Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup is loaded with quinoa, shredded chicken, lots of veggies, and Italian-inspired herbs. It’s hearty and perfect for a cozy meal.
Pair this soup with some crusty bread or homemade Dinner Rolls and an easy Cucumber Salad.
Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup
This delicious and hearty soup is so easy to assemble! With less than 30 minutes of prep time, everything can be in the slow cooker, ready to cook. Just a few hours later, a delicious and fragrant soup will be ready to eat!
Top individual bowls with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and make sure you’ve got some crusty bread to serve alongside the soup!
How To Make Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup
- Sauté Veggies: Sauté diced onion, carrot, and celery to add flavor and avoid crunchy veggies.
- Seasonings: Add Italian spices and tomato paste to the mirepoix for better flavor.
- Cook: Put the mix in a slow cooker. Add chicken, bay leaves, quinoa, diced tomatoes, and chicken stock. Stir, cover, and cook on high for 3-5 hours.
- Finish: Shred the chicken, stir it back in, and season to taste. Add spinach or kale if you like. Serve and enjoy!
Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup Notes
- The longer this soup cooks, the more liquid the quinoa absorbs. For a heartier soup, that’s great, but if you want it to remain more broth-y, stop cooking as soon as the quinoa has “popped.”
- Each slow cooker is a little different, so the cooking time varies. Look for chicken that shreds easily, quinoa fully cooked through, and tender veggies.
- Use a large-enough cooker: I recommend a 6-quart Crock-pot. Crock-pot is actually the brand name of a specific line of slow cookers, but most people use it as a generic term for any slow cooker.
Quick Tip
Rinse quinoa before cooking to remove its bitter coating. Check the package—if it’s not rinsed, rinse under cold water until the water runs clear.
More Soup Recipes
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- Quinoa Chili with sweet potatoes
- Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup a fun twist on chicken noodle soup
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Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup
Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup is loaded with quinoa, shredded chicken, lots of veggies, and Italian-inspired herbs. It’s hearty and perfect for a cozy meal.
Equipment
- 6 quart slow cooker
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup EACH: diced yellow onion, diced celery, diced carrots
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning blend
- 2 teaspoons EACH: dried oregano, dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
- Salt and pepper to taste preference
- 2 small (~12 ounces or 3/4ths a pound) small boneless skinless chicken breasts, each breast cut into 3-5 pieces
- 2 cans (14.5 ounces EACH) undrained fire-roasted diced tomatoes
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa (See Note 1)
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- Optional: 2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach
- For serving: fresh basil, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, crusty bread
Instructions
- MIREPOIX: In a cast-iron pot or skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the 1 cup diced onion, 1 cup diced carrots, and 1 cup diced celery. Cook and stir for 7-9 minutes. Add in the 2 teaspoons minced garlic, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 2 teaspoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes if using. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until fragrant and combined, another 1-3 minutes. Transfer all of this mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- SLOW COOKER: Remove any fat from the chicken breasts, and cut into chunks -- about 3-5 per breast. (This ensures it will cook in the same amount of time.) Place in the slow cooker along with the 2 cans of undrained fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa (See Note 1), 2 bay leaves, and 6 cups chicken stock. Stir together.
- COOK: Cover and cook on high for 3-5 hours or until quinoa has "popped" and chicken shreds easily. I don't recommend cooking on low (See Note 2). Once chicken shreds easily, remove from the slow cooker into a separate bowl or plate and shred with two forks. Return to the soup and stir. Remove bay leaves and discard. If desired, add in 2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach and stir gently to wilt. Taste soup and season with any additional salt or pepper as needed.
- SERVE: Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh basil and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy with a side of crusty bread.
- STORAGE: When stored, note that the quinoa will continue to absorb liquid. This soup does not freeze and thaw well.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Rinsing quinoa: Quinoa has a naturally occurring coating called saponin, which is bitter. It needs to be rinsed before adding to the soup. Many quinoas are pre-rinsed, so check the package to see if the quinoa has been rinsed. If not, add quinoa to a fine-mesh sieve and rinse it under cold water until the water beneath the sieve runs clear.
Note 2: Soup thickness: When cooked on low, the quinoa finishes a lot quicker than the chicken and veggies. The longer this soup sits or cooks, the more broth that gets absorbed into the quinoa. This makes it heartier and also less broth-y. If you want a more broth-y soup, watch carefully and turn the heat off the slow cooker when it is your desired consistency. Alternatively, add more broth as desired.
Nutrition
Serving: 8servings | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.6g | Protein: 7.1g | Fat: 7.7g | Cholesterol: 7.9mg | Sodium: 260.6mg | Fiber: 3.6g | Sugar: 5.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
We loved this! I added a little chopped kale too. Thanks for the recipe!
Ooo that sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the comment 🙂
I just pinned this recipe. I’m wondering if I could leave this on low all day and add the quinoa lets say about 2 hours before turning it off??
Hmm I haven’t tried that, but it sounds like a good idea!! If you try that, I would turn it to high for when the quinoa does cook. Another alternative is to cook everything on low all day and then cook the quinoa on the stovetop and just add that in (reduce the liquid in the soup by 1-2 cups)
Looks yummy but I don’t have a slow cooker…any recommendations on how to adapt this to stove top?
I would just cook the quinoa separately and add it in with the other ingredients that have been cooking in a large stockpot 🙂
is there nutritional info for this? I made it, delicious BTW, but I am trying to get 100g of protein in a day, and need that information. Thanks
Making this now! Smells lovely. Wondering how do I store it?
So glad to hear that! 🙂 I just keep it in tupperware in the fridge and enjoy it for leftovers the next day or so 🙂
Do you think this could be turned into a freezer meal to give some prepped meals to a friend?
I think it would be a great freezer meal! Perhaps just keep the quinoa in a separate bag? Enjoy!
How many cubes of boullion do you use? I’m planning to make this for my lunch at work. Sounds delicious.
If I’m not using chicken broth, then I use water and the equivalent cubes to make 1 cup of broth (I actually use the powder so that comes out to 1 teaspoon per 1 cup of water!)
What are the calories and serving size? Going to be making this today.
Can you recommend something in place of quinoa? I can’t eat quinoa.
Perhaps rice? I would cook it separately and add it in at the end. (Reduce broth by about 2 cups)
This was delicious and hardy. I used chicken thighs and upped the quantities slightly because my package of chicken was a little over a pound. I also substituted zucchini for the celery since that was what I had in the fridge. I made it on the stove top on a cold day and added some kale at the end (trying to use up the last of what I had). The quinoa really does soak up the liquid and gives some great body to the soup if you don’t like things to “brothy”. Used all the recommended herbs too. Family loved it!
Awesome!!! So glad to hear it 🙂 And isn’t it the best when you are able to use what you have in the fridge leftover? Thanks for the comment!