Crockpot Chicken Parmesan Soup (Slow Cooker)

This Crockpot Chicken Parmesan Soup has all of the flavors of a decadent comfort food classic in an easy slow cooker soup! This family-friendly dinner recipe takes just minutes to prep.

“I grew up eating my mom’s chicken parm, and this is such a fun way to use those flavors in a soup! I used to make this recipe in college to rave reviews, and now years later I still turn to this soup for a comforting, easy meal.”

—Katherine

When I was growing up, my mom had a slow cooker that she used to make exactly one thing – her Beef vegetable soup slow cooker. Actually, she just called it “vegetable soup,” which I teased her about since it contained beef short ribs.

Midwest livin’, man. She also made her lasagna recipe cottage cheese instead of ricotta – another Midwest classic!

So from a young age, I associated slow cookers with crockpot soups like crockpot taco soup. It was only later in life that I discovered the pleasure of a slow cooker chicken burrito bowl and the ease of my green bean casserole in a crockpot.

Crock pots really are a great way to make soup, as the ingredients have all day to slowly simmer, release their flavors, and come together into one harmonious bowl of deliciousness.

“I made this last night for my family and it was a huge hit! Thanks so much!”

—Marcie

About this slow cooker chicken parmesan soup:

This slow cooker chicken parmesan soup has all of the flavors of decadent chicken parmesan, but is much more waistline-friendly than the dish that inspires it.

You simply simmer chicken broth, chicken breasts and crushed tomatoes in a crock pot all day. You’ll also include garlic, onion, basil, oregano and red pepper flakes for an aromatic base.

Just before serving this crockpot chicken parmesan soup, you’ll remove the chicken breasts, shred them and return them to the crock pot (just like my mom did with the short ribs in her not-so-veggie soup).

Gemelli pasta (or any long, tube-like shape of pasta) is stirred in at the same time, and in a half hour, the pasta will be cooked to al dente perfection.

Then comes a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, and dinner is served!

Answers to some frequently asked questions about this chicken parm soup are below.

Can you used cooked chicken in this chicken parm soup?

Unlike with something like slow cooker beef stroganoff, where the beef needs to be browned before going into the slow cooker, the chicken for this recipe does NOT need to be cooked prior prior to going into the crockpot.

This crockpot soup recipe calls for raw chicken breast, because the crockpot will fully cook the chicken during the cooking time.

However, if you have some cooked chicken on hand and would rather use that, you definitely can! And if you have even more cooked chicken on hand after that, try it in place of shrimp in my shrimp wonton soup.

But, if you add cooked chicken at the beginning of the cooking time, the meat would get very dried out.

So, I would stir in cooked, chopped chicken in the last 5 to 10 minutes of the pasta cooking time, just to warm it through.

Can I double this chicken parmesan soup recipe? Do I need to make any adjustments?

I’ve made a double batch of this crockpot soup recipe for a crowd many times. I didn’t make any adjustments other than doubling each ingredient amount. The cooking times remained the same.

However, before you double up, please make sure your crock pot is big enough to actually accommodate a double batch of this chicken parm soup – I used a 7 quart slow cooker when doubling.

And if you end up buying a whole bag of green peppers, be sure to try my fajitas veggies, too!

Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh herbs in this crockpot soup?

Definitely! But since dried herbs have a stronger flavor than fresh, Epicurious recommends to scale down the measurement to one-third of the fresh amount called for.

So, instead of 2 tablespoons (6 teaspoons) fresh basil, you’ll want to use 2 teaspoons dried basil.

And instead of 2 tablespoons fresh oregano, you’ll want to use 2 teaspoons dried oregano in this chicken parm soup.

Can I use quinoa / rice / gluten free pasta instead of the traditional pasta in this slow cooker soup recipe?

You probably can, but I haven’t tested this crockpot soup recipe with any of those things.

If you’re looking to use something other than traditional pasta in this crockpot chicken parmesan soup recipe, I would advise cooking that item separately and simply stirring it in when you return the chicken to the pot, then serving.

That way you can ensure that whatever alternative to traditional pasta you’re using is properly cooked when you dish up the soup.

Chicken Parmesan Soup Recipe

Author: Lori Yates

Yield: 4 servings

Prep: 30 minutes minutes

Cook: 7 hours hours 40 minutes minutes

Total: 8 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Chicken Parmesan Soup is hearty, cheesy and easy to prep. Make it on the stove or in a crockpot, and your family will ask for this one again and again.

4.4 from 243 ratings

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Ingredients

• ▢ 4 garlic cloves minced
• ▢ ½ large green bell pepper finely chopped
• ▢ ½ medium white onion finely chopped
• ▢ 1 can crushed tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
• ▢ ½ pound raw boneless skinless chicken breast
• ▢ 3 cups chicken stock plus additional if needed
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 4 ounces uncooked dry penne pasta
• ▢ 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
• ▢ 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ Chopped fresh basil for garnish

Instructions

• In 5-quart or larger slow cooker, stir together garlic, bell pepper, onion, tomatoes, chicken, stock, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook on low 7-1/2 hours or on high 3-1/2 hours.
• When the slow cooker time is up, set it to warm, or keep it on low if you do not have a warm setting. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling, and cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente, then drain.
• Meanwhile, transfer chicken to cutting board and use forks to coarsely shred.
• Add Parmesan, butter, cooked pasta and shredded chicken to slow cooker and stir until well combined.
• Serve garnished with shredded mozzarella cheese and basil.

Video

Notes

• The butter stirred in at the end is optional. It adds a few calories, but it also adds a nice richness and mouthfeel to the soup.
• When this recipe was originally published in 2014, the pasta was cooked directly in the slow cooker – very on-trend for the time. While that method absolutely still works, it can lead to a softer pasta and thicker soup, especially when reheated. After making this dozens of times for our family over the years, we not believe that cooking the pasta separately and stirring it in at the end makes a big difference in texture, consistency and leftovers.
  • If you’d like to make this the original way, add the uncooked penne to the slow cooker in Step 2, instead of cooking the pasta separately. Cook the pasta in the slow cooker on HIGH for 20 to 30 minutes or until the pasta is cooked al dente, then proceed with the rest of the recipe. You may need additional broth to thin the soup if you cook the pasta in the soup like this.

• If you don’t want to use a slow cooker, this chicken Parmesan soup adapts easily to the stovetop using the following steps:
  1. Get a big pot of water heating up fo the pasta. At the same time, saute the onion and bell pepper in a separate large pot in a bit of oil over medium heat until the vegetables are softened, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds, while stirring.
  2. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Heat to boiling over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 12 to 15 minutes.
  3. While the chicken is cooking, cook the pasta according to package directions for al dente and drain.
  4. Shred the chicken and return it to the pot. Add the Parmesan, butter and cooked pasta and stir until well combined. Serve topped with mozzarella and basil.

Calories: 615kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 43g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 123mg, Sodium: 1901mg, Potassium: 1022mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 11g, Vitamin A: 1303IU, Vitamin C: 31mg, Calcium: 586mg, Iron: 3mg

This website provides estimated nutrition information as a courtesy only. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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