Made from scratch in the slow cooker this gluten-free chicken noodle soup is a comforting blend of ingredients perfect for chilly nights. Ground chicken, healing broth, and lots of tender vegetables, this chicken noodle soup is a staple kitchen recipe.
There’s a reason that grandma insisted on chicken noodle soup when you were sick. It truly does heal. This soup recipe is a gluten-free version of a classic. Made with the same ingredients your grandma used but with a bit of a modern twist.
As a Certified Nutrition Coach, chicken broth is one of the top three things I think all toddlers (and adults) should have in their diet- learn more about broth for toddlers. This homemade chicken soup is a great way to get it in. Protein-packed, healing, and loaded with comfort, this soup is one you’ll make over and over again.
Key Points
Easy: The soup can be prepared in advance and is then slow cooker to perfection without you having to be in the kitchen.
Healing: It uses homemade chicken broth or broth powder to help your immune system fight off cough and cold season.
Allergy-friendly: Not your typical soup recipe this version is dairy-free and gluten-free.
Ingredients You Need
Expert Tips To Make It
Finely chop your vegetables especially if making a healing soup for kids. They don’t want larger chunks so try to keep them as small as possible.
Ground chicken: You’ll be browning the chicken before you add it to the slow cooker. Know that leftover rotisserie or Dutch oven chicken works just as well.
Gluten-free noodles; After MUCH experimentation, I can honestly say to use quinoa noodles. Brown rice and chickpea noodles get super mushy in the soup and even worse the next day. Quinoa noodles hold their shape.
However, Know that gluten-free noodles tend to absorb quite a bit of liquid. You may need to add more broth or just water as they cook and it boils down.
You can cook the soup for about 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. Since you’re not adding the noodles until the end, both work.
You can either cook the noodles in a pot of water and add them at the end to the slow cooker. Or, let the slow cooker do the work and add them in about 45 minutes before you’re serving dinner.
Chicken broth: Homemade chicken broth is the best way to go and what I use the most. However, for the times I don’t have any on hand I rely on bone broth powder. The highest quality of broth, with no preservatives added and all you have to do is whisk it into hot water.
How To Make Gluten-Free Chicken Noodle Soup
Step 1: Brown the ground chicken and the onions in the oil until the chicken is cooked through. Add the garlic.
Step 2: Add all the ingredients (except the pasta) into the slow cooker.
Step 3: Cook on low for 6-8 hours. The vegetables should be soft when you’re done.
Step 4: 30-45 minutes before serving, add in the gluten-free noodles and turn the slow cooker to high.
Step 5: Let the soup cook until the noodles are tender.
Step 6: Portion into bowls and serve.
Variations
As mentioned above, there are so many ways you can substitute ingredients for this homemade chicken noodle soup.
Rotisserie chicken for ground, frozen pean, and carrot mix for vegetables, less seasoning, etc. However, below are a few more ways to vary the recipe.
Creamy: If you prefer a creamier soup, only use 6 cups of chicken broth and replace the remaining liquid with canned coconut milk.
Noodles: So long as you use quinoa noodles, any will work. Marconi, spaghetti, anything. Just don’t use brown rice noodles.
Spice: I like a bit of heat in my soup. If this is the case, you can add some red pepper flakes with the seasonings.
Serving it: Serve the chicken noodle soup as is, with almond flour crackers, or with a side of gluten-free baguette.
How To Meal Prep It & Storage Instructions
This slow cooker chicken noodle soup can be made in advance in a few different ways.
One-day prep: If you’re making this soup for the next day just do the prep work. Add all the ingredients (except the noodles) into the slow cooker and place it in the fridge. In the morning, turn the slow cooker on low and follow the remaining instructions.
Freezer prep: If you like to have soup in the freezer for days that get too busy you can follow the instructions for the one day prep. Or, you can cook the soup for a few hours, let it cool, and then store it. Either way, I don’t recommend adding the noodles if you don’t have to. Let it cool and freeze the chicken noodle soup in a freezer-safe bag for 3-5 months. When you need it, let it thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating it and adding the noodles.
Leftovers: Let the soup cool fully before storing it in the fridge in an airtight container or in the freezer. It will stay fresh for 3-4 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.
Reheating: You can reheat the soup right in the slow cooker the same way you cooked it! You may need to add a splash of water though as it does thicken up from the noodles. Heat it on low until warmed through.
Know that the noodles will break apart a bit if stored in the freezer once it’s reheated.
Which Bone Broth To Use
I always recommend homemade chicken broth. However, that’s not always possible. Store-bought broths can contain additives, gluten, and more. They’re not always healing.
This is why I make my chicken noodle soup with broth powder.
This chicken broth powder is just whisked into boiling water to create the broth. Learn more about bone broth powder.
It has all the benefits of bone broth without the 8 hours spent in the kitchen (or the alarming price of pre-made, quality, liquid broth!).
Reap the benefits of homemade bone broth but skip the time in the kitche. Bone broth powder gives you the best of both worlds and makes healing, homemade broth in just 2 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Many store-bought brands of chicken broth or bouillon cubes contain gluten. Double check the ingredients of the brand you want before purchasing.
If using frozen ground chicken you can brown it from frozen. However, I wouldn’t recommend putting frozen chicken pieces into the slow cooker soup. Thaw and cook them first.
More Gluten-Free Dinner Recipes You’ll Love
More Healing Recipes
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup (Gluten Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1 pound lean ground chicken
- 4 large cloves garlic chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (1 ¾ cups)
- 3 celery stalks halved lengthwise and sliced ½-inch thick (1 cup)
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth stock or bone broth
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground coriander
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill + more for serving
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 oz. Gluten-free pasta
Instructions
- Saute the onions and ground chicken in the oil in a pan on the stove until the chicken is cooked through and the onions are translucent and slightly browned.
- Add the garlic cloves and sauté for about a minute until fragrant.
- Carefully dump the rest of the ingredients except the pasta in your slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours until the veggies are soft.
- About 10 minutes before serving, cook your rotini pasta according to the package directions.
- Stir the cooked pasta into the soup.
- Serve with extra dill sprinkled on top if desired, and enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer:
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data"
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