Chicken and Lentil Soup, Slow Cooker

This healthy slow cooker chicken and lentil soup is a no fuss recipe, just toss everything in and no sautéing required! It's hearty, and nutritious, and just packed with flavor.

Lentil Soup You'll Love This

A slow cooker cooked chicken and lentil soup is a perfect high fiber protein meal. I really liven things up by using my homemade sofrito (onions, peppers, garlic, cilantro, etc.) in the form of a flavorful blend. The amount this recipe gives you makes enough for meal prepping. It is also easy to customize it – adding extra veggies, or changing the spices to suit your taste, for instance. If you're in a hurry, take a look at my Instant Pot Chicken and Lentil Soup or the stovetop version, Chicken Lentil Soup.

Chicken and Lentil Soup Ingredients

• Lentils: Red lentils break down too much, so use green or brown lentils for this recipe.
• Chicken: Take chicken and either choose six boneless, skinless chicken thighs (trimmed of fat) or six chicken breasts.
• Chicken broth: The base of this soup.
• Tomatoes: One of Rotel canned tomatoes diced.
• Carrots: Get 1 ½ cups of carrots by chopping enough.
• Sofrito: Key to flavoring the soup is this classic Latin sauce of onions, peppers, garlic and cilantro. When I have some time, I make a batch of my sofrito and freeze any leftovers behind an ice cube tray for later use.
• Seasoning: I also use adobo seasoning, salt, pepper and a bit of cumin to keep the flavor strong but not overpowering.

Chickpea and chicken soup recipe

But this recipe couldn't be easier; only 3 simple steps!

1. Dump Everything In: Dump all of these ingredients into your slow cooker.
2. Cook: Put the slow cooker on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
3. Finish: Ready to cook time is up, shred chicken with two forks, taste soup and adjust seasoning if you need to.

Variations and Substitutions

• Tomatoes: Swap 8 ounces of canned diced tomatoes with 4-ounce can of green chiles if you don't have Rotel.
• Adobo Seasoning: Cumin, coriander, oregano is this Latin spice mix that you know. You can put it in most supermarkets or you can make it yourself from my adobo seasoning recipe.
• Vegetables: You can add other veggies like potatoes, celery, bell peppers or leafy greens leafy greens spinach or kale.
• Vegetarian Option: Don't even bother with the chicken because there will be plenty of protein from the lentils in the soup.

Chicken and Lentil Soup: What To Serve it With

• For a fresh salad of tomatoes, avocado, and cucumber, pair this soup.
• Either serve it up over crusty bread or crackers to soak up the tasty broth.

Storage Tips

Perfect for meal prep, this is the soup. Keep in a sealed container in the fridge up to 4 days or freeze in individual portions for up to 3 months. Just add a splash of water if you find your soup is too thick as you are reheating. It will warm up on the stovetop or in the microwave.

FAQs on lentils

Do you need to soak lentils before they are cooked?

Lentils do not require soaking as you would with beans. Next add them into the slow cooker and the broth.

Is lentils soup healthy?

Of course! this is one of the best soups ever – packed full of protein, fiber (and beneficial healthy fats), vitamins and minerals. It also gives you B vitamins and protein. The lentils are rich in iron, folate and fiber. Carrots are high in beta carotene, as one would expect, as well as potassium and they help.