Italian Chicken Soup

After searching for the perfect chicken soup, I decided that it was taking way too long to find one that called for the ingredients I had.  As a result, I meshed together a few recipes that sounded tasty and ended up with this.  I love this recipe because it's incredibly easy to make, tasty, and has a bit of a different flavor from ordinary chicken soup.  It's definitely become a comfort food for me.

Image thanks to quick-and-easy-dinner.com

Italian Chicken Soup

1 chicken breast (don't worry if it's frozen, just stick it in the slow cooker and it can thaw as it cooks)
5 cups chicken broth
1/4 large onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
1 Tbsp italian seasoning
2 clove garlic or 1/2 tsp garlic salt (real garlic will give the best flavor, but I usually use garlic salt because it's cheap and convenient)
Salt and pepper to taste
10 oz wide egg noodles
1 cup half and half
Hot water as needed

1. Place chicken breast, whole into crock pot.  Add 3 cups of the chicken broth (yes, just 3 cups--the other 2 cups will come in later), onion, celery, carrots, and seasonings.  Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours.  If you're running late on time, just turn the slow cooker to high and cook for half the time instead.  The chicken may not be quite as tender this way, but it will still taste delicious.
2. Remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker.  Shred chicken and replace chicken into the broth mixture.  Don't forget to put the lid back on while you're shredding the chicken or too much moisture will escape.
3. Add half and half, egg noodles, and remaining 2 cups of broth.  Add just enough hot water to cover all ingredients, and replace lid.  Cook on HIGH for approximately 15-20 minutes or until noodles are just tender.
4. Serve and enjoy!