Everything you love about chicken parmesan in a warm bowl of soup! You’ll love this easy and comforting Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup. It’s sure to be a family favorite!
Happy Monday friends! I made more soup to share with you today, I hope you guys aren’t sick of it yet. This Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup is sort of a cross between a soup and a stew because it’s on the thick side. My husband actually really liked it, probably because he didn’t realize it was soup (I added extra pasta to his too). He’s of the mindset that soup is not a meal, I beg to differ.
We’ll get back to the soup in a minute, but I have to share the details of my fun weekend with you. It was my husband’s birthday on Saturday so we spent the day celebrating. My husband is a big whiskey/bourbon fan, so I booked us a tour and tasting at Laws Whisky House. We had such a fun time at doing the Stranahan’s tour last year, that I knew he would love this one as well.
After the tour and a little whiskey tasting we headed downtown to one of my husband’s favorite restaurants (mine as well), Linger. You absolutely must go if you’re visiting or if you live here and haven’t tried it out yet. It never disappoints and I can honestly say I’ve never had anything to eat or drink that I didn’t love! If you do plan to go I highly recommend making a reservation, the place fills up fast.
On top of celebrating my husband’s birthday over the weekend, today happens to also be our anniversary. 7 years and loving every minute of it! Anniversary celebrations will be happening next weekend since Monday is a weird day to go out. I’ll give my husband the gift of a delicious dinner tonight, probably not soup, he’d be disappointed.
So, back to this Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup. It has all the wonderful Italian flavor of chicken parmesan, but even easier to make. I chose to sauté my onions and garlic for a few minutes before adding them to the slow cooker because I think it mellows out that harsh flavor that they can have. If you like the more intense flavor, feel free to skip that step and just add everything except the pasta and cheese.
One of the secret ingredients that I highly recommend adding in is a parmesan cheese rind. You can get them at many grocery stores or just cut off the one you’ll be using when you top the soup with cheese. It add so much wonderful cheesy flavor!
Once the soup has cooked you’ll add in the pasta. If you plan to freeze the soup, skip this step or it will be a mushy mess when you defrost it. Instead cook the pasta separately and add it into the portion you plan to serve. The soup is topped with parmesan and mozzarella cheese and if you’re feeling extra fancy stick it under the broiler and let it get all melty and golden brown. Enjoy!
More Slow Cooker Soup
Slow Cooker Broccoli Cauliflower Cheese Soup
Slow Cooker Cincinnati Turkey Chili
Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Noodle Soup
Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic, grated
- 1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, rubbed between the palms of your hands
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley, rubbed between the palms of your hands
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 parmesan cheese rind (optional, but recommended)
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 6 ounces uncooked whole wheat or gluten-free rotini or penne pasta
- 1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 3/4 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- In a small skillet sauté the onion in the olive oil for 3 minutes then add in the garlic and sauté another minute.
- In the slow cooker add the sautéed onion and garlic along with all of the other ingredients minus the pasta and shredded cheeses. Stir together until combined then cover with the lid and cook on high for 3 1/2 hours, or on low for 7 hours.
- Transfer chicken breasts to a cutting board and shred them; return them to the slow cooker then stir in the pasta (see note regarding pasta). Cook on high for 30 minutes longer or until pasta is cooked al dente. Stir in the shredded parmesan cheese.
- Serve topped with the shredded mozzarella cheese and chopped basil or parsley.
Notes
- If you plan to freeze this soup omit the pasta and cook separately. Add the pasta to the soup you plan on eating at the time as pasta doesn't freeze well in soup.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 317Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 46mgSodium: 961mgFiber: 8gSugar: 9gProtein: 23g
What do i do with the parmesan cheese rind? Shred and add it to the slow cooker? Add later? How much rind to you recommend?
Thanks!
Hi Brent. The rind simply adds extra flavor to the soup. You don’t need to do anything to it except toss it in the soup while it cooks and remove it when the soup is done. Any size rind works, obviously the bigger it is the more you will notice the flavor. Hope this helps.