Creamy Slow Cooker Chicken Soup
And that it’s a slow cooker recipe makes it even easier!
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Chicken noodle soup is America’s sweetheart as far as recipes go, but what if we were to tell you that the traditional classic takes a back seat to this creamy chicken soup? Oh, we’re going there: instead of a thin broth – which there’s nothing wrong with – we made a roux-based, thick, creamy soup that will absolutely warm you up and keep you full long after you’ve left the table.
Apart from the help given by the thickening agent at work, this is a pretty standard soup, with all the ingredients in it you’d expect to find; carrot, celery, onion, garlic, herbs, etc. Chicken and rice help make this super filling, so whether you eat it as an appetizer, side dish or a main course, this dish’s got you covered.
It’s not that we don’t love chicken noodle soup, we do, it’s just that we don’t really feel like it fills us up. And we don’t know about you, but nothing is more annoying than leaving a meal and then feeling ravenous an hour later – which is why this recipe is so great, because it fills us up and keeps us full for the rest of the night.
Plus, the creaminess seriously can’t be beat. With chicken, veggies and rice, this dish is a full meal that won’t ever let you down. So let the cold weather come, we’re ready for it!
Slow Cooker Chicken Soup
Yield(s): Serves: 8
20 minutes active; 4+ hours inactive
you're making mealtime meaningful.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 cup uncooked rice, optional
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup carrot, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup celery, finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 (32 oz.) packages low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Place chicken breasts in slow cooker and put rice, onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaf on top.
- Season generously with salt and pepper, and add rosemary, basil and oregano.
- Pour chicken broth over the top of ingredients in slow cooker, then cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours (or on low for 6-8), or until chicken is cooked through, rice is puffed up and veggies are tender.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove chicken and transfer to a plate.
- Once cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Return chicken to slow cooker.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and olive oil.
- Whisk flour into melted butter and cook, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, or until flour has a chance to cook and roux turns a light golden color.
- While continuing to whisk, stir in milk and half-and-half, stirring until no lumps remain. Reduce heat to low and cook until thickened 5-7 minutes.
- Stir mixture into soup and cook for another 5 minutes, then ladle into serving bowls and serve hot.
Recipe adapted from Little Spice Jar