Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

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This hearty, easy to make soup is another great meal to have slowly cooking when guests arrive. It’s especially versatile when you don’t know exactly when you’re going to be sitting down to eat, because it won’t be ruined if you have to push back dinner an hour or two—the longer it cooks, the better it tastes.

And it tastes even better the next day.

I think chicken soup works no matter the time of year, too. While it will certainly warm up a blustery winter evening, I have no problem enjoying a giant bowl when it’s 110º outside here in the Las Vegas desert. And even if it’s just the two of us, I like making the whole batch, so that there’s plenty of leftovers for the next few days.

And while this is a slow cooker recipe, this soup can easily be made in a big, heavy-bottomed pot on the stove, simmering away for hours on low.

But the best part? The way the whole house smells while it cooks all afternoon. Forget the air fresheners to cover up the dog smell; chicken soup’ll do the trick!

Some recipes want you to add the pasta to the soup near the end, and you could do that, but I like to keep them separate, then incorporate them in the individual bowls when serving. I think they store better in the refrigerator that way, too.

I generally serve my soup with a crusty hot bread and butter, and that’s usually enough, but you could add a crisp Caesar or garden salad or a batch of onion rings.

SLOW COOKER CHICKEN SOUP

Servings: 6  Prep: 15 – 20 minutes / Cook: 6 hours on LOW or 4 hours HIGH

Ingredients:

• 1.5 to 2 pounds Chicken*
• 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped
• 4 to 5 large Carrots, peeled and sliced thick
• 3 to 4 ribs of Celery, sliced
• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped fine
• Thyme (all spices below, to your taste)
• Parsley
• Salt
• Black Pepper
• Bay Leaves
• Chicken Bouillon
• 8 cups Chicken Broth
• 1 pound of Wide Egg Noodles, or a small pasta like Fusilli or Cavatappi

* Most of the time when I make this, I use skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts and thighs. I add them to the vegetables and broth at the beginning, then fish them out, discard the skin and bones, and shred the chicken near the end. But sometimes, I cheat by buying cooked rotisserie chicken at my local grocery store and add the meat during the last hour of cooking. Both ways are yummy.

Steps:

1. If using raw chicken, add them to a large slow cooker then top with the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Sprinkle the chicken bouillon on top, then pour the chicken broth over everything.
2. If using pre-cooked chicken, leave it out until the last hour of cooking.
3. Stir, cover, then cook on LOW for 6+ hours or HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.
4. When you are a half hour from eating, fish chicken pieces out of the slow cooker and discard the skin and bones. Shred chicken with two forks then return meat to the cooker.
5. Meanwhile, bring a pot of water to a boil and cook your pasta according to the package directions. Drain.
6. Add pasta to individual bowls and top with the soup.

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