
4 hours |
BEST FOR:
The best part of this soup is that you can freeze it in individual containers and then it becomes a “backpocket” meal for lunch or dinner in the future. Make it when you have a little time early in the day to prep.
My Ratings
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Effort |
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SUMMARY:
I think this recipe tastes really good and requires minimal effort. It’s especially nice that I can get about six meals out of it and always have it on hand in the freezer for those nights when I really don’t feel like cooking (hello soup and grilled cheese!). It also allows me to control the amount ot sodium is in it, which is a huge plus over canned soup.
Serve with
I serve this with grilled cheese sandwiches or salad.
Links to other recipes
No-Noodle Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 6 Bone-in chicken thighs can use more or less
- 1 container Trader Joe's mirepoix or cut up about 1/3 cup each carrots, onion, celery
- 3 32-ounce Boxes chicken stock or broth
- 1-2 Tablespoons Better than Bouillon chicken base
- 4 Cubes Frozen crushed garlic
- 3-4 Tablespoons Butter
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Mushroom umami seasoning Trader Joe's
- 1-2 teaspoons Italian seasoning to taste
- salt & pepper to taste
- fresh squeezed lemon
Instructions
- Add all ingredients except lemon to large slow cooker
- Cook on high for about 4-5 hours
- Remove chicken thighs from slow cooker, remove meat and discard bones and skin
- Return chicken meat to slow cooker, stir. Add a couple squeezes of lemon and more seasoning as needed. Serve or freeze for later.