Put Your Slow Cooker To Good Use And Make The BEST Soup Of The Season
Here’s the greatest chicken soup recipe on the face of the Earth, if you ask me! It’s not your usual chicken noodle soup, quickly made of chicken strips and frozen veggies. There’s nothing wrong with those, of course, but once you’ve tried this you know there is no going back to your old recipe!
The secret is to use fresh vegetables, a whole chicken, and to let everything cook together slowly in your crock pot. You might think it takes a lot of work to make this but you’re wrong. After you’ve chopped the veggies and seasoned the chicken, you can literally forget the whole thing until it’s dinnertime!
I often put this together in the morning before leaving for work and when I return, the whole house smells amazing! How all the flavors come together in the slow cooker is something unbelievable – and you know, this is one of those dishes that only gets better after a day or two in the fridge! This really is the comfort food of all comfort foods.

The next time you’re feeling low, whether it’s because of a cold or just stress, I highly recommend giving this soup a try. I’m starting to think it has magical powers because I always feel better after a steaming hot bowl of this goodness!
You know what my favorite thing to do is, in the fall? I pack some of this soup with me in a thermos, take my family and dogs with me to a nearby park and enjoy the crispy, fresh air for a few hours. When everybody gets hungry, I bring out the thermos and mugs and we have a tasty lunch. It tastes sooo gooood!

Ingredients

• 8 cups (2 quarts) water
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into large dice
• 3 medium celery stalks, large dice
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 (4- to 5-pound) whole chicken, neck and giblets removed from the cavity
• 1 tablespoon Bertolli olive oil
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 2 cups steamed white rice, steamed wild rice, or cooked egg noodles (optional)
• broccoli or cauliflower (optional)

Instructions:
Place the water, carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaf in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker and stir to combine; set aside.
Place the measured salt, measured pepper, and thyme in a small bowl and stir to combine; set aside.
Place the chicken on a work surface or cutting board and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut off and discard any extra fat hanging around the body cavity. Drizzle the oil on the chicken and rub it all over the skin. Season inside and out with the thyme mixture. Place the chicken on top of the vegetables in the slow cooker. Cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through and falling off the bones, about 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
Transfer the chicken to a rimmed baking sheet. When it’s cool enough to handle but still warm, use your hands to shred the meat into bite-sized pieces (discard the skin, cartilage, and bones). Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and add the parsley.
Add the rice or noodles, if using, and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.