Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

"With a soda on the side....." -Dustin

So I know everyone loves soup. One of the many sad parts about the unusually warm winter we had in Maryland was the fact that I did not get to make a ton of soups all season. However, on the break of mass hysteria over COVID-19, I figured it would be good to make some good old comfort food in prep for our not so quarantined days ahead. 

Sometimes soups can be intimidating. Recipes also call for tons of steps and hours and hours of adding stuff while stirring the pots and making sure it all goes just right. Well, if you know me you know I like simple things that can allow me to do something else. Today while making this I managed to disinfect the whole house and mop the floors. Harry Potter also caught most of my attention so I was happy not to have to spend it on this soup.

The hardest part about making this is cutting the carrots, but after years and years of making this I did find a shortcut for that too! CARROT STICKS. Seriously, these are amazing and so easy to cut. Have you ever tried to cut a whole carrot? Well if not, I'll tell ya, it's hard. They move everywhere and they are circular so they don't come out even, EVER. Sticks are perfect because you can line 3-4 up at a time and cut them into the perfect little small pieces. However, if you like to live on the wild side and make life difficult, just use 4 large carrots. 

I use Italian seasoning for this soup, but if you don't have pre-bought Italian seasoning you can combine about 1tbs oregano 1 tbs basil 1 tbs parsley 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder. Mix it all together and use about 2 tbs of the mixture. 

I also use a poultry herb bundle for this. Any store will have this by the fresh herbs in the produce section. Main think is to make sure it has sprigs of Thyme and Rosemary. Some add fresh basil and other herbs to the bundle which is fine. You can never have too many herbs, thats the best thing about this soup.

How this soup is so easy is because it all goes in the crock pot! I have used two options for this and either work so feel free to use which works better for your life. You can cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8. The only thing that matters is your chicken is tender and easily diced. I also use wide egg noodles for my noodle and that's why my ending cook time is only 10 minutes. If you use a different noodle your time may very at the end. 

I hope you find this as easy and tasty as I do. 

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Recipe

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 4.5 hours 

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken breast (boneless, skinless)
62 oz Chicken Broth (8 cups)
1 bundle poultry herbs (4 rosemary, 4 thyme)
2 large tbs Italian Seasoning
3 cloves garlic minced (2 large tbs)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 large carrots (4 handfull carrot sticks)
4 stalks celery
1/2 large yellow onion
1 tbs hot sauce
4 cups egg noodles

1. Chop carrots, celery, and onion into small pieces. Finely mince garlic. Tie poultry bundle together with string  
2. Pat dry chicken breast and place in large crock pot.
3. Add vegetables to crock pot.
4. Add 2 large tablespoons of Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, and 2 tbs garlic to crock pot. Add 1 tbs hot sauce. 
5. Cover with 8 cups of chicken broth and then toss poultry bundle on top. Cover with lid and cook on high for 3-4 hours until chicken is tender and easily chopped. 
6. Remove chicken and chop into bite size pieces. Remove poultry bundle and discard. Add chicken back to crock pot.
7. Add 4 cups of wide egg noodles to crock pot. Stir well. Replace lid and let cook for about another 10 minutes on high until noodles are cooked. 
8. Serve with fresh parsley and a dense bread (I pick Italian) for dipping.