Dill and Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

 My dad recently bought me a new crock pot, this one to be exact, and I LOVE it! One of my favorite things to make in a crock pot is chicken stock. Not many things can make the house smell fabulous with very little effort, but making stock in your crock pot does just that. Whether you have a whole chicken or just some frozen bones you've been saving in the freezer (I can't be the only one that saves a bag of bones in my freezer, right?) you can put together a fabulous stock in minutes. Bones or whole chicken, salt, pepper, carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, water and parsley stems all come together to make such a versatile stock that can be used immediately, or frozen for later use. 

One thing in particular that I love about this crock pot is the ability to sear or saute on the stove top and then transfer the crock to the base and let it do it's thing while you're gone. This morning I browned my bones and vegetables, seasoned it, added water and put it in the crock until I was ready for it.  When it came time to make dinner, it was so easy to throw together!

Dill and Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

Adapted from Good Life Eats

serves 4 - 6

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1/3 cup white wine
3 carrots, sliced into rounds
6 cups homemade chicken broth
8 oz rotini pasta, uncooked
3 egg yolks
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 teaspoon dill
1 large bunch fresh spinach, chopped

Add 1 tablespoon of olive or canola oil in a large crock or soup pot. Saute the onion over medium-high heat until golden and tender. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute more.

Add the white wine and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the broth and carrot. Bring to a boil. Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks and lemon together. Add 1 cup of the hot broth very slowly to the egg yolk mixture, whisking as you pour. Then, transfer the mixture to the dutch ovencrock. Stir in the rotini. Continue cooking over medium-low until the pasta and carrots are tender, about 9 minutes. Just before serving, season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the dill, shredded chicken and spinach. Serve immediately.