If you love soup but hate waiting a long time for it to cook, have I got the recipe for you! My crockpot chicken soup recipe is the solution that you MUST try.
The reasons are…
1. It’s super easy to make and can be prepped in under 10 minutes.
2. It will cook on its own without you having to worry about the stove being on for HOURS.
3. It’s not expensive at all… in fact, you’ll be pleased that you can make such delicious crockpot chicken soup without having to buy really expensive cuts of meat.
4. You can definitely get a gelatinous quality to the broth (when it’s cold).
Plenty of people from the wellness world praise bone broth… and technically, you are cooking the bones in this recipe. That’s why you add the apple cider vinegar… to help draw out the bone nutrients into the soup.
I do have a stovetop bone broth recipe HERE, but I’ll be honest… it takes more time that most people want to commit. If you’re really busy and can’t manage to get food on the table as easily as you’d like, this crockpot chicken soup recipe is for you.
Crockpot Chicken Soup Recipe
First of all, you’ve got to get yourself a crockpot. You certainly do not need to go crazy and buy one with all of the bells and whistles.
Mine is old-school with a dial on the front. No electronics at all!
So don’t feel like you’ve got to commit to a machine that’s overly complicated or expensive.
Any of these models would work just fine.
Yes, you can find a crockpot (aka. slow cooker) for under $20.
The only thing to consider is the size. That will determine just how much you can fit in the crockpot and if you can make another delicious slow cooker recipe like this — Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken.
The next thing to consider is what type of chicken you’ll buy — conventional versus organic.
If you can afford it, buy organic free-range chicken. Truthfully, organic chicken legs aren’t expensive at all so I think this is one spot where you can make that jump up to the healthier chicken.
Buying organic is important when cooking bones for a long time because toxins and heavy metals tend to be stored in the bones. Buying organic means you’re making food from a more nutrient-dense, cleaner source.
Ultimately your soup will taste much better and richer. (Yes, you will notice a difference!)
And if you’re looking for a different flavor profile, try subbing the 4 chicken legs out for 2 turkey legs. That way you can easily turn this into a turkey soup recipe!
Just make sure to be very careful to remove the many small bones from the turkey legs once the meat is fully cooked. There are more present in turkey legs than in chickens because turkeys weigh so much more.
Toppings For Your Crockpot Chicken Soup
You certainly can eat your crockpot chicken soup as is with just the broth, veggies, and meat.
And you most definitely can add some healthy starches like rice, quinoa, or even some gluten free pasta noodles.
(I certainly have thoughts on brown rice that go beyond the arsenic issue and explain why brown rice may not be great if you’ve got digestive issues HERE.)
But that’s not even the end of what you can do to “jazz up” this soup (as my mom often says)!
I love to get creative and top my soup with yummy additions such as avocado cubes and pico de gallo (here’s how to make your own!).
I actually have another article that shares some of my top ways to turn this basic crockpot chicken soup recipe into new meals. You’ll get a number of ideas on ways to boost nutrition in ways that make the soup even more delicious!
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Crock Pot Chicken Soup (GF, DF) |
Waking up on a chilly Autumn or Winter day in the Northeast makes me, well, cold. And to keep myself warm during these cooler months, I tend to eat in the seasonal pattern so that warmer foods will dominate my plate and keep me warm. |
Waking up on a chilly Autumn or Winter day in the Northeast makes me, well, cold. And to keep myself warm during these cooler months, I tend to eat in the seasonal pattern so that warmer foods will dominate my plate and keep me warm. |
Servings | Prep Time | Cook Time |
4-6servings | 8minutes | 6-10hours |
Servings | Prep Time |
4-6servings | 8minutes |
Cook Time |
6-10hours |
- 4 Chicken legs With skin & bones, rinsed
- 1 Medium onion Diced
- 2 Stalked Celery Rinsed & chopped
- 3 Large Carrots Scrubbed & chopped
- Water To fill up to the brim
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp sea salt
- 3 Cloves garlic Minced (only if you want a strong garlic flavor)
- 2 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
Ingredients
Servings: servings
Units:
|
- Add your carrots to the bottom of the crockpot. Then add the other veggies. Last, place the chicken on top. Add your pepper and thyme.
- Fill the ceramic bowl with filtered water until you come to about 1/2 inch below the rim.
- Start soup out on HIGH until the contents become very hot. Then turn down to LOW and cook for 4 to 6 hours or until vegetables are tender and chicken will fall off the bone.
- Cook soup on LOW for 8 to 10 hours or until vegetables are tender and chicken will fall off the bone.
- Add salt to taste.
- Remove chicken from soup. Clean the meat from the bones and discard the cartilage, skin, and bones. Store the meat separately.
If you do not finish the soup within 4 days, freeze the rest to use for later. It is safe to freeze for 2 to 3 months.
do you still have the “green” chicken soup posted somewhere?
Yep, it’s here: https://www.jenniferfugo.com/2014/02/17/green-gluten-free-crock-pot-chicken-soup-recipe/
I wanted to take you up on your offer to find out why you avoided brown rice, but couldn’t find a way to the previous week’s article. It appears that the link is broken in, “If you want to know why I’m avoiding brown rice, check out last week’s article here.” I clicked on the “here” and nothing happened. Couldn’t find a way to do a search for brown rice and couldn’t find a way to go back to previous articles.
Thanks for letting me know, Joan! I actually fixed it and you can find the article here: https://www.jenniferfugo.com/2012/11/05/whether-to-eat-rice-or-avoid-it/