Slow Cooker Chicken Potato Soup is thick, creamy and cozy: soft russet potatoes, carrots and celery in a thyme-seasoned broth with tender shredded chicken, finished with heavy cream and a handful of sharp cheddar. You load the crockpot in the morning, and a hearty dinner is waiting when the day is done.
How to make chicken potato soup in a slow cooker: Layer the potatoes and vegetables in the crock, lay the chicken on top, add seasonings and broth, and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8. Shred the chicken, stir in heavy cream whisked with flour, and cook 30 minutes more.
Why You’ll Love It
- Raw chicken goes straight in: no browning and no precooking.
- Thick and creamy: a flour and cream finish turns the broth velvety.
- Feeds 8: a full slow cooker of soup for dinner and lunches.
- Toppings make it: cheddar, chives and cracked pepper on every bowl.
Ingredient Notes
Russet potatoes: Five cups, peeled and cubed. Russets turn soft and fluffy in the slow cooker, and some of them break down into the broth. I cut them into bite-size cubes so every spoonful gets a piece.
Chicken breasts: One and a half pounds of boneless breasts, thawed. Boneless thighs work too if you prefer darker meat.
Onion, carrots, celery and garlic: The classic soup base. Slice the carrots and chop the celery and onion small so they soften in the same time as the potatoes.
Chicken broth: Four cups. With 2 1/2 teaspoons of salt already in the pot, you may want low-sodium broth; taste at the end before adding more salt.
Heavy cream and flour: A cup and a half of heavy cream and a quarter cup of flour make the soup creamy and thick at the end of cooking.
Thyme and bay leaves: Dried thyme and two bay leaves give the broth an old-fashioned chicken soup flavor. Fish the bay leaves out before serving.
Ingredients
- 5 cups russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 1 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 3/4 cup carrots, sliced
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, thawed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- Shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
- Chopped chives, for topping
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Potato Soup
1. Layer the vegetables. Add the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the bottom of a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker.
2. Add the chicken and broth. Lay the thawed chicken breasts on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and thyme, add the bay leaves and pour in the chicken broth.
3. Slow cook. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer and the potatoes are tender.
4. Shred the chicken. Discard the bay leaves. Lift out the chicken and shred it with two forks.
5. Add the cream. Whisk the flour into the heavy cream until smooth. Pour it slowly into the soup, stirring as you pour.
6. Finish cooking. Stir in the shredded chicken, cover and cook for 30 minutes more, until the soup has thickened.
7. Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, chives and a sprinkle of black pepper.
How to Make the Soup Thick and Creamy
The creaminess comes at the end, not the beginning. Whisk the flour into the cold heavy cream in a bowl or measuring cup until there is not a single streak of dry flour left. It should look like smooth, thin cream.
Pour that mixture into the hot soup in a slow, steady stream while you stir. Then give it the full 30 minutes with the lid on. That is when the flour cooks and the broth turns from thin and brothy to thick and velvety, coating the back of a spoon.
If you like an even thicker, heartier soup, use the potatoes. Press a few of the soft cubes against the side of the crock with your spoon and stir them back in, or stir the soup hard so some potatoes break apart. For a smoother soup, give it a few short pulses with an immersion blender, leaving plenty of chunks. I mash just a handful, because I want to still find whole pieces of potato in my bowl.
Tips for Success
Why is my chicken dry and stringy?
It cooked far longer than it needed. Stick to 4 hours on high or 8 on low, and if your slow cooker runs hot, check the chicken early and lift it out as soon as it is cooked through.
Why are my potatoes still firm?
Vegetables cook slower than poultry in a slow cooker, and USDA FSIS advises putting them in first. Keep the potatoes on the bottom, under the chicken and covered by the broth, and keep the lid on so the heat stays in.
Variations
- Loaded: top each bowl with crumbled bacon, sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced green onion.
- With peas: stir frozen peas into the soup for the last 30 minutes for color and sweetness.
- Dairy-free: leave out the cream and flour, and thicken the soup by mashing or partly blending some of the potatoes.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat soup on the stove or in the microwave until it reaches a rolling boil, never in the slow cooker. FSIS lists cream sauces among foods that do not freeze well, so this creamy soup is best kept in the refrigerator.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with crusty bread, buttery crackers or a simple green salad. If you love a hearty potato soup, try 5-ingredient slow cooker loaded potato soup, crockpot potato broccoli cheddar soup or Paula Deen’s crockpot potato soup. For more chicken soups, there is crack chicken soup, creamy chicken noodle soup and slow cooker lemon chicken and rice soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you cook raw chicken and potatoes together in a slow cooker?
Yes. Both go in raw at the start and cook together in the broth. Use chicken that is fully thawed; USDA FSIS says to always thaw meat and poultry before it goes into a slow cooker.
What is the recipe for old fashioned chicken potato soup?
Chicken, potatoes, onion, carrots and celery simmered in chicken broth with thyme and bay leaves, then finished with cream. That is exactly what this crockpot version does, with the slow cooker doing the simmering.
Can I use chicken thighs?
Yes. Boneless thighs cook the same way. If you use bone-in, skin-on thighs, pull off the skin and bones before shredding the meat.
Final Notes
Taste the soup once the cream has thickened it, and adjust the salt and pepper then. If you have a question or make this soup, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Slow Cooker Chicken Potato Soup
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Ingredients
- 5 cups russet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped
- 3/4 cup carrots sliced
- 1/2 cup celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast thawed
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves removed before serving
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- cheddar cheese shredded, for topping
- chives chopped, for topping
Instructions
- Add the potatoes, onion, carrots, celery and garlic to the bottom of a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker.
- Lay the thawed chicken breasts on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with the salt, pepper and thyme, add the bay leaves and pour in the chicken broth.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer and the potatoes are tender.
- Discard the bay leaves. Lift out the chicken and shred it with two forks.
- Whisk the flour into the heavy cream until smooth. Pour it slowly into the soup, stirring as you pour.
- Stir in the shredded chicken, cover and cook for 30 minutes more, until the soup has thickened.
- Ladle into bowls and top with shredded cheddar, chives and a sprinkle of black pepper.
