The weather here has quickly turned into the blustery cold of winter.  Freezing cold temperatures and windy conditions make me dread going outside.  I much rather stay in with a hot cup of tea cuddled up on the couch with a plush blanket watching holiday movies.  But there is too much to do and I have to finish up my holiday shopping and baking.

In such circumstances, when there’s a chill in the air and your hustling about, it’s great to throw a few simple ingredients into the slow cooker to make for a quick and easy dinner.  One of my all time favorites whether you are feeling under the weather or want a good warm up is homemade chicken noodle soup.  It’s pure comfort food.

I can remember so many times when I was a little girl, home sick from school, that my grandmother or mom would make me a hot bowl of chicken noodle soup and everything just seem so much better.

Now when I make this recipe from scratch it not only brings back memories of camping out on the couch with whoever was lucky to watch me that day but it mostly reminds me of home.  It is such a comforting feeling and brings a smile to my face every time I smell that delicious aroma.

This recipe is so easy and so delicious.  It makes enough to last a few days which is perfect for my busy household, when there just isn’t enough time to make dinner with all the sports practices and we get home late.  Plus you can modify it to fit into whichever diet plan you are following with simple substitutions.  And for an added bonus, both my kids love it.  I don’t get any arguments on the vegetables, I can’t believe it!  This is a winner with my family and I hope it is with yours.  Please give it a try and let me know how it turns out.

Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Paleo, Mediterranean,

Ingredients:

• 8 cups low sodium organic chicken stock
• 1 cup carrot cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 cup celery cut into 1/4″ slices
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1-4 tsp. salt (add more/less to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 3-1/2 lbs skinless, bone-in chicken breasts
• 3 cups noodles (your choice: use gluten-free, whole wheat, egg noodles, cut spaghetti, etc.)

Directions:

1. Combine water, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper in slow cooker.
2. Place chicken on top of vegetables.
3. Cover with lid and cook on low setting 8-10 hours or on high 4-5 hours.
4. Remove chicken and place on cutting board.  Discard bay leaves.
5. Noodle options:  add noodles to slow cooker, cover with lid and cook 20 minutes.  Or as I prefer, cook noodles separate until al dente.  This way, the noodles won’t soak up the delicious broth.  Simply just add desired amount of noodles to your bowl and then pour soup over noodles.  I also store the left over noodles and soup separate to keep the noodles from soaking up the broth and becoming too mushy.
6. While noodles cook, remove bones and any fat from chicken.  Cut into chunks or shred.
7. Skim any fat from the soup and discard.  Return chicken to soup and serve with hot crusty bread for dunking.

This is pure comfort food.  Makes you feel all warm inside and is perfect when you’re not feeling well or just want to warm up on a cold wintry day.  I hope you give this a try.