Homemade Crock Pot Chicken Noodle Soup

For awhile there it actually seemed like fall was coming to Texas. We had cool, crisp weather that inspired me to make some soup. The weather promptly heated back up and I froze about half the soup for later cool downs, but I was very pleased with this recipe so I'm going to share it now since I'm aware that most everywhere else in the US it's cool (some people already have snow!). This one is awesome because it's a 'set it in the crock pot and go' recipe. I used a lot more chicken than was called for and less broth because I like a more hearty soup. I also used weird little bead-like 'noodles' because I bought them on a whim one time because they were 'cute' and never used them. Here is my final product and recipe:

Recipe:
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (from November 2012 Real Simple Magazine pg 224)

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs ~1 3/4 lbs (I used about 8 that were ~2 1/4 lbs)
8c low sodium chicken broth (I used a giant can of Swanson's broth)
4 carrots, chopped
1 lg fennel bulb, chopped plus 2T fennel fronds
1 lg onion, chopped
1c dried white beans (I used navy beans)
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1/2c small pasta (I used Acini di Pepe)

In a slow cooker, combine the chicken, broth, carrots, fennel, onion, beans, 1 1/2 t salt, and 1/2t pepper. Cover and cook until beans and veggies are tender, about 7-8 hours on low. Transfer the chicken to medium bowl. Add pasta to slow cooker. Cook on high for additional 20 minutes. Shred the chicken with a fork or using a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add chicken to slow cooker and stir into soup. Use fennel fronds when serving.

Enjoy!