Slow Cooker Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 5 medium carrots, peeled and chopped fairly thin, 1 3/4 cups
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped, 1 1/2 cups
• 4 stalks celery, chopped fairly thin, 1 1/4 cups
• 3 – 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/2 tsp dried sage, optional
• 1/4 tsp celery seed, finely crushed
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 2 cups uncooked wide egg noodles
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• Saltine crackers or parmesan cheese, for serving, optional

Directions

1. Place the chicken in the slow cooker without cutting it up, then add the diced carrots, onion, celery and garlic. Pour in the olive oil, chicken broth and water, then add the thyme, rosemary, celery seed and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Put the lid on and cook on low heat for 6 – 7 hours. Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and let it sit for 10 minutes, then cut it into bite size pieces.
3. While the chicken rests, stir the egg noodles and parsley into the slow cooker. Turn the heat to high, cover again and cook for 10 minutes more, until the noodles are tender.
4. Add the lemon juice and return the diced chicken to the soup, stirring to combine. Serve warm with saltine crackers, or finish with Parmesan cheese if desired.