Old-fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup

Total Time: 7 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 20 mins Cook Time: 6 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 1/2 lbs bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, trimmed
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 3 carrots, peeled and chopped medium
• 2 celery ribs, chopped medium
• 1 onion, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 t. dried)
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 (12 ounce) bone-in skin-on chicken breast half, trimmed
• 1 1/2 ounces wide egg noodles (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Recipe

• 1 dry chicken thighs with paper towels and season with salt and pepper.
• 2 heat oil in 12-inch skillet over med-high heat until just smoking.
• 3 brown chicken thighs well on both sides, 6-8 minutes.
• 4 transfer to plate, let cool slightly, and discard skin.
• 5 pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat left in pan.
• 6 add in carrots, celery, and onions; cook over medium heat until vegetables are softened, 7-10 minutes.
• 7 stir in garlic, tomato paste, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• 8 stir in 1 cup chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits; transfer to slow cooker.
• 9 stir remaining 7 cups broth and bay leaves into slow cooker.
• 10 nestle browned chicken with any accumulated juice into slow cooker.
• 11 season chicken breast with salt and pepper, wrap in foil packet, and lay on top of soup.
• 12 cover and cook until chicken is tender, 4-6 hours on low.
• 13 remove foil packet, open it carefully (watch for steam), and transfer chicken breast to cutting board.
• 14 transfer chicken thighs to cutting board.
• 15 let all chicken cool slightly, then shred into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones.
• 16 let soup settle for 5 minutes, then remove fat from surface using large spoon.
• 17 discard bay leaves.
• 18 cook egg noodles in boiling salted water until tender, then drain.
• 19 stir cooked noodles, shredded chicken, and peas into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes.
• 20 stir in parsley, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.