Hearty Chicken Soup is full of chicken, vegetables, and flavor – with just enough green chile to add depth and a touch of heat – a family favorite.
Hearty Chicken Soup is a great soup for winter with chunks of chicken and vegetables, very easy in a slow cooker. It’s great to have for a potluck or weekend where people can just help themselves. It keeps well in the fridge and freezes just fine. I always like to have soups and chilis like this in the freezer for the winter; it makes it easy to have a hot, tasty meal in a matter of minutes.
This is basically a classic chicken soup with a mirapoux foundation (onions, celery, and carrots) but with a few key ingredients that change its character. With green chiles in it, you might think it’s a chili, but I only used a cup of Big Jim chiles (medium heat). The resulting flavor is unique, but some won’t recognize it as the taste of chiles. With just a cup, it adds just a big of heat and the characteristic chile flavor is very subtle. The cumin also adds a dimension that makes it slightly Southwestern. The sour cream adds an extra richness. Taste this soup before you add the sour cream and again after. You’ll see what I mean. To me, the sour cream is a big factor in calling this soup “hearty.”
I made this using my 6 quart Hamilton Beach slow cooker that has a non-stick inner pot that can go directly on the stove (like this one). That way, I did not need to use a skillet – I used that inner pot as my skillet. I’ve had it forever & use it all the time. After sauteeing the vegetables I just place the pot inside the base that does the heating – so simple. I also used my food processor with the slicer attachment to slice the carrots and celery; this means I got very thin slices of both. You can make these chunks or slices, it doesn’t matter. It’s just a matter of preference.
Hope you try this one – enjoy it!
- 1 tbsp olive oil or avocado oil
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1½ cups chopped onion
- 2 large carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
- 1 tbsp fresh grated turmeric (or 1 tsp ground turmeric)
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken thighs (or breasts)
- 1 tsp freshly chopped rosemary
- 1 tsp freshly chopped thyme, stems removed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon
- 1 cup mild or medium green chiles, pureed in blender
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup short grain brown rice
- 2 cups frozen peas (or corn)
- ¼ cup sour cream (or to taste)
- Place a large skillet over medium high heat and add oil. Once oil is hot, add garlic, onion, carrots and celery; cook for a few minutes until onion becomes translucent. Add grated ginger and turmeric and saute for 30 seconds to let the spices blend.
- Transfer to slow cooker and add chicken broth, chicken, rosemary, thyme, cumin, bouillon, rice, green chiles, salt and pepper.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 5-6 hours. If using a pot on stove, cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 30 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked.
- Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board and shred with two forks or chop into chunks. Add chicken back to pot then stir in frozen peas or corn and sour cream. Add more broth if desired.
- Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired. Enjoy!
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