Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup is loaded with quinoa, shredded chicken, lots of veggies, and Italian-inspired herbs. It’s hearty and perfect for a cozy meal.
author’s note
My Go-To Soup That Never Fails!
This quinoa soup has been a total hit in my house. I first made it on a busy weeknight when I needed something easy and filling. I tossed everything into the crockpot and hoped for the best, and it turned out to be one of those surprise dinners everyone loved. It’s become a recipe I make again and again.
It’s been such a favorite that I decided to play around with the flavors and try a more Italian-inspired version.
I added herbs like basil and oregano, and it completely transformed the soup. The mix of tender chicken, hearty quinoa, and veggies with those Italian herbs makes it so flavorful and comforting. It’s simple, nourishing, and honestly one of my all-time favorite crockpot dinners now.
Ingredients
| Ingredient | Swap, variation, or tip |
|---|---|
| Quinoa | Rinse well before adding. Use tri-color or red quinoa for extra color, or reduce the amount if you want a thinner soup. |
| Boneless, skinless chicken breasts | Swap for chicken thighs or use leftover rotisserie chicken and add it near the end. |
| Fire-roasted diced tomatoes | Regular diced tomatoes work fine. |
| Mirepoix (onion, carrot, celery) | Save time with frozen mirepoix, or toss in extra veggies like zucchini or green beans toward the end of cooking. |
| Italian herbs (Italian seasoning, oregano, basil, thyme) | You can swap any for fresh herbs if you have them! |
| Chicken stock & bay leaves | Go with low-sodium stock to better control salt in this chicken quinoa soup. |
| Baby spinach | Swap for kale or Swiss chard. Add it at the end so it stays bright and tender. |
Featured Comment
“I am making this for supper tonight for the second time – we Loved it the first time around! Amazing flavour! Thank you so much for sharing.”
– Jackie
How To Make Chicken Quinoa Soup
- Sauté veggies: Cook onion, carrot, and celery in oil until soft.
- Add flavor: Stir in garlic, tomato paste, and seasonings.
- Transfer to slow cooker: Add chicken, quinoa, tomatoes, bay leaves, and broth.
- Cook: Cover and cook on high until chicken is tender and quinoa has popped.
- Finish: Shred chicken, stir it back in, and add spinach if you like.
- Serve: Taste, adjust seasoning, and serve warm with Parmesan and crusty bread.
Storage
- Store leftover chicken quinoa soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 3–4 days. Add a splash of broth when reheating since quinoa absorbs liquid as it sits.
- This soup doesn’t freeze well once quinoa is added. To freeze, store the soup before adding quinoa and cook it fresh when ready to serve.
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Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup
Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup is hearty, cozy, and packed with quinoa, shredded chicken, veggies, and Italian herbs. Let the slow cooker do the work!
Equipment
- Large cast-iron pot or skillet
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- Salt and pepper to taste preference
- 2 small (12 ounces or 3/4 a pound) boneless, skinless chicken breasts each breast cut into 3–5 pieces
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes undrained
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa see note 1
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups coarsely chopped baby spinach optional
- Serving suggestions see note 2
Instructions
- In a cast-iron pot or skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add in diced onion, diced carrots, and diced celery. Cook and stir for 7–9 minutes. Add minced garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, dried oregano, dried basil, dried thyme, and red pepper flakes, if using. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until fragrant and combined, another 1–3 minutes. Transfer all this mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Remove any fat from the chicken breasts and cut into chunks—about 3–5 per breast. (This ensures it will cook in the same time.) Place in the slow cooker along with the undrained fire-roasted diced tomatoes, uncooked quinoa (see note 1), bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir together.
- Cover and cook on high for 3–5 hours or until quinoa has “popped” and chicken shreds easily. I don’t recommend cooking on low (see note 3). Once chicken shreds easily, remove from the slow cooker into a separate bowl or plate and shred with two forks. Return to the soup and stir. Remove bay leaves and discard. If desired, add coarsely chopped baby spinach and stir gently to wilt. Taste soup and season with any additional salt or pepper as needed.
- Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh basil and lots of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy with a side of warm, hearty bread.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Rinse quinoa before adding it to the soup to remove its bitter saponin coating. Use a fine-mesh sieve and rinse under cold water until clear. Many brands are pre-rinsed, so check the package first.
Note 2: Serving suggestions: fresh basil, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and warm, hearty bread.
Note 3: When cooked on low, the quinoa finishes a lot quicker than the chicken and veggies. The longer this soup sits or cooks, the more broth the quinoa absorbs. This makes it heartier and less broth-y. If you want a more broth-y soup, watch carefully and turn the heat off the slow cooker when it is your desired consistency. Alternatively, add more broth as desired.
Storage: When stored, note that the quinoa will continue to absorb liquid. This soup does not freeze and thaw well.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 176kcal | Carbohydrates: 20.6g | Protein: 7.1g | Fat: 7.7g | Cholesterol: 7.9mg | Sodium: 260.6mg | Fiber: 3.6g | Sugar: 5.3g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Crockpot Chicken Quinoa Soup Notes
- Cooking time matters: The longer it cooks, the more liquid the quinoa absorbs. For a thicker soup, cook longer; for a brothier one, stop once the quinoa “pops.”
- Check for doneness: Cook time varies by slow cooker. Look for tender veggies, cooked quinoa, and chicken that shreds easily.
- Use the right size: Use a 6-quart slow cooker. Crock-pot is a common brand name.
It’s in the crock pot and can’t wait to try it! I put kale and some northern beans in with it plus lots of onions!
I hope you love it! 🙂
I am making this for supper tonight for the second time – we Loved it the first time around! Amazing flavour! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
So great to hear! I’m thrilled this was a hit. Thanks for the comment Jackie 🙂
Would the cooking time be the same without the chicken?
It will be a similar cooking time without the chicken for the quinoa to fully cook and the veggies to get soft.
Hi Chelsea! Thank you for posting this recipe, the flavor is quite delicious. I am not really a crock pot professional, so maybe you can help me out? I followed your recipe exactly, but I noticed that my chopped carrots and celery are still hard and crunchy after 5 hours of cooking in the crock pot. How long does it normally take for these vegetables to soften? Thank you again for a delicious recipe, I hope I can get it down perfectly next time!
Thanks so much for the comment Rhi! I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor, and I’d love to help troubleshoot the veggie tenderness. At 5 hours of cooking was the quinoa and chicken cooked through? You might have a cooler running crockpot so it’s possible this dish could take longer in your crockpot. And then how thinly did you slice the carrots and celery? If you try it again, I’d try to make sure they are both very thinly sliced. And lastly, make sure you don’t open the crockpot during the cooking if you can avoid it. It takes a long time for a crockpot to heat up again after being opened 🙂 Hope these tips help!
I’ve made this and it’s fantastic! question though: can I make it with frozen chicken breasts? I figured it would make the broth a little thinner but with the quinoa absorbing it I figured it could be okay? What do you think?
Thanks so much Kayla! I’ve never tried frozen chicken with this, but I would recommend thawing it first because I think the quinoa would be too mushy by the time the chicken cooked.
I’m a sucker for Italian chicken soup. My husband likes a heartier soup, so I’m cooking it for longer! If you want to make it even healthier, there’s a product called “Better Than Bouillon.” It’s a soup base, used a lot like bouillon (but tastes better in my opinion) and even has an organic option. 1 tsp = one bouillon cube.
Also, I’m planning on making your beef stew next! Love the recipes. 🙂
Thank you so much Grace! I’m so happy you’ve been enjoying some of my recipes 🙂 I hope you love the stew!
Since I have an instant pot now, I used the sauté function to cook the onions, celery, carrots and garlic for a bit before adding the rest of the ingredients and switching it over to the slow cook function. But even with that slight change, this soup was seriously amazing! Perfect for a chilly fall night, and healthy too. Thank you for the recipe, we will definitely be making it again!
Awe thank you Amanda! 🙂 So happy to hear it was a hit 🙂
This was my first time trying one of your recipes and after making this soup….I’m a Fan of yours!!! This soup was delicious!!! Both my husband and I loved it!! So yummy!!! Thanks for the great recipe! I look forward to making many more that you suggest!!
Oh I am so happy this was such a huge hit Shea! 🙂 Thank you so much for the comment!
This soup is fantastic!, no really- it’s amazingly easy and so warm and comforting. You literally dump all the ingredients into the crock pot and for us, 4 hours later it was done. We left the house, and when we opened the door it smelled like thanksgiving. We plunged into the soup and it was so satisfying and delicious. After dinner i sent this recipe to my daughter who is extremely busy with her career and my son who is senior in college studying to be a dietitian. After all my raving about easy and delicious they are both trying the recipe this weekend. Thanks so much!
Thank you so much for this sweet comment Sharlene! I’m so thrilled to hear it’s been a hit and you’ve passed along the recipe! Thank you for the review!
Hi. Could you please tell me what ‘Italian seasoning” is? I’m guessing it’s something like a blend of oregano/marjoram etc.. Or something like that. Gabrielle (from Australia)
Hey Gabrielle! Sure thing, Italian seasoning is a blend of a bunch of different herbs. To make your own, here is a recipe I like: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/34450/italian-seasoning-i/