Lazy Slow Cooker Chicken Soup Recipe

📝Shopping list

To make this classic chicken soup, you will need:

• Chicken pieces - I often use boneless skinless chicken breasts because they are easy and inexpensive. I buy them in club pack sizes, so there are always some in my freezer. However, you can use any chicken parts you choose. Chicken pieces with bones will definitely produce a better flavor!
• Carrots
• Celery
• Turnips
• Parsnips
• Garlic - minced or powder
• Onion - yellow onion is preferred
• Dill - fresh sprig
• Rosemary - fresh sprig
• Chicken stock - or broth
• Salt and black pepper (optional - to taste)

Sometimes, it's a lot of work to be lazy. The best way to be truly lazy is to be well prepared. For example, keeping a well-stocked freezer is the easiest way to plan a last-minute meal requiring minimal effort.

This theory can apply to entertaining as well. Watching your guests mingle about with a glass of wine while you run around like Cinderella is not fun. The devil is in the last-minute details.

BUT - sitting back and enjoying time with your guests while your crock pot does all the slow cooking: that is next-level lazy!

🥣Assembly

This slow cooker recipe is as easy as adding all your ingredients into your slow cooker and just letting it work its magic! Yes, really - that's it!

Fresh herbs can be laid right on top (as shown in the picture above). They will impart plenty of flavor into the broth and can be easily removed after cooking.

After fully cooked, you can decide how much of the chicken/veggies you want to keep in your soup. If you are just looking for broth, you can strain everything else out. I prefer to keep all the veggies and about one-half of the chicken in the soup

Pull out the cooked chicken, remove any bones and then shred chicken using two forks. Return some shredded chicken to the soup (and make delicious chicken salad with the rest).

Added bonus: This great recipe will make your house smell amazing!

🍽Serving suggestions

To turn your soup into slow cooker chicken noodle soup, just add uncooked noodles 15-30 minutes prior to serving. Fine egg noodles are great in chicken soup and will only take about 15 minutes. Larger noodles will take a bit longer and soak up more of the broth.

Adding cooked rice is also an amazing way to turn this soup into a more substantial one-bowl meal.

You can serve this easy chicken soup alongside everything from a casual Sloppy Taco Joe sandwich to a full steak dinner. Crackers or tortilla chips are also a great addition!

Storing leftovers

Most of our holiday meals start with this easy recipe. Plus, there is almost always a container or two (or 6!) stored in my freezer for a busy weeknight meal. I love eating leftover soup any time of year.

Leftovers of this slow cooker chicken soup recipe are best stored in an airtight container or bag. It will last for 3-5 days in the refrigerator and 4-6 months in the freezer.

It is great to be able to pull out single servings of this soup to reheat on chilly days.

😉Hints & hacks

1. I am a big fan of slow cooker liners....because, well, I am lazy. Buying them in bulk is a great way to take advantage of better pricing.
2. I always have frozen veggies and frozen chicken breasts tucked in my freezer for later use. This lets me avoid extra trips to the store.
3. You don't have to use chicken breasts to make chicken slow cooker soup! Just about any bone-in or boneless pieces of chicken will work. Including bone-in pieces adds some extra flavor.
4. I like to make an extra-large batch and freeze my homemade chicken soup in deli containers. They are the perfect size for quick defrosting.
5. Looking to make crockpot chicken noodle soup? Just add dry pasta noodles about 15 - 30 minutes before you plan to serve. I prefer fine egg noodles, they cook through very quickly. Wide egg noodles are also a great option
6. I use a chicken soup base when I make this recipe. 
7. Although fresh herbs add a great flavor to this soup, dried can be substituted.