-This is an easy, made from scratch, healthy chicken broth and chicken noodle soup. It is healthy but can be easily adjusted to your taste or the taste of different individuals at the table.
-The broth can be reserved and used as a basis for other meals and the chicken used on salads or sandwiches instead of the soup.
-The vegetable freezer bag trick keeps it budget friendly and significantly reduces the prep time.
*Tip: The veggies are only used to flavour the broth so while you want good flavours there is no need to waste good fresh vegetables on this. Buy a large zip lock bag and leave in your freezer fill it with veggie odds and ends or peels, from your other meals until the bag is full. Although you can use fresh. See below for suggestions.
-You can freeze the broth and use as stock in other meals. If you want to do this you may want to cook the noodles separately rather than in the broth.
-You can also skip the salt in the slow cooker and add to the meat at the end if you want to keep salt free broth for baby food.
-If you are making this just for broth you can use the Chicken meat on sandwiches or salads.
-Steps 5-11 typically take only 5 mins, so reducing the broth on the stove-top works well with this timing. You can reduce the stock in your slow cooker by turning it up on high at the end and using a tea towel for 30 mins to 1 hr. However, you will still need another pot to strain the broth into hence the faster stove-top option for finishing.
-The following veggies work well: - Onion, Spring Onion, Shallots, Garlic, Ginger (include skins), - Carrot, Celery (include tops), Mushrooms, Corn, Tomatoes, Leek
- Great in smaller quantities (can be overpowering if too much of any one is added): Red Capsicum, Zucchini, Squash, Potatoes, Pumpkin (not skins) Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans, and Peas
- Most herbs but especially the following: Chives, Coriander (include roots), Basil (not too much).
-The following veggies can make it bitter or oily and are best avoided: Pumpkin Skins, Green Capsicums, Eggplant, Lettuce, Kale, Cabbage, Boc Choy, Pak Choi, Beetroot.