Herby, creamy and full of flavour, Slow Cooker Chicken Soup is comfort in a bowl. Serve it simply with a wedge of white bread for a delicious for lunch or dinner.
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Cream of Chicken Soup in the Slow Cooker
There is something nostalgically comforting about Cream of Chicken Soup whether it be from a carton, a tin (Heinz Cream of Chicken Soup being one of the most famous!) or homemade. It’s one of those recipes that makes you feel completely sated and content.
The main aspects to perfect for a fantastic cream of chicken soup recipe are the thick glossy texture, the creaminess, and the hint of herbs that compliment but don’t overpower the chicken. It’s quite a balance to get right but it can be done in the slow cooker – and is often simpler than taking a trip to the supermarket to buy some instead!
What’s more, the ingredients are cupboard staples which makes it even easier to whip up whenever you fancy a bowl!
Why Make This Recipe
- Chicken soup is a highly nutritious and satisfying meal.
- It’s very quick to prepare, with simple cooking steps.
- It’ll keeps well in the fridge for up to three days.
- You can use leftovers as a quick pasta sauce!
Equipment
I use my Crock-Pot DuraCeramic 5L Crockpot to make this recipe.
I use a hand-held immersion blender to blitz the soup at the end of cooking.
What You’ll Need
Exact ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Chicken. Skinless and boneless chicken thighs. You can use the same quantity of chicken breast if preferred.
- Vegetables. Celery, onion and garlic create the base flavour, and potatoes add substance.
- Flour. To thicken.
- Liquids. Water for the stock, and double cream to finish. A small amount of white wine vinegar balances the creaminess.
- Seasoning. Thyme and bay are two strongly flavoured herbs that work superbly with chicken. Used sparingly they are perfect for cutting through the richness of the cream. Salt, pepper and stock bring extra flavour. I also add onion and garlic powder to add a concentrated savoury base favour.
How to Make Chicken Soup in a Slow Cooker
- Peel and dice the potatoes and onion. Slice the celery, mince the garlic then add everything to the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken, stock cube, herbs, garlic and onion powder, salt pepper and flour. Stir well to make sure everything is evenly coated.
- Pour in the water, white wine vinegar and add the bay leaves. Cook on high for 5 hours or 6 hours on low.
- Once cooked, remove one of the chicken thighs and the bay leaves and then blend the soup with a hand held blender (a jug blender can also be used) until the large chunks of chicken and vegetables are smooth. Finely chop the chicken thigh and stir back into the soup.
- Pour in the cream.
- Stir well and allow it to heat through for a few minutes and then serve.
Serving Suggestions
A sprinkle of black pepper, fresh parsley on top and a wedge of white bread on the side is a wonderful combination. Simple is sometimes best! If you want to make your own bread, why not try a rustic loaf of slow cooker bread?
If you are serving guests, a few croutons on the top work nicely to add appeal and a nice crunchy texture. Why not try this simple Homemade Croutons recipe from BBC Good Food?
Recipe Variations
Substitutions – Chicken breasts can be used instead of thighs. You could also use leeks instead of the onion for a subtler flavour.
Additions – A handful of closed cup mushrooms are also a delicious addition to the soup. Add these in at the beginning with the other vegetables. If you want to include even more vegetables, frozen peas and sweetcorn make great additions. Add them after blending and allow the soup to cook until they are hot and tender.
For more variety there are plenty of soups that can be made easily in the slow cooker. Slow Cooker Tomato Soup and Slow Cooker Carrot and Coriander Soup are some good examples.
Top Tips
Size of vegetables. Keep the potatoes and onion to around 1-2cm cubes and the celery slices around 1 cm, this ensures they cook through. Vegetables can often take longer to cook than meat in a slow cooker.
Blending. I have used a hand-held blender in this recipe but you can transfer the soup mixture to a jug blender like the Kenwood MultiPro if that’s what you have. Be careful, it’ll be hot!
Storage Instructions
The soup can be kept in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days (providing the use by date for the cream is not exceeded). You will notice that it will be thicker once cooled, it loosens once heated.
Alternatively, freeze for up to three months and thaw before heating. Reheat thoroughly.
FAQs
Yes, just use the same quantity of stock as per the amount of water in the recipe.
Cream of chicken soup is a popular ingredient in meals such as creamy chicken casserole, or quick and easy chicken pasta dishes.
If you prefer quite a thick soup simply leave the lid of the slow cooker ajar for the final 30 minutes of the cooking time.
Slow Cooker Chicken Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 250 g chicken thighs skinless and boneless (around 3 chicken thighs)
- 190 g potatoes 1 large potato, floury variety
- 175 g onion 1 large onion, white onion
- 100 g celery 2 medium celery sticks
- 1 stock cube chicken
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 750 ml water
- 120 ml double cream
- ½ tsp thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp garlic granules
- ½ tsp onion granules
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar use lemon juice as an alternative
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper ground black pepper
- 1½ tbsp flour corn or wheat flour
Instructions
- Peel and dice the potatoes (see recipe note 1) and onion and slice the celery. Mince the garlic and add everything to the slow cooker.190 g potatoes, 175 g onion, 100 g celery, 2 garlic cloves
- Add the chicken thighs, thyme, garlic and onion granules, stock cube, salt, pepper and flour to the slow cooker. Stir well to ensure the flour coats everything evenly.250 g chicken thighs, 1 stock cube, ½ tsp thyme, ½ tsp garlic granules, ½ tsp onion granules, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp pepper, 1½ tbsp flour
- Pour in the water and add the bay leaves and white wine vinegar. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 6-7 hours.750 ml water, 2 bay leaves, 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- Once cooked, the chicken should be white throughout and the vegetables very tender. Remove the bay leaves and also one of the chicken thighs and blend the remaining soup with the hand held blender. On a separate chopping board chop the chicken thigh into small pieces and add back into the soup (see recipe note 2).
- Pour in the double cream and stir through well. Allow the cream to warm in the soup for a few minutes and then serve.120 ml double cream
Notes
- Root vegetables such as potatoes can take longer to cook in the slow cooker due to their dense texture. To help ensure that they cook in the stated time cut the potato into cubes of 1-2 cm and slice the celery into pieces 1 cm thick.
- To provide some texture in the soup remove one of the chicken thighs after cooking, chop into small pieces and then stir it back in. This is optional and if you prefer a completely smooth soup, leave the piece of chicken in before blending.
Karen parton
Tuesday 1st of November 2022
Soup sounds lovely is there anyway I can use leftover roast chicken.