Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle

Hello!  Welcome to my kitchen!  This past week I made a double batch of this family favorite recipe!  I was making dinner for the four of us for two days, two lunches for my husband, two dinners to share with friends plus the "bonus dinner" freezer container pictured above!

In today's blog entry I will share this recipe with the way that I make it here.  But you know the beauty of soup, right??  It can be whatever you like it to be!  If you do not love (or have on hand!) the veggies that I typically include in this recipe, feel free to improvise!  It is October and in Erie, PA that means we are entering into "soup season" and I will make this recipe a couple of times each month.  My family really likes it!  It may take a bit of prep time but then you are good to go for a few days!

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle

- 1 Rotisserie Chicken pulled apart and shredded (or you may use cooked chicken breast)

- 64 Ounces Broth (we love a combo of Wegmans Organic Vegetable and Chicken - just make sure you are working with something that is low-sodium!) 

- 2 Cups Water

- 10 Ounces Shredded Carrots (1 package of Wegmans Organic makes it easy!)

- Butter or Coconut Oil for sauteing Veggies

- 1 Sweet Onion, Minced

- 3 Cups Chopped Celery (we tend to go with a good amount of celery around here and you may prefer a bit less?)

- 1 or 2 Cups Frozen Chopped Spinach (depending on how much you like!)

- 3 Tablespoons Dried Parsley

- 1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano

- Salt and Pepper to taste

- 8-12 Ounces Cooked Pasta of Choice (we go light on the pasta but you may like more?)

Directions:

1)  I will sometimes pull apart my chicken the day before, perhaps after grocery shopping.  Either way, you want to get your chicken shredded and soup-ready.

2) Place chicken in crock-pot and cover with broth and water.

3) Add shredded carrots to crock-pot.

4) Saute chopped celery and minced onions and add to crock-pot.

5) Add frozen spinach, parsley, oregano and salt/pepper to taste.

6) Cover crock-pot and cook on low for 3-8 hours.  This recipe really is flexible!  It is all "cooked" and I have also served it just after two hours in the crock-pot.  But it really does taste incredible after 3-4 hours.

7) Cook pasta and stir into crock-pot 20-30 minutes before serving.  Be CAREFUL to not over-cook your pasta and a good pasta will hold up well for left-overs.  Keep it firm!

I hope that you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!  It is one that I am always happy to share with others.  Don't hesitate to go ahead and work with whatever vegetables you have available!  This one really is flexible with the length of time that it needs to be in the crock-pot.  I personally really like the aroma and texture of sauteed onions and celery but if you are going to have this in the crock-pot for 4+ hours, you could get away with adding them raw if you prefer.  I am inclined to add a "boost" of chopped spinach whenever possible but if you think that this would be a turn-off to your family, just skip that step!  You can also season with any herbs that appeal to you and your household.  Happy soup-making!