Below-Zero Chicken Noodle Soup

It was COLD here this week.  Below freezing, in fact.  There were so many stories of frozen water pipes and pictures of frost inside windows.  And, of course, what freezing cold day would be complete without at least twenty Facebook friends posting screenshots of their weather app or pictures of their car dashboard showing the absurd below-zero temperature.  We were all cold.

To make matters worse, I started getting sick that day.  I despise being sick.  Especially the "I don't want to do anything but lay on the couch and nap and watch TV" sickness that hit me in the morning.  But, I'm a mommy, and mommies don't get sick days.  So I did the next best thing to sleeping...  I made homemade soup.  I love cooking and baking, and decided to share my first ever recipe on the blog.  This may lead to more recipe-type posts of some favorite recipes I've come up with myself.  I do have a plethora of unique and delicious dishes, if I may toot my own horn. We will see if they get added in future posts.

I should also note that I don't always do things fully homemade.  In fact, I am a big fan of semi-homemade recipes.  I did not make my own noodles or broth for this recipe.  As awesome as that would be, I just don't have the time!  I do, however, try to buy the most healthy options possible when making something not entirely from "scratch."  I also like to save money, so I use a lot of generic brand products.  You may use whatever brands you'd like.  If I prefer a certain brand in a recipe, it will be noted in the ingredient list.  Also, this is not a perfect recipe.  And you might not like it.  We do, and that's why I'm posting it.  Because someone out there is bound to have the same taste as us.  Throw this in the crockpot the next cold day you get, and cozy up with a good book (or watching a movie with your kiddos like I did,) while your house fills with the yummy scent of homemade goodness instead of microwaved store-bought canned soup!

Below-Zero Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredient List

2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

3 stalks celery

1 cup baby carrots

12oz egg noodles

64oz chicken broth

1tbsp McCormick Perfect Pinch Rotisserie Chicken Seasoning

1tsp garlic salt

1tsp thyme

1tsp onion powder

1tsp parsley

2 cups water

olive oil

salt and pepper (to taste)

Chop your celery and carrots into bite-sized chunks.  (I do my celery stalks longways first to prevent having huge pieces, and I buy petite baby carrots to eliminate the need to peel and dice.  Plus, I hate carrots so if I have small enough pieces, I almost forget they're in there!)

I love the colors of chopped fresh veggies!

Trim the fat from your chicken breasts and cut into bite-sized chunks.

Drizzle olive oil for a turn of the pan into a large skillet.  Add your chicken and McCormick seasoning.  Saute until golden brown.

Add celery, carrots, 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp garlic salt.  Saute 5 minutes just to begin to soften your veggies and to combine flavors.

Add chicken and veggies to crockpot.  Rinse skillet with some of the chicken broth to loosen and gather any of the yummy bits of seasoning stuck to the pan.  (The best part of this soup is the sauteed taste!)  Add remainder of chicken broth to crockpot, as well as the water.  Add remaining 1/2 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp garlic salt, as well as parsley, thyme, and salt and pepper (to taste.)

Cook on low for 6 hours.  

In the last hour of cooking, add your egg noodles OR cook egg noodles separately and add to completed soup before serving.  (As a word of warning, whole wheat egg noodles, while healthier, tend to become very mushy when cooked in broth too long.  If you don't mind a mushy noodle, add them to the crockpot whenever you'd like.  If you'd prefer a more formed, sturdy noodle, add them as previously directed.  Or opt for regular egg noodles and add whenever you'd like!)

Serve steamy and warm, preferably with some fresh baked bread of Texas Toast grilled cheese sandwiches.