On a cold winter's day or when feeling a bit under the weather, a bowl of Low FODMAP Chicken Soup is the perfect meal option. It is cooked in a slow cooker and filled with all the flavors you love. This warm soup is a delicious comfort food that is not only low FODMAP but also gluten free and dairy free.
Back in the day, before going on a low FODMAP diet, opening a can of premade soup would be an option. However, most are not FODMAP friendly and are filled with ingredients I cannot pronounce. This simple chicken soup recipe is filled with fresh diced carrots and celery, green onion tops, chicken breasts, chicken broth, gluten free noodles, and a mixture of spices. Every ingredient I can easily pronounce and spell!
Soup Ingredients
Chicken - I like boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I prefer white meat chicken in this soup.
Carrots - Whole, peeled, and diced carrots. They are a budget friendly vegetable and add the most beautiful pop of color in the soup bowl.
Celery - Adds the perfect flavor to the base of the soup.
Green Onions - These can also be identified as spring onions. No matter what you call them, make sure you are only using the green part to keep it low FODMAP.
Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper - Depending on if you use a low sodium chicken broth or not, use salt cautiously. It is easier to slowly add salt versus take it out.
Dried Thyme - Classic spice that goes great with poultry.
Dried Dill - Another spice that adds that perfect flavor.
Dried Parsley - Helps add a bit of an onion flavor without the onion.
Bay Leaf - Used as an aromatic spice and will not be consumed.
Chicken Broth - Homemade or a purchased low FODMAP option from the grocery store.
Gluten Free Noodles - I love to use Barilla rice and corn noodles. Spaghetti noodles remind me of those at-home sick days when slurping noodles in chicken noodle soup was as much of a tradition as watching Price is Right. Rotini noodles also work well.
Garlic Olive Oil - Use garlic-infused oil without any pieces of garlic.
Lemon Juice - Fresh juice is the perfect flavor pop to the soup.
See the recipe card for the exact measurements and complete instructions. Selected ingredients are based on current serving sizes measured by the Monash FODMAP App at the time of publishing. As always, follow your gut and modify as needed.
Jump to RecipeSlow Cooker Soup Instructions
Peel the whole carrots. I find placing a paper towel over the cutting board before peeling will make cleaning up a breeze. After peeling using a sharp knife on a cutting board, dice up the carrots. Dice the carrots into small, equal pieces. This will help the carrots to cook evenly.
Wash and dice the fresh celery. Dice the celery into small, equal pieces for the same reason. Cooking the celery until it is no longer crunchy.
Using kitchen shears, cut up ½ cup of chopped-up green onion tops. A knife will also work.
In a six quart large slow cooker, add the diced carrots, diced celery, chicken breasts, and green onions. Sprinkle the salt and pepper, dried thyme, dill, parsley, and bay leaves into the slow cooker.
Pour the chicken broth over it all and add the cover. Cook on low for four hours.
After four hours, remove the chicken breasts. Any longer, and the chicken will be dried out and rubbery. Take the chicken meat temperature with a digital thermometer. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F. On a cutting board, using two forks, shred the chicken. If the pieces are large, use a knife to chop the shredded chicken in half so they are bite-sized.
In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. If using spaghetti noodles, break them into smaller pieces. The larger the piece, the more slurping. Boil the gluten free noodles according to package directions. Drain in a colander when done cooking and add them to the soup.
Add the fresh lemon juice and garlic oil and stir. By adding the lemon juice and the garlic oil at the end, you will be sure to taste the garlic and lemon.
Remove the bay leaves. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings. If it needs more salt, add it in small amounts. Same with the ground black pepper.
Serve the soup immediately with some chopped fresh parsley sprinkled over the top of the bowl.
Chicken Soup Variations and Substitutions
Chicken Options - If you prefer dark meat, use boneless, skinless chicken thighs.
Veggie Options - Add some frozen peas when you remove the chicken to shred it. If you add them too soon, they will disintegrate.
Noodle Options - If you do not need gluten free noodles, feel free to swap in your favorite noodle. Egg noodles would be a delicious option.
Broth Options - Use a low FODMAP chicken stock, chicken bone broth, or a low FODMAP chicken soup base with boiling water. Whichever broth or stock option works for you, the only thing to remember is that it needs a total of eight cups of broth to make the chicken noodle soup work. Otherwise, you may end up with stew.
Chicken Soup Shortcuts
Skip the peeling and dicing of the carrots and add frozen sliced carrots. Or better yet, add diced peas and carrots for more veg! Another option is to purchase shredded carrots in the produce department.
Skip adding any raw chicken to the slow cooker and use a rotisserie chicken without any high FODMAP foods listed in the ingredients. Watch for those sneaky marinade ingredients. Shred the chicken and add it to the soup when you add the gluten free noodles.
Use leftover cooked chicken. If it is already diced, make sure the chopped chicken will easily fit on a spoon.
Alternative Cooking Process
No slow cooker? Try these cooking instructions for a stovetop cooking method.
After dicing the carrots and celery, fry them in a medium skillet over medium-high heat until softened. In a large stock pot or Dutch oven, add the cooked carrots and celery, chicken broth, green onions, spices, and chicken. Cook chicken soup over medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees on a digital thermometer. Proceed with the directions on the recipe card, starting with the shredding chicken step.
Soup Storage
Freezing Guidance - If serving the soup immediately after cooking, add all the noodles. If you are interested in freezing chicken soup for those days that require chicken noodle soup, leave the noodles out. Sadly, the texture of gluten free noodles does not fare well with the cooking, freezing, defrosting, and reheating process. However, if you want to keep life simple and do not care if the noodles are a bit on the hard side, go ahead and freeze the soup with the noodles. Use a freezer-friendly container, defrost the night before, and enjoy the soup within four months.
Leftover Guidance - For optimal noodle texture, boil and add gluten free noodles right before serving any leftovers. Otherwise, the texture of the noodles on any leftover soup may become mushy. Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three to four days. Reheat it in a small saucepan on the stove or a microwave safe container, stopping to stir halfway between cooking times.
Low FODMAP Ingredient Notes
All of the ingredients are used under the guidance of Monash University Food App. Please keep in mind that the low FODMAP diet is very individual, with different tolerance levels for different ingredients. Please modify and adapt this recipe to work for your gut specific issues.
Garlic Oil - Because garlic does not leach fructans into oil, it is safe to use garlic infused olive oil to get a garlic flavor without eating garlic! I love the option at Trader Joe's or the certified version from Amazon.
Carrots - Safe at 75 grams per meal.
Celery - Safe at 10 grams per meal. Celery contains mannitols.
Green Onions - Green part only. Safe at 75 grams per meal.
Lemon Juice - Safe at ½ cup per meal.
Chicken - Has no detectable FODMAPs
Chicken Broth - Make a homemade chicken stock or purchase a low FODMAP broth.
Gluten Free Noodles - If you can tolerate fructans like wheat, go ahead with a wheat based noodle up to ½ cup per meal. If not, a gluten free noodle is a great choice to consume a larger portion, up to 1 cup per meal.
Meal Planning
Chicken soup is a complete meal all on its own. It is also delicious served with gluten free table crackers, just like when you were home sick eating saltines back in the day. Add a side side of leafy greens with Italian dressing to increase your veggie intake.
Additional Low FODMAP Soup Recipes
Potato Soup with Sausage, Kale and Bacon
Baked Potato Soup with Ham and Bacon
Low FODMAP Chicken Soup With Gluten Free Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 cup Carrots Diced and Peeled
- 1 cup Celery Diced
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- ½ cup Green Onion Tops Chopped
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1-2 Dried Bay Leaves
- ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
- ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
- ½ teaspoon Dried Dill
- 8 cups Low FODMAP Chicken Broth
- 1 12 ounce Box Gluten-Free Pasta
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic Infused Olive Oil
Instructions
- Wash and peel the whole carrots. After peeling, using a sharp knife and a cutting board, dice up the carrots. Dice the carrots into small, equal pieces. Set aside.
- Wash and dice the fresh celery. Dice the celery into small, equal pieces. Set aside.
- In a six quart slow cooker, add the diced carrots, diced celery, chicken breasts, and green onions. Sprinkle the salt and pepper, dried thyme, dried dill, dried parsley, and bay leaves.
- Pour the chicken broth over it all and add the cover. Cook on low for four hours.
- After four hours, remove the chicken breasts. Take their temperature with a digital thermometer. The internal temperature should be 165 degrees F. On a cutting board, using two forks, shred the chicken. If the shredded pieces are large, use a knife to chop them in half so they are bite-sized.
- In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. If using spaghetti noodles, break them into smaller pieces. Boil the gluten free noodles according to package directions. Drain in a coriander when done cooking and add them to the soup.
- Add the fresh lemon juice and garlic oil. Remove the bay leaves. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings to your preferences. If it needs more salt, add it in small amounts. If it needs more fresh cracked pepper, add some.
- Serve the soup immediately with some chopped fresh parsley sprinkled over the top.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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