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Slow-Cooker Chicken Soup With Bacon & Potatoes

slow-cooker chicken soup with bacon & potatoes

Adapted from Cooking Light

Hearty stew-like soup; just add a green salad & some crusty bread to sop up the flavorful broth.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Rosemary Stelmach

Ingredients

  • 4 center-cut bacon slices, diced
  • 1 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skinned
  • 2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
  • 2 cups thinly sliced leek from 2 large leeks, light green & white part only (about 8 ounces)
  • 1 cup sliced carrot, from 2 large carrots (about 6 ounces)
  • 1 cup sliced celery, from 2 large stalks (about 6 ounces)
  • 4 cups chicken stock, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 5 fresh thyme sprigs
  • 14 ounces baby potatoes
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach (about 2.5 ounces)

Instructions

  1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium-high until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 1 teaspoon drippings in pan. Set bacon aside.

  2. Sprinkle chicken with the herbes de Provence. Add chicken to bacon drippings in pan; cook for about 8 minutes, browning on all sides. Transfer the chicken using a slotted spoon to a 6-quart electric slow cooker, reserving any drippings in pan.

  3. Add the prepared leek, carrot, and celery to the drippings in the pan; sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 cup of the chickenstock, scraping the pan to loosen any browned bits. Add the leek mixture, along with the cooked bacon, remaining 3 cups of stock, salt, pepper, and thyme sprigs to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 hours.

  4. Add the potatoes; cover and cook on LOW for 2 more hours, until the potatoes are tender.

  5. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon; discard thyme sprigs. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces; discard the bones. Return the chicken to the slow cooker; add the spinach, stirring until the spinach wilts.