Ingredients
Slow Cooker Ingredients
1 cup sliced celery
4 carrots, sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds uncooked skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 2″ pieces (note that breast meat tends to get dryer than thigh meat when cooked in the slow cooker)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
3 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
6 cups low-sodium chicken broth, fat free preferred
1 bay leaf
Add when done
8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti, broken into small pieces
1/4 cup fresh, chopped, Italian parsley, to serve
1-2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste
Directions
- Add the vegetables and garlic to the bottom of the slow cooker, and the chicken on top, sprinkle in the thyme, oregano, chili flakes, and salt and pepper.
- Pour in the stock and add in the bay leaf. Cook for 6-8 hours on low in the slow cooker, or until carrots are tender. If necessary, skim off any foam that has floated to the top of the soup and discard.
- Around 15 minutes before ready to serve, cook the broken up pasta separately on the stovetop according to package directions and drain.
- Stir in the noodles and chopped parsley just before serving. Then stir in one tablespoon of the lemon juice last. Taste and add in more lemon juice, if desired. Enjoy!
