Chicken soup is a classic comfort food. It is a great supper on a cold winter night and provides relief to those suffering from the sniffles. This version relies on chicken stock and cooked chicken. Making homemade chicken stock is not difficult and allows you to control the sodium and other ingredients. And, the flavor cannot be beat. Next time you cook a whole chicken or turkey, leave a little meat on the carcass. Put the carcass in a large stock pot and cover with water. Toss in a few carrots, celery tops, roughly diced onions, peppercorns and a bay leaf or two. Turn the heat on medium-low. Let the broth simmer with the lid slightly ajar for a couple of hours, occasionally skimming any fat off the top. The longer the broth simmers, the richer the flavor. Once the stock has reached the desired flavor and color, turn off the heat, remove the lid and let it cool. Divide the stock into one or two-cup portions, label and freeze for up to six months. Discard the chicken carcass and vegetables.

Of course, you can make this recipe using canned or boxed chicken stock from the store. Don’t have cooked chicken on hand? Grab a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store. You can even substitute canned chicken, but that will add to the sodium content. For even faster preparation, use your food processor or chopper to slice the carrots, celery and onions. Put the soup ingredients together the night before and put it in the slow cooker before you leave the house in the morning and come home to a delicious comforting meal.

8 cups homemade or low-sodium chicken stock
1 cup sliced carrots
½ cup diced celery
½ cup finely diced white or yellow onion
½ teaspoon white pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon celery seed
1 bay leaf
2 cups cooked chicken, diced or shredded
2 cans cream-style corn
12 ounces egg noodles

Put the chicken stock, carrots, celery, onion and spices in the slow cooker. Cook on low for five to six hours or until the carrots are tender. Add the chicken, corn and egg noodles and cook on low for another hour or on high for 30 minutes. Serve with a green salad and a whole wheat roll to round out the meal.

*Nutrition Information: 323 calories, 4.4 grams fat, 50 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 20 grams protein.

*Nutrition information estimated using SparkRecipes.com.