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This Crock Pot chicken soup is loaded with tender meat, crispy bacon, sweet corn, broccoli, and zesty Rotel tomatoes in a creamy, cheesy broth. It’s like a perfect cross between corn chowder and broccoli cheddar soup! Serve each warm, satisfying bowl with a simple green salad, a loaf of crusty bread, or a basket of cornbread muffins.
Easy Crock Pot Chicken Soup
An easy Crock Pot chicken soup that combines two popular dishes — broccoli cheese soup and corn chowder — for one amazingly delicious meal. You’ll love the smoky bacon paired with the sweet corn and the spicy tomatoes! Best of all, this family-friendly dinner comes together with about 20 minutes of prep…and then the slow cooker does the rest!
How to Add Depth of Flavor to Chicken Soup
This soup is anything but boring! While some slow cooker soups can taste bland and watered down, we’re adding plenty of delicious flavor to the soup by starting with bacon in a skillet. The smoky bacon drippings flavor the onion and garlic, which you’ll sauté before adding them to the slow cooker.
This extra step is worth the effort, since the crispy bacon and sauteed vegetables give the soup even more layers of flavor. By deglazing the skillet with some of the broth, you also get the added boost from the browned bits in the bottom of the pan. It’s one of the most important steps in layering flavors for a delicious pot of soup!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a big batch of cheesy Crock Pot chicken vegetable soup. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Bacon: adds rich, salty, smoky flavor to the soup. Bacon is a key component in corn chowder, which is why I’ve included it here as well.
- Onion and garlic: for savory flavor.
- Chicken broth: use homemade broth, or purchase a low-sodium variety from the store.
- Condensed cream of chicken soup and condensed cream of celery soup: add flavor to the dish, give the soup a creamy texture, and thicken the broth.
- Frozen corn and frozen baby broccoli florets: for extra nutrition and flavor! You do not need to thaw the frozen veggies before adding them to the slow cooker.
- Canned cream-style corn: gives the soup sweet corn flavor and thickens the broth.
- Canned diced tomatoes with green chiles: such as Ro-tel brand. These add a little bit of spicy kick to the soup. For a mild option, substitute with a can of plain petite diced tomatoes, or look for mild Ro-tel.
- Velveeta cheese and cheddar cheese: the American cheese gives the soup that classic creamy, smooth texture, while the cheddar provides great flavor.
- Chicken: use store-bought rotisserie chicken for a convenient shortcut, or see my notes below if you prefer to start with uncooked chicken.
Do I need to cook my chicken before putting it in soup?
This recipe calls for cooked chicken, which you’ll stir into the soup at the end so that it doesn’t get dried out over the long, slow cooking process. I love to use shredded rotisserie chicken for a convenient shortcut!
That said, you can also cook raw chicken in soup. If you’re starting with raw chicken, you’ll need about 1 lb. of raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs. I prefer thighs in slow cooker recipes, since the dark meat tends to stay juicier. Add the raw chicken at the beginning of the cooking process (when you add the corn, broccoli, and tomatoes). You’ll need to shred the meat after it’s cooked through, and then stir it back into the soup.
Can I put frozen chicken in the crockpot?
No, food safety experts advise against adding frozen meat to slow cookers. It takes a Crock Pot too long to bring frozen chicken up to a safe temperature, allowing for the potential growth of harmful bacteria.
How to Make Chicken Soup in Crock Pot
This sweet, salty, smoky, and cheesy crockpot chicken soup is loaded with delicious flavor!
- Fry bacon in a skillet until crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the bacon to a slow cooker, reserving the drippings in the pan.
- Saute the onion and garlic in the bacon drippings.
- Deglaze the skillet with 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. There’s so much flavor there!
- Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker with the bacon.
- Add the additional broth, condensed soups, corn, broccoli, cream-style corn, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
- Cover the Crock Pot with a lid and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours. It’s done when the broccoli is tender and the soup is warmed through.
- Add the cheeses and the chicken to the pot. Cook for 15-20 more minutes, or until the cheese melts smoothly into the broth. Taste and season with salt and ground black pepper, if desired.
- Ladle into bowls, garnish with chopped fresh herbs, and serve!
What to Serve with Crockpot Chicken Soup
Thanks to plenty of veggies and meat, this soup is a delicious one-pot meal! If you’d like to offer some sides on your table as well, try these:
- House Salad with Candied Pecans, Green Salad with Red Wine Vinaigrette, a Classic Caesar Salad, Mixed Greens with Dijon Vinaigrette, or a Wedge Salad
- Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits, 3-Ingredient Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits, Cheese Biscuits, or Drop Biscuits
- Fluffy Bakery-Style Corn Muffins, Southern Cornbread, Cake Mix Cornbread, Pumpkin Cornbread, Jiffy Cornbread with Creamed Corn, Skillet Cornbread, Corn Sticks, or Honey Cornbread
- Pumpkin Bread or Pumpkin Muffins
- 3-Ingredient Sour Cream Muffins
- Cranberry Orange Bread or Cranberry Muffins
- Cheddar Chive Beer Bread (No Yeast, No Knead) or Honey Beer Bread
- Homemade Crescent Rolls or Soft Dinner Rolls
- A loaf of crusty Dutch Oven Bread or French Baguette (just like you get with your soup at Panera!)
Storage
Properly stored in an airtight container, the soup will last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To Reheat: Place the soup in a pot and warm over a low flame, just until heated through. Be careful not to let the soup boil, or the cheese may curdle.
I do not recommend freezing this soup. While it works okay in a pinch, I find that the texture of the soup is a bit more grainy when thawed. That’s because dairy-based soups tend to separate or curdle after freezing, resulting in an undesirable texture.
Recipe Variations
- If you prefer to start with raw chicken, you’ll need about 1 lb. of uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs. Add the chicken to the slow cooker at the beginning (when you add the broth, broccoli, and tomatoes). Cook until the chicken is done and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Shred the meat with two forks and then stir it back into the soup.
- Instead of the frozen broccoli florets, substitute with about 3 cups of fresh broccoli florets.
- Swap out the chicken and use leftover ham, ham steaks, or diced ham.
- Use leftover turkey (from Thanksgiving!) instead of chicken.
- Add shredded carrots to the soup for even more veggies. This is a classic addition to a traditional broccoli cheese soup, and would be delicious here as well.
- Stir in a can of drained black beans or pinto beans in lieu of the chicken.
Tips for the Best Crock Pot Chicken Soup Recipe
- To prevent your cheese soup from becoming grainy or curdled, make sure that the soup doesn’t get too hot. You don’t want to boil the soup, or the proteins in the cheese tighten up, squeeze out the fat, and give you that unpleasant curdled texture. That’s why we wait to add the cheese at the end!
- Velveeta provides (by far!) the best, smoothest, creamiest texture for a cheesy soup. Yes, you can substitute with other types of cheese…but the soup will not have the same taste or mouthfeel.
- Use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken for an easy, flavorful shortcut. Wait to add it at the end so that it doesn’t become dry or overcooked.
- Garnish each bowl with chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, or thyme, for even more fresh flavor.
- This soup is not low-carb or keto-friendly, as it contains 27 grams of carbohydrates per cup.
More Crock Pot Chicken Soup Recipes to Try
- Crock Pot Chicken Corn Chowder
- Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili
- Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken Stew
- Italian Wedding Soup {stovetop or slow cooker options}
- Crockpot Gumbo with Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp
Cheesy Crock Pot Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 4 strips bacon, chopped
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced, pressed, or grated
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of chicken soup, not diluted
- 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup, not diluted
- 1 (16 ounce) package frozen whole kernel corn
- 1 (12.6 ounce) package frozen baby broccoli florets
- 1 (14.25 ounce) can cream-style corn
- 1 (10 ounce) can Rotel diced tomatoes with green chiles, not drained
- 8 ounces Velveeta cheese, cubed
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken (such as the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken)
Instructions
- In a skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, about 7-8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a slow cooker with a slotted spoon, reserving the drippings in the pan.
- Add the onion to the bacon drippings in the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for stir for 1 more minute. Pour 1 cup of the broth into the skillet, stirring with a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Transfer the broth, onion, and garlic mixture to the slow cooker. Pour in the additional 2 cups of broth, condensed soups, corn, broccoli, cream-style corn, and diced tomatoes. Stir to combine.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, until the soup is warm and the broccoli is tender.
- Add Velveeta, cheddar, and chicken to the slow cooker. Stir, and then place the lid back on the slow cooker and cook for another 15-20 minutes. Stir it again to make sure that the cheese is completely melted and smooth.
- Give it taste, and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.
- Ladle into bowls and enjoy warm!
Notes
- If you prefer to start with raw chicken, you’ll need about 1 lb. of uncooked boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thighs. Add the chicken to the slow cooker at the beginning (when you add the broth, broccoli, and tomatoes). Cook until the chicken is done and reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Shred the meat with two forks and then stir it back into the soup.
- Instead of the frozen broccoli florets, substitute with about 3 cups of fresh broccoli florets.
- Swap out the chicken and use leftover ham, ham steaks, or diced ham.
- Use leftover turkey (from Thanksgiving!) instead of chicken.
- Add shredded carrots to the soup for even more veggies. This is a classic addition to a traditional broccoli cheese soup, and would be delicious here as well.
- Stir in a can of drained black beans or pinto beans in lieu of the chicken.
- To prevent your cheese soup from becoming grainy or curdled, make sure that the soup doesn’t get too hot. You don’t want to boil the soup, or the proteins in the cheese tighten up, squeeze out the fat, and give you that unpleasant curdled texture. That’s why we wait to add the cheese at the end!
- Velveeta provides (by far!) the best, smoothest, creamiest texture for a cheesy soup. Yes, you can substitute with other types of cheese…but the soup will not have the same taste or mouthfeel.
- Use the meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken for an easy, flavorful shortcut. Wait to add it at the end so that it doesn’t become dry or overcooked.
- Garnish each bowl with chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, rosemary, or thyme, for even more fresh flavor.
Looks good but I’d like to see an Instant Pot version of this.
Omg another great recipe. Thank you Blaire
Thank you so much, Karen!