Recipe Challenge: Day 28 – Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

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Everyone should make their own chicken stock! It’s not hard, it’s easy. You can make it from the discarded vegetables you’d likely throw out as well. It’s cheap, easy, makes a lot, and you know just what’s going in the stock. I think the best part about making chicken stock is the taste. Compare it to store bought and you’ll never go back to buying it again. I’m sharing the Chicken Stock recipe because I used it in today’s recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle soup. It came out wonderful!

Ingredients for Chicken Stock

2lbs chicken pieces (wing tips, necks, backs plus the body with some meat still on it’s bones is best)
3 stalks celery, sliced
1 large carrots sliced
1 large onion quarter
1 leek sliced
6 springs of fresh parsley
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black peppercorns

Directions

In a large Dutch oven combine all the ingredients. Add enough water to cover the chicken. Over low heat bring mixture slowly up to a boil. As it’s cooking skim off the “scum” that rises to the surface. This is the fat or skin cooking. Reduce the heat partly cover the pan and simmer until the stock is fully flavored. Anywhere from 3-4 hours. The longer it simmers the richer the stock.
Line a fine sieve with cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl. Carefully pour the stock through the sieve. Discard all solids. Let the stock come to room temperature. Pour in serving size air tight containers. Cover, label and date. You can store the stock in the fridge for a week, or freeze for 6 months. If any fat congeals on the stock while stored, remove before using stock. This will make about 2 quarts of stock
　
Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup
*A note about this recipe, I didn’t use the chicken bouillon powder as my stock was rich enough. I also added more than the called for broth as I didn’t add the full amount of water. I wanted a richer soup. Adjust to your liking, just keep the liquid over all equal so the noodles will cook correctly. In the end after I tasted it, I threw in a can of cream of chicken soup, I can’t help it, I like rich creamy soup 🙂

Ingredients

5 cups hot water
2 tsp sodium free chicken bouillon powder
46 oz low sodium and fat free chicken broth
2 cups cooked chicken
4 cups home-style noodles, uncooked
½ cup chopped small celery
½ cup chopped carrots
½ cup diced onion
Pepper to taste

Directions

If using the bouillon, dissolve it in the water. Pour into slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients. Mix up well. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Enjoy!!