There’s nothing more comforting than coming home to a hearty bowl of soup simmering in the slow cooker. This Slow Cooker Chicken Chickpea Minestrone is easy to prepare, loaded with shredded chicken, hearty chickpeas, and plenty of fresh vegetables, and topped with a vibrant, garlicky herb sauce. It’s a dish your whole family will love.

Tender chicken and vegetable soup with chickpeas, carrots, and leafy greens in a comforting broth, perfect for easy homemade meals and nourishing family dinners.

Serves: 8
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 7 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high setting.

Ingredients for the Soup:

2 shallots or 1 onion (roughly chopped)
2 carrots, sliced
1 small fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
6 cups of chicken broth or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of chickpeas (rinsed)
2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp of Ghee or butter
¼ tsp salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts (skin removed)
⅔ cup buckwheat grains or quinoa (rinsed)
about 4-6 cups of fresh kale (thick stems discarded and leaves torn)

Ingredients for the Optional Garlicky Herb Sauce:

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp of fresh lemon zest
⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Shallots a can of chickpeas, a bowl of kale, a small bowl of buckwheat grains, chicken broth, and a glass jar, cherry tomatoes, ahead of garlic chicken breast on a white plate and a white bowl is too crushed tomatoes, carrots, fennel, silver bowl, Italian seasoning, and a bay leaf all on parchment paper on the white counter.

Get the full printable instructions with measurements at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

Step-by-Step Directions:

Step 1: Combine shallots, carrots, fennel, garlic, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Top the vegetables with the chicken, then add the ghee or butter by placing it on top of the chicken pieces. Pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker, then cover and cook on low for 7 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.

Into a crockpot with tomatoes, vegetables, chicken breast seasoning, and butter. All on the counter.

Chicken broth is being poured into a crockpot with tomatoes, vegetables, chicken breast seasoning, and butter. All on the counter.

Step 2: Remove the bay leaf, then use two forks to gently shred the meat directly in the slow cooker.

Step 3: Stir in buckwheat, kale, and rinsed chickpeas. Cover and cook until buckwheat is tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

In a crockpot on the counter is the hardy soup with chickpeas and buckwheat grains in a gold mesh strainer are being poured into the crockpot.

In a crockpot on the counter is the hardy soup with 4 cups of kale being placed on top of it.

Step 4: Make the Optional Garlicky Herb Sauce: Pulse parsley, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, and red pepper flakes in a food processor until finely chopped. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then drizzle on top of each bowl of soup, if desired.

Slow cooker, chicken, chickpea soup in a bowl with garlic herb topping on a white counter with an orange towel and above it.

Tips:

Use Quinoa instead of buckwheat.
Use kidney beans instead of Chickpeas.
Reduced-sodium chicken broth was used in this recipe.

Chicken Chickpea Minestrone

This Slow Cooker Chicken Chickpea Minestrone is a dish your whole family will love.

Tara

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 7

Total Time 7 10

Servings

Equipment

Slow cooker

Ingredients

2 shallots or 1 onion (roughly chopped)
2 carrots (sliced)
1 small fennel bulb (thinly sliced)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of chickpeas (rinsed)
2 tsp dry Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
¼ tsp salt & freshly ground black pepper
4 chicken breasts (skin removed)
⅔ cup buckwheat grains or quinoa (rinsed)
about 4-6 cups of fresh kale (thick stems discarded and leaves torn)

Ingredents for the Optional Garlicky Herb Sauce:

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley
1 garlic clove
1 Tbsp of fresh lemon zest
⅓ cup of extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Combine shallots, carrots, fennel, garlic, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt, and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker. Top the vegetables with the chicken, then add the ghee or butter by placing it on top of the chicken pieces. Pour the broth into the slow cooker and then cover and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the bay leaf, then use two forks to gently shred the meat directly in the slow cooker.
Stir in buckwheat, kale, and rinsed chickpeas. Cover and cook until buckwheat is tender, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Make the Garlicky Herb Sauce: Pulse parsley, garlic, lemon zest, olive oil, and red pepper flakes in a food processor until finely chopped. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then drizzle on top of each bowl of soup, if desired.