Easy Crock Pot Chicken & Veggie Soup

 
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For a few weeks in the early part of this third trimester, my body was slowly fighting off a stomach bug that just wouldn't go away. I did my best to eat bland food but on occasion slipped because it got SO BORING.

The good news is, thanks to my mom, I'm a whiz at whipping up a yummy pot of chicken noodle veggie soup so that came in super handy. Her version which I've shared before usually also includes canned tomatoes but thanks so that other fun pregnancy symptom of heartburn I've been avoiding tomatoes. So without further ado, this is the easiest simplest way to make this soup (normally I would have done it in a pot but I was going to be out all day so the slow cooker took over).

What I Used:

  • 2 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
  • 4-5 large carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 head of celery, cleaned and diced (cut off the very bottom but use all the leafy greens!)
  • 1 bunch of chard or collards (cut into bite-sized ribbons, you can include the stems or cut them out)
  • 1-2 cups of bow tie pasta noodles
  • 3-4 cups of chicken stock or water with better than bouillon
  • 1 tbsp crushed dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp crushed dried basil
  • 1-2 dry bay leaves (optional)
  • salt & pepper to taste at the end

How To:

  1. Add all ingredients, except for the chard/collards & noodles, to your slow cooker and let it go for 3 hours on high or 6 hours on low. 
  2. When you have about 15-20 minutes left add the chopped greens to wilt into the soup with a covered top, occasionally stirring.
  3. Use tongs or forks to shred the chicken in the soup, add salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Cook the pasta separately per package instructions and serve together! Could be garnished with fresh parsley.