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    » Home » Recipes » Soup Recipes » Chicken Soup

    Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

    Posted: Mar 15, 2011 · Updated: Dec 13, 2021 by Jenny McGruther · This site earns income from ads, affiliate links, and sponsorships.

    Slow Cooker Chicken Soup is about as simple as soup can be: chicken thighs and vegetables slowly simmered with fresh thyme, bay and parsley.

    Slow cooker chicken soup can soothe a weary soul.  These days mine is in desperate want of soothing.  There are months when life seems to take the lead and you’re always just one step behind – months when obligations never cease, when kids and work and charitable obligations all need your attention NOW and without compromise.  There are months when you forget yourself.   For me, I turn to this simple recipe for slow cooker chicken soup: just wholesome ingredients, a handful of steps and nourishment that can last for days.

    Slow cooker chicken soup is that simple recipe, comforting and nourishment, that will keep your belly full even in the toughest time when both money and time are scarce.  When the question of how to balance time, finances and nourishment comes up, and it often does among Nourished Kitchen readers, I always answer with one single response: “Learn to love your slow cooker.”  Simple steps, coupled with good quality ingredients and a slow cooker bubbling away all day ensures that you can feed your family affordably, healthfully and without a lot of time in the kitchen.   For me, slow cooker chicken soup is the answer.

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    Slow Cooker Chicken Soup Recipe

    Slow Cooker Chicken Soup is about as simple as soup can be: chicken thighs and vegetables slowly simmered with fresh thyme, bay and parsley. Adding the vegetables half-way through cooking time ensures they're not overcooked while allowing the chicken to become meltingly tender.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time2 hrs
    Total Time2 hrs 5 mins
    Servings: 4 quarts soup
    Print Save Recipe Saved!

    Ingredients

    • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 teaspoons finely ground real salt
    • 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
    • 1 heaping teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
    • 2 bay leafs
    • 6 cups chicken broth
    • 1 medium leek (white and light green parts only, sliced thin)
    • 1 yellow onion (peeled and chopped)
    • 6 carrots (peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds)
    • 6 celery ribs (sliced ¼-inch thick)
    • 1 pound Russet potatoes (peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes)
    • ¼ cup minced fresh parsley

    Instructions

    • Place the chicken in a slow cooker, drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Drop in the bay leaves and pour in the broth. Cook on low for 1 hour.
    • Add leeks, onion, carrots, celery and potatoes to the slow cooker and continue cooking on low for an additional hour. Break up any large pieces of chicken with a fork, stir in the parsley and serve hot.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @nourishedkitchen or tag #nourishedkitchen!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Johanna says

      June 05, 2017 at 4:13 am

      I just made this soup. Tastes good but how is 2 hours on low in a slow cooker long enough??
      I've had it on for about 5 hours on high and it's only just ready to be eaten!!

      Reply
    2. Vanessa B says

      December 22, 2015 at 4:46 pm

      What happened to the old recipe? Why the change? It was SOOO good! I had to hunt through the wayback machine to find the whole chicken version of this soup.

      Reply
    3. sumera says

      December 07, 2015 at 6:23 am

      Most slow cookers have been found to have toxic linings. Please let me know which cooker you recommend that does not have toxic linings.

      Reply
      • Jenny says

        December 07, 2015 at 11:35 pm

        Hi Sumera, that is simply not true. All slowcookers old in the US are manufactured to high standards and do not have toxic linings. Do not use old, cracked liners.

    4. courtney says

      March 31, 2015 at 12:37 pm

      Hi Jenny

      Would you take bones after you take meat off and put them back into the pot to make bone broth?

      Reply
      • Jenny says

        March 31, 2015 at 1:13 pm

        You could definitely do that, but I haven't.

    5. Nadia says

      October 04, 2013 at 5:28 am

      Gemma, I think the distinction Jenny draws between slow cookers and pressure cookers is that a slow cooker mimics the way things have been cooked since the dawn of time. Low and slow for hours. Traditional people may have used big pots over fires or buried their food in the ground, but the cooking principle is the same.
      Pressure cookers may have been developed in the 1600's, but it is cooking at a high temperature under pressure - resulting in food cooked much faster. I think according to Jenny's principles (and mine) that doesn't fall under a traditional method of cooking - it's one that has developed in a more modern era of human kind. For thousands of years before that, most cooking was done slowly.

      Reply
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    Hi, I'm Jenny! I'm a nutritional therapist, herbalist and the author of three natural foods cookbooks. You'll find nourishing bone broths, simple herbal remedies, and loads of fermented goodness on this site.

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