Slow-Cooker Chicken Soup

The easiest chicken soup you’ll ever make! Just throw a whole chicken into a slow cooker and top with veggies for a full meal-in-one.

This recipe was a long-time coming. I’m Jewish which means my veins are filled with chicken soup, not blood. I should have called this recipe, “chicken soup for the maven soul”. Are they still publishing those books?

Anyway, it’s a right of passage as a Jewish female to master your very own chicken soup recipe. I’ve made chicken soup with my bubby, chicken soup with my Mom and chicken soup for my friends at Chabad, but never have I made chicken soup all by my lonesome. But now that I no longer live in my parents house, I figured it was time to step up to the plate and tackle my own version. 

When I set out to create my chicken soup, I text my mom to see what I should put in it. Her response was, “Salt”… super helpful. Thanks, Mom! So then I text Lexi who suggested carrots, parsley and celery. Much more helpful! I am a sucker for slow cooker recipes so I threw all of my ingredients in the slow cooker and patiently waited to see how it turned out. Spoiler alert: it’s delicious. 

Chicken Soup Ingredients

• Whole chicken
• Carrots
• Celer
• Onion
• Fresh parsley
• Liquid – I used a combination of chicken stock and water.
• Bay leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Curry powder (optional)

How to Prep a Whole Chicken

If you’ve never cooked with a whole chicken, I know it can be intimidating. Like I mentioned, I grew up making this soup so whole chickens have never freaked me out! The first thing you want to do is remove the giblets. Reach inside the chicken and remove the giblets which are usually wrapped in a cloth bag. You can discard or save for another recipe if you have one! Rinse your chicken well with water and then you’re ready to get cooking!

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Soup

STEP 1: Wash your chicken and remove the giblets. Add the chicken to your slow cooker and top with celery, carrots and onion.

STEP 2: Tie together the parsley with a string and place on top of the vegetables along with the bay leaves. 

STEP 3: Pour in the liquid and add salt. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. 

STEP 4: Remove hate bay leaves and parsley from the slow cooker and use a couple of large spoons to remove the chicken. Set aside to cool slightly.

STEP 5: Remove meat from the bone (it should fall of easily) and chop or shred into bite-sized pieces. Place the meat back in the slow cooker with the veggies. 

STEP 6: Taste and add additional salt, pepper and add in the curry powder if using.

Storing Leftovers

Let cool slightly before storing leftover in an airtight container. It will last in the fridge for up to one week. One thing to note is that a layer of fat usually forms on the top of the container after storing in the fridge – you can scrape that off or simply heat it up and mix it in. Fat is where the flavor is, right?!

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