Creamy Italian Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup - The Recipe Rebel (2024)

FAQs

Why do people put lemon juice in chicken noodle soup? ›

Why? They brighten up and balance the salty, rich flavors of the dish, and make all of the ingredients come into line.

Rinse the Noodles: Once the noodles are cooked to al dente, drain them and rinse under cold water. This stops the cooking process and washes off excess starch, preventing them from absorbing more liquid and becoming mushy.

What kind of noodles are best for soup? This is mostly up to your preference, but it is usually best to use a pasta that doesn't absorb a lot of liquid – which then leads to a mushy noodle. Egg noodles tend to be the top choice, and I love to use these homemade egg noodles.

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.

Add Vinegar To Begin With To Avoid Oversalting

By adding a splash of an acidic ingredient to your soup as you cook it, you'll reduce the need to add as much salt, while still highlighting and deepening the flavors in the pot.

Whether it's white wine or vinegar, a touch of acid added to the simmering pot will create a richer finished product. That's because acid helps break down the cartilage and other connective tissues in the bones of the chicken, which helps speed up the formation of gelatin in the stock.

One of the most common reasons for mushy noodles is overcooking. Pasta, including noodles, has a relatively short cooking time compared to other ingredients typically prepared in a crockpot.

→ Follow this tip: Adding noodles to the soup should be the very last thing you do before taking the pot off the heat. Wait until the soup is just about finished, mix in the noodles, and simmer until the noodles are about halfway cooked. The residual heat from the soup will continue to cook the pasta.

There are several ingredients you can add to chicken noodle soup to enhance its flavor. Some popular options include fresh herbs like thyme or parsley, spices like garlic powder or paprika, and savory ingredients like diced tomatoes or mushrooms.

Step 5: Add the Noodles

Stir in 1-1/2 cups dried egg noodles (uncooked). Return the broth to boiling and simmer, covered for about 5 minutes or until the noodles are tender but firm. Stir in the chopped chicken and 2 tablespoons snipped fresh parsley. To serve, ladle into soup bowls.

What noodles hold up best in soup? ›

Add the pasta to the soup just before serving. Ladle into warm bowls and serve. Soup can be made in advance and frozen, just omit the pasta and add when serving.

If you started the soup with broth, stock or water, I would wait until the end to add the cream. You can warm the cream, or “temper” it, which is what I do. Take about half a cup of the hot broth and slowly add your cream to that, stirring constantly.

Add peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, poultry seasoning, basil, and parsley.

A slurry is a mixture of flour and water, whisked together until smooth and added towards the end of cooking; it's a super-simple way to thicken any soup. For slow cooker soups, add your slurry with at least 30 minutes of cook time left so that the raw flour can cook and thicken the soup.

In addition to enhancing the flavor, lemon is a great source of the antioxidant vitamin C. Though Avgolemono is a Greek classic, similar dishes can be found throughout the Mediterranean. In addition to its comforting appeal, the soup is loved for its versatility.

The acidity of the lemon juice can break down the chicken's proteins, resulting in a mushy texture if left in the marinade for too long. Always marinate your chicken in the refrigerator and discard any leftover marinade to ensure food safety.

The lemon also denatures proteins on the surface of the chicken, similar to how citrus "cooks" fish in ceviche. This will impart a tenderizing effect, making the chicken softer and juicier as a bonus.

We like a little bit of tenderizing with meat, but when your chicken thighs are exposed to lemon juice, lime juice, yogurt, or vinegars for too long, the texture of the meat turns from tender to mushy and stringy, two words that have never been used in tandem to describe something pleasant.