The Soup Quest: Chicken Noodle Soup

I am on a quest to find soups that my husband will eat and enjoy. His theory on soup is that since it has a substantial amount of liquid it is pointless. He’d rather have a glass of water and something to chew. AND he doesn’t like cooked veggies, which is the base of most soups I make. The only soup he will admit to enjoying is Chicken Noodle. So, I'm starting with that. I’ve asked him what veggies he’ll eat in it and he replied, “corn, and maybe carrots, but only if they’re not mushy.” With that guideline, away I go!

Ingredients:

3 chicken thighs, bone-in

½ tsp dried basil

1 box chicken broth (or 4 cups)

8 cups of water, or enough to fill

4-6 bouillon cubes

1-2 large carrot(s) (1 cup), shredded (decreases mushiness factor if it’s shredded)

3 stalks celery, diced (1 cup)

½ tsp celery seeds

½ cup onion, diced (or 1 Tbsp dried minced onion)

2 tsp dried minced garlic

Salt and pepper to taste

½ package spaghetti noodles

Directions:

Put chicken thighs in a 6qt crock pot sprinkle with basil, and cook on high 2-3 hours or until done. Remove thighs from crock pot, let them cool a bit (don’t burn yourself), debone and shred the chicken. Return the meat to the pot.

Add the remaining ingredients, except for the spaghetti, and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4-8. Essentially the veggies need to soften and the flavors need to meld.

½ hour before serving, take the spaghetti and break it into thirds. Add to the pot and cook on high for ½ hour or until the noodles are done.

This makes a very dense soup, if you like yours with a higher ratio of broth, only add ¼ package of spaghetti.

I didn't end up putting in corn, but that could easily be added if desired.