This Slow Cooker Chicken Minestrone Soup comes together effortlessly by basically dumping the ingredients in a slow cooker and walking away, producing a delicious and nutritious meal for busy days.
Classic Minestrone Soup is a hearty tomato-based Italian soup containing vegetables, pasta, beans and sometimes meat. I've taken this classic soup and added chicken to bulk up the protein and eliminated the beans and pasta to keep this dish on the lighter side for a soup that is low-fat, low-carb, keto, gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free and can easily be made vegan by following the variation below. I like to serve Chicken Minestrone Soup with chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese to sprinkle over top.
If you like this easy slow cooker soup you should also try my Slow Cooker Chicken Kale Soup and Slow Cooker Healthy Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Here's what you need to make Slow Cooker Chicken Minestrone Soup:
- frozen green beans
- canned diced tomatoes
- tomato paste
- onion
- celery
- chicken broth
- minced garlic
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- balsamic vinegar
- sugar
- Italian seasoning
- salt
- black pepper
- red pepper flakes
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Here's how to make Slow Cooker Chicken Minestrone Soup:
Use a knife and cutting board to dice the celery and onion.
Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, chicken breasts, diced onion, diced celery, minced garlic, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to a greased slow cooker and give everything a good stir. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
Once the chicken is cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to a plate and shred it using 2 forks. Add the frozen green beans to the slow cooker.
Return the chicken to the pot and give everything a good stir. Cook an additional 30 minutes on low, then serve.
Hint: Alternatively, you can also shred the chicken using a mixing rather than 2 forks.
Substitutions
Want to substitute an ingredient in Chicken Minestrone Soup? Here's how:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts - use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of the breasts for a richer soup.
- Sugar - leave out the sugar altogether or replace it with an alternative sweetener such as honey, coconut sugar or monk fruit sweetener.
- Frozen green beans - replace the frozen green beans with any combination of diced carrot, sliced mushrooms or diced zucchini. The mushrooms or carrot get added to the slow cooker prior to cooking, the zucchini would be added when the chicken is cooked and is being shredded.
Variations
Try one of these variations of Chicken Minestrone Soup:
- Spicy - add an extra ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes to give the soup extra heat.
- Deluxe - add diced pepperoni or a parmesan rind to the slow cooker prior to cooking to add extra flavor and richness to your soup.
- Beans - add a can of rinsed and drained chickpeas or red kidney beans to the slow cooking prior to cooking the soup.
- Vegan - use an equal amount of vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, eliminate the chicken breasts and add a rinsed and drained can of chickpeas or kidney beans to the slow cooker prior to cooking.
- Low-carb/ keto - eliminate the sugar altogether or use an equal amount of monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar and reduce the balsamic vinegar to 2 Tablespoons..
Equipment
This equipment comes in handy when making Slow Cooker Chicken Minestrone Soup:
Storage
Store leftover cooled cooked Chicken Minestrone Soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Check out this article for more details on how to properly freeze and store soup.)
Top tip
Use a slow cooker liner for easy cleanup when making this soup.
FAQ
Minestrone is a tomato-based Italian soup with vegetables, beans, pasta and sometimes meat. For an authentic Italian Minestrone, add a rind of parmesan to the soup when cooking. Other than the addition of a parmesan rind, Minestrone is not that different than a classic American vegetable soup - the ingredients and seasonings may vary a little between the two, but it's basically the same method.
Related
Looking for other easy soup recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
Serve this healthy Chicken Minestrone Soup with one of these vegetable dishes for a balanced meal the whole family will love:
Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Minestrone Soup
Equipment
- 1 knife
Ingredients
- 1 onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 (29 oz) can diced tomatoes
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
- 4 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- ½ Tablespoon sugar
- ½ Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 (12 oz) bag frozen green beans
Instructions
- Use a knife and cutting board to dice the celery and onion.
- Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, chicken breasts, diced onion, diced celery, minced garlic, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes to a greased slow cooker and give everything a good stir. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
- Once the chicken is cooked, use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to a plate and shred it using 2 forks. Add the frozen green beans to the slow cooker.
- Return the chicken to the pot and give everything a good stir. Cook an additional 30 minutes on low, then serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
Shannon
So light and delicious!