Slow Cooker Grown Up Chicken Soup Recipe

There’s a reason that chicken noodle soup makes us feel better when we’re sick. Between the warm, smooth broth and the health benefits of broth, it’s a great way to alleviate symptoms like chills, sore throats, and nausea- at least temporarily. I even like to have chicken noodle soup when I’m not sick- it reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom would bring me a bowl of soup to make me feel better as I lay on the couch watching The Price is Right and reading the Baby-sitters Club Little Sister books.

A lot has changed since those days though, and since I’ve grown up, my soup has, too. While I’m happy to have a simple version of chicken noodle soup when I’m too sick to actually cook, I prefer this more grown-up version when I’m just feeling nostalgic. It’s not much harder to make than the original since it’s made in the slow cooker, but it swaps those tiny bits of noodle for hearty potato gnocchi and includes more of those veggies I used to pick around!

Slow Cooker “Grown-Up” Chicken Soup

Ingredients:
-1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast
-1 cup diced onion
-3/4 cup diced celery
-1/2 cup diced carrots
-1 tsp poultry seasoning
-1 tsp sea salt
-2 tsp dried basil
-2 tsp Italian seasoning
-4 cups chicken broth {I recommend low salt but normal is fine}
-2 tbsp cornstarch {dissolved in 2 tbsp water}
-2 12 oz. cans evaporated milk
-2 lbs. potato gnocchi
-2 cloves garlic, minced {or 1 tsp pre-minced garlic}
-1 tbsp olive oil
-5 oz baby spinach
-2 tbsp garlic powder
-salt to taste

Directions:
1. Place the first 9 ingredients {chicken, onion, celery, carrots, poultry seasoning, sea salt, basil, Italian seasoning, chicken broth} in a slow cooker on low for 6-8 hours.
2. Shred chicken in slow cooker. {Be careful!}
3. Add cornstarch mixture, evaporated milk, and gnocchi and stir well. Replace lid and continue cooking on low for 30 minutes.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet on medium and once hot, cook garlic for 1 minute- making sure not to burn! {You can adjust your heat as needed.} Add baby spinach and stir constantly until wilted.
5. Add garlic powder and spinach and garlic mix to the slow cooker and stir well. If soup seems a bit thick, you can add up to 1 cup of water.
6. Serve into bowls and salt each to taste. {I never add additional salt to my food, but my hubby added a smidge to his.}

The ingredients list makes this recipe look sort of intimidating, but it’s SO worth trying. It’s easy to make- it mostly includes setting and forgetting- and really you probably have most of those things in your pantry anyway because they’re mostly all seasonings. This recipe makes a lot of food, too, so you’ll have leftovers to enjoy- perfect if you’re sick or just want to stretch your dollar {and time in the kitchen}!

Looking for more slow cooker recipes? Check these out:

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Crockpot Pepsi Ribs

Crockpot Italian Chicken

12 Slow Cooker Sunday Dinners

My Slow Cooker Pinterest Board {with over 1700 pins & counting!}