Slow Cooker Marry Me Chicken Soup

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Prep Time:20

Cook Time:7

Total Time:7 20

Ingredients

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small yellow onion diced
4 cloves garlic minced
6 cups chicken broth
1 (10.5-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
1 cube chicken bouillon
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
½ teaspoon paprika
1 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes drained
8 ounces ditalini pasta
4 ounces cream cheese softened
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups chopped fresh spinach
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Step 1: Season the Chicken - Place the chicken breasts in a 6 or 7 quart slow cooker, then season them with the kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I like getting those seasonings directly onto the chicken rather than simply dropping everything into the broth. It means the meat itself has good flavor once you shred it later, which matters when you are trying to get a little chicken into every spoonful.
Step 2: Add the Onion and Garlic - Scatter the diced onion and minced garlic around and over the chicken. There is no need to cook them first. During the long cooking time, the onion will soften and mellow while the garlic works its way into the broth. This is one of those moments when I appreciate the slow cooker most because there is no extra skillet waiting in the sink afterward.
Step 3: Build the Savory Broth - Pour in the chicken broth. Add the cream of chicken soup and whisk or stir it into the broth as thoroughly as you can until the larger lumps disappear. Add the chicken bouillon, Italian seasoning, paprika, and crushed red pepper flakes. Give the liquid another gentle stir around the chicken so the seasonings are distributed throughout the cooker.
Step 4: Add the Sun Dried Tomatoes - Stir in the drained sun dried tomatoes. They will soften as the soup cooks and give the broth little pockets of concentrated tomato flavor. Make sure they are mostly tucked into the liquid rather than sitting on top. Then cover the slow cooker so all that garlic, chicken, herb, and tomato aroma stays where it belongs.
Step 5: Slow Cook Until Tender - Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours. The chicken should be fully cooked and tender enough to pull apart easily. I prefer the LOW setting when the day allows for it because it gives the chicken plenty of time to become tender while dinner quietly takes care of itself.
Step 6: Shred the Chicken - Transfer the cooked chicken to a plate or cutting board. Shred it with two forks or chop it into bite sized pieces if your family prefers chunkier chicken. I usually shred ours because the smaller strands settle right into the creamy broth and make it easier for everybody to get chicken, pasta, and sauce together in one spoonful.
Step 7: Cook the Ditalini - While the chicken is out of the slow cooker, cook the ditalini pasta according to the package directions until just al dente. Drain it well once it is ready. Cooking the pasta separately is worth the extra pot because it gives you much better control over the texture and keeps those little noodles from sitting in hot broth for hours and turning too soft.
Step 8: Make the Soup Creamy - Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker. Add the softened cream cheese, heavy cream, grated Parmesan, and cooked ditalini. Stir gently until the cream cheese begins melting into the hot broth and the Parmesan disappears into the soup. Give it a minute if needed. The broth will go from savory and brothy to noticeably richer and silkier as everything comes together.
Step 9: Wilt the Spinach - Add the chopped fresh spinach and stir it into the hot soup. Let everything cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, just until the spinach wilts and the creamy ingredients are completely incorporated. You are not trying to cook the spinach for a long time here. You want it tender and bright, not cooked down until it disappears.
Step 10: Finish With Fresh Parsley - Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top. Give the broth a taste before serving and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then put the pot somewhere everybody can reach it, set out some bread for dipping, and prepare yourself for somebody to ask whether there is enough for another bowl.

Notes

Substitutions

Chicken thighs: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs can replace the chicken breasts and will give you especially tender, juicy pieces of chicken.
Small shells or mini penne: Either pasta shape can replace the ditalini if that is what you already have in the pantry.
Half and half: Use half and half in place of heavy cream for a slightly lighter broth, though the finished soup will not be quite as rich.
Kale: Chopped kale can replace the spinach, but give it a little more time in the hot soup so it has a chance to become tender.
Asiago cheese: Replace part of the Parmesan with grated Asiago for a slightly sharper, richer cheese flavor.

Variations

Marry Me Gnocchi Soup: Skip the ditalini and add 16 ounces of shelf stable potato gnocchi during the final 20 minutes of cooking, checking that the gnocchi are tender before serving.
Spicy Marry Me Soup: Double the crushed red pepper flakes and add a few dashes of hot sauce at the table so the creamy broth has a stronger kick.
Bacon Marry Me Soup: Sprinkle crispy crumbled bacon over each bowl right before serving for a smoky, salty finish that goes especially well with the Parmesan.
Extra Vegetable Soup: Add finely chopped mushrooms or a little more spinach if you want to work extra vegetables into dinner without changing the creamy character of the soup.
Extra Garlicky Soup: Add another clove or two of minced garlic if your family loves garlic as much as mine does.

Tips and Tricks

Cook the pasta separately: This keeps the ditalini from absorbing too much broth and becoming overly soft while the chicken cooks.
Soften the cream cheese first: Room temperature cream cheese blends into the hot broth much more smoothly than a cold block straight from the refrigerator.
Drain the tomatoes well: You want the concentrated flavor of the sun dried tomatoes without adding a large amount of their packing oil to the soup.
Use freshly grated Parmesan when possible: Parmesan grated from a block tends to melt more smoothly into the broth and gives you a creamy finish.
Add the dairy near the end: Heavy cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan only need enough time to warm and melt, so there is no reason to put them through the full slow cooking time.
Keep extra broth nearby: Pasta continues absorbing liquid as it sits, so a splash of chicken broth is an easy way to loosen leftover soup.
Taste before adding extra salt: Between the broth, cream of chicken soup, bouillon, and Parmesan, there is already plenty of savory seasoning in the pot.

Serving Ideas

Crusty bread: A thick slice of warm crusty bread is wonderful for catching the creamy Parmesan broth left at the bottom of the bowl.
Garlic bread: This is my favorite option when dinner needs to feel a little more generous with almost no extra effort.
Simple green salad: Crisp lettuce with a light vinaigrette gives you a fresh contrast to the rich soup.
Roasted broccoli: A sheet pan of roasted broccoli makes an easy vegetable side and works nicely with the garlic and Parmesan flavors.
Family soup night: Put the slow cooker on the table with bowls, bread, extra Parmesan, and red pepper flakes so everybody can build dinner the way they like it.

Storage and Make Ahead Tips

Refrigerate leftovers: Store cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheat gently: Warm the soup over medium low heat on the stove or microwave individual portions until heated through.
Loosen thick leftovers: Add a splash of chicken broth or cream while reheating if the pasta has absorbed some of the liquid.
Freeze before the creamy finish: For the best texture, freeze the soup before adding the pasta, cream cheese, heavy cream, Parmesan, and spinach.
Finish after thawing: Thaw the frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator, reheat it gently, then add freshly cooked pasta and the remaining creamy ingredients before serving.
Prep ingredients early: Dice the onion, mince the garlic, drain the tomatoes, grate the Parmesan, and chop the spinach the night before so morning slow cooker prep takes only a few minutes.

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Servings: servings