Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

We made every effort.

We took vitamins. We ate {and drank} citrus and hearty meals.

We bundled up against the weather.

And yet, here we are. Surrounded by bags of wadded up Kleenex and popping Mucinex, sipping hot tea for scratchy throats, and wrapped in blankets.

It’s cold season. And I’m learning as a parent of a toddler, no matter how great your immune system was before you were a parent, no matter how little you got sick…you’re now going to get sick.

As a bonus, thanks to a virus I had a few years ago that shredded my vocal cords, whenever I get congested, I lose my voice and get miserable throat pain.

Fortunately, I’m not totally helpless against this bug.

I have a really, really simple and easy recipe for kick-ass chicken noodle soup.

Chicken soup is great when you have a cold. It does absolutely nothing to heal you, of course – you just have to wait out a virus and you need antibiotics for a bacterial cold – but the hot soup and the spices clear up those sinuses enough to give you some relief.

And chicken itself contains a natural amino acid called cysteine, which helps thin the mucus itself, making it easier for your body to clear out that congestion.

Yeah, I know, that’s exactly what you want to talk about when we’re talking about food, but seriously, save this recipe for when you’ve got a bug and need some comfort food that will actually help you feel better. You’ll thank me.

And if you’re just looking for an awesome meal to start in your slow cooker when you head off to work so you can come home to amazing smells and dinner ready to go, save it for that, too!

Crock-Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

Serves 6-8.

What You’ll Need:

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
3 large carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh oregano
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
8 cups chicken broth
8 oz egg noodles
fresh parsley for garnish

How to Make It:

1. Get out your slow cooker, there’s no pans needed here!

2. Add the chicken, onion, celery, thyme, rosemary, oregano, garlic, and bay leaf to the bowl of your slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Pour in the broth and water.

3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or until the chicken is tender and cooked through. Remove the chicken from the slow-cooker and shred. Remove and discard the bay leaf and herb sprigs.

4. Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker. While the chicken continues to cook, set a stock pot on the stove, fill 3/4 with water, and set to boil. Add the egg noodles and cook 8-9 minutes to al dente or according to package instructions.

5. Add the egg noodles to the soup and stir to combine. Lower the slow cooker to “warm” and serve up your soup!

Note: People get mixed results depending on the type of noodles they use, but a lot of the time, when I throw the chicken back in, I lower the heat to “warm” and throw the noodles in, and let everything cook together for another 20 minutes. The noodles are cooked to just a little beyond al dente and nothing has gotten mushy on me. However, if you don’t want mushy noodles, try the way above.

Oh, and bonus? It stores pretty well in the fridge. I’m testing to see how well one of these does while vacuum sealed in the freezer, too.