Crockpot chicken vegetable soup recipe
This easy crockpot chicken vegetable soup is full of vegetables and lean chicken breast. A comforting and filling bowl of soup is a welcome meal any day of the week. If you love a good slow cooker meal, then this is for you. Everything goes into the slow cooker and it simmers away while you get on with your day. This soup is as easy as it gets.
I’ll give you variations and substitutions where I can, plus helpful tips and tricks for success. Read on for this info as well as the recipe. If you’d like to skip straight to the recipe, use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post.
You may also be interested in my chicken tortilla soup and my slow cooker lentil soup recipes. For ease of browsing, you can find all of my soup recipes in one place.
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Chicken vegetable soup recipe
This soup honestly could not be easier. Everything is added to the crockpot, then give it a quick stir, lock the cover and turn it on. That’s it for the next few hours. That being said, I always sear the chicken before I add it to build another layer of flavor. I recommend it, but if time is an issue, it’s not mandatory.
The recipe makes 4 quarts of soup. If you have a smaller family, you’ll have plenty for leftovers the next day or freezing for later. Those with a larger family, or feeding more people, feel free to double the recipe if you have a slow cooker large enough to hold it.
What you need to know
When I’m making soup or chili, I make larger quantities because I like to freeze some for later. We are a family of two, yet I still cook in big batches because it saves time and money, both things we could all use more of.
Crockpot chicken vegetable soup is a great recipe to start with if you’re new to making soup in a crockpot, because it could not be easier. You quite literally add everything to the crockpot, turn it on, and let it cook. Grab my tips for making better soup checklist for more helpful tips and tricks for success.
Crockpot Chicken Vegetable Soup Ingredients
This chicken vegetable soup uses mostly ingredients you likely already have. If you keep the basics on hand, you’re well on your way.
- Chicken breast – You’ll need about 2 chicken breasts.
- Substitutions: You can swap chicken thighs for breasts, if you prefer. Chicken thighs will shred more easily.
- Diced tomatoes – Canned diced tomatoes are perfect here.
- Carrots, celery & onion – This trio is called “mirepoix”. It is the base of many soup recipes.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic brings another layer of flavor to the soup.
- Green peas – Frozen peas are a staple in my house. They should be in yours too.
- Fresh green beans – You can use frozen green beans if fresh aren’t available.
- Corn – Use fresh, frozen or canned. Whatever works for you.
- Chicken stock – You can use vegetable stock instead, if you prefer.
- Bay leaves, dried thyme, salt and pepper – Dried herbs and seasoning adds additional flavor.
- Herbs – A sprinkling of flat leaf (Italian) parsley gives a bit of freshness to the soup. Fresh dill is also delicious in this soup.
How to make
Here’s a quick summary of how to make chicken vegetable crock pot soup. Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe.
Add everything to the slow cooker, give it stir, lock the lid, and cook. That’s all there is to making this soup. If you have time, I prefer to sear the chicken before adding it to the CrockPot. Also, if you are home while the soup is cooking, you can add the vegetables in stages. Check the recipe notes for details.
Slow Cooker Chicken Vegetable Soup FAQ’s
If you want to make this into a creamy crockpot chicken and vegetable soup, stir in 1/2 cup of half and half, light cream, or heavy cream at the end of cooking, with the slow cooker OFF. You do not want the cream to boil. Depending on the level of creaminess you want, you can add up to 1 cup.
For this recipe, you have 2 options: Cook on low for 5 – 6 hours, or high for 3 – 4 hours. The cooking time will depend on your brand of slow cooker. They don’t all cook at the same rate.
Storage / Freezing Information
To store: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To freeze: Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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Variations and substitutions
If you want to bulk up this slow cooker chicken and veggie soup even more, or if you are serving a big crowd and want to make it more filling, here are a few possibilities for add ins:
- Small pasta – Elbow macaroni, ditalini or small shells are perfect for soup. If you’re planning to freeze some of the soup, portion out what you want to freeze before adding pasta to avoid mushy pasta.
- Beans / legumes – Canned or dried beans, lentils, or split peas are good options. If you are using dried beans, add them in the beginning. If you are using canned beans, add them at the end, as they are already ready to eat.
- Grains – Quinoa, barley, farro and rice are all great in soups.
To add pasta or lentils, add them in the last 20 – 40 minutes to cook in the soup. Pasta cooks faster than lentils.
Serving suggestions
- Serve with buttermilk biscuits or Parmesan potato biscuits.
- I like to top my bowls of soup with fresh chopped herbs like parsley or dill for added freshness.
- A sprinkling of grated Parmesan, Grana Padano or Pecorino Romano on top is delicious.
Helpful tools and equipment
- 6 quart slow cooker – This is a newer version of the slow cooker that I used for this recipe.
- If you plan to freeze some, these are the food containers I use to store my soup.
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Crockpot Chicken Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breasts about 2 chicken breasts
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes one can
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and diced
- 1 cup green peas frozen
- ½ pound fresh green beans chopped into bite-size pieces
- 1 cup corn frozen
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt I use Diamond Crystal
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ cup flat-leaf parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine. (See notes)
- Cook on low for 5 – 6 hours, or high for 3 – 4 hours.
- Use a heavy spoon, like a wooden spoon, to break up the chicken breast in the soup. Or, you can remove the chicken from the slow cooker, then shred it with 2 forks. Add the chicken back into the soup.
- Top with fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
- To add extra flavor to the soup, sear the chicken breasts in a hot pan before adding them to the crock-pot. Add a bit of stock to the pan to deglaze, scraping up any brown bits and adding those as well.
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are great in this soup if you prefer them to breast meat. They will shred more easily.
- For the green beans, use frozen if fresh is unavailable, or to make it easier on yourself.
- If you have the time and you are home while the soup is cooking, add the vegetables in stages. Add the canned tomatoes, carrots, celery, onions and garlic first. Then add the fresh green beans halfway through cooking time. Finally, add the frozen peas and frozen corn in the last hour, as those don’t really require a long cooking time.
- Time may vary slightly, depending on your slow cooker.
- Use this recipe as a guideline. You can swap out any vegetables that you don’t like and add others that you do. Soups are forgiving, so feel free to experiment!
- If you like your soup EXTRA brothy, add up to an additional 2 cups of chicken stock.
Nutrition
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Originally published 1/16/20, most recent update 1/28/26.
Hello,
Can I freeze this soup?
Thanks.
Hi Marie, yes you can 🙂
Can you add pasta to this?
Absolutely! You can add it directly to the soup, or cook it separately if you plan to serve the soup later.
Do you drain the tomatoes?
I don’t, Jess. But, if you want to drain a little liquid, drain about half.