SLOW-COOKER LEMONY CHICKEN SOUP

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Slow-Cooker Lemony Chicken Soup image

This lemony, herbal take on chicken soup highlights produce, but the basic technique is useful any time you want chicken soup with minimum effort. Slow-cooking chicken in stock creates a richly flavored, double-concentrated stock. Homemade stock is ideal, but you can also use your favorite store-bought stock. Stock concentrate paste like Better Than Bouillon is particularly good because it is natural-tasting, cost-effective and keeps in the fridge for a very long time. (Check the jar for how to reconstitute the paste. For this soup, no need to use boiling water; tap water works fine.) This recipe is flexible: If peas and asparagus aren't available, substitute two cups of quick-cooking vegetables, like fresh or frozen corn, baby spinach or arugula, or thinly sliced zucchini. Instead of tortellini, you can add an equivalent amount of cooked pasta or grains.

Provided by Sarah DiGregorio

Categories     dinner, weekday, soups and stews, main course

Time 7h30m

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 14

6 cups chicken stock or broth
1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced crosswise (about 2 cups)
2 carrots, sliced about 1/2-inch thick
2 celery stalks, sliced about 1/2-inch thick
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Black pepper and kosher salt
1 lemon, juiced (2 to 3 tablespoons)
1 cup sliced asparagus (about 12 ounces, trimmed and sliced 1/2-inch thick)
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
9 ounces refrigerated spinach-cheese tortellini (optional; see Tip)
1/2 cup chopped soft fresh herbs, such as dill, mint, tarragon, parsley, chives or a mixture

Steps:

  • In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, combine the stock, chicken, leeks, carrots, celery, garlic, red-pepper flakes, onion powder and several generous grinds of black pepper. Add 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt if using salted stock, 1 teaspoon kosher salt if using low-sodium stock or 2 teaspoons kosher salt if using unsalted stock. Cover and cook on low until the chicken and vegetables are very tender, about 7 hours.
  • Increase the heat to high. Using two forks, tear apart the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add the lemon juice, asparagus, peas and tortellini, if using, to the soup. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender to crisp-tender, and the tortellini is cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Stir in the herbs; season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls to serve.

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