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Two bowls of Lemon Chicken soup in bowls with bread, spoons, and parsley surrounding them.
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Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Soup

This Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Soup is light, cozy, and full of flavor. Tender chicken, pearl couscous, and fresh vegetables slowly cook in a bright, lemony herb broth. This soup easily comes together in the slow cooker to create a comforting meal that’s perfect on any chilly day.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword lemon chicken soup
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 7 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 7 hours 40 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 252kcal
Author Tawnie Graham of Kroll's Korner

Ingredients

  • 2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts
  • 8 cups chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon paste or powder
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 3-4 large carrots peeled and diced
  • 3-4 celery stalks diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme chopped (stems removed)
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary chopped (stems removed)
  • 1½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • Pinch of red chili flakes optional
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 cup pearl couscous
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley chopped
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Assemble the soup base: In a large 6QT slow cooker, combine the chicken thighs or breasts, chicken broth, chicken bouillon, diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper, chili flakes (if using), and bay leaves.
    2-3 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, 8 cups chicken broth, 1 Tbsp. chicken bouillon, 1 yellow onion, 3-4 large carrots, 3-4 celery stalks, 3 cloves garlic, 1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, 1½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. black pepper, Pinch of red chili flakes, 2 bay leaves
    Side-by-side image of adding soup base ingredients to crockpot.
  • Cook: Cover and cook on low for 7–8 hours or high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
    Lemon chicken soup ingredients cooked in crockpot for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high.
  • Shred the chicken: Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred it into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the soup.
    Chicken shredded into tiny pieces with two forks on wood cutting board.
  • Add lemon and couscous: Stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and pearl couscous. Cover and continue to cook on high for an additional 20–30 minutes, or until the couscous is tender.
    Zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1 cup pearl couscous
    Side-by-side image of adding pearl couscous and lemon to soup then letting soup cook for 20-30 more minutes until couscous is done.
  • Finish and serve: Discard the bay leaves. Stir in fresh parsley just before serving. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
    1 Tbsp. fresh parsley
    Lemon chicken soup in white bowl.

Notes

    • Cook couscous on the side: If you don't like when the noodles soak up a lot of the broth (or get mushy when reheating), you can easily cook the couscous (or any pasta shape) on the side and just add to your bowl when serving (this is my prefer method if I making this soup for meal prep).
    • Store: Allow to soup to cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
    • Freeze: Allow soup to cool completely, then add to freezer-safe containers or baggies and freeze for 4-6 months. Be sure to label the baggie with a Sharpie so you know when you made it!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 252kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 112mg | Sodium: 1360mg | Potassium: 493mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 4160IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 2mg