Chicken Pesto Soup (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Crockpot chicken pesto soup is a convenient and deliciously creamy soup you’ll love making anytime. It features fresh veggies, chunks of juicy chicken, chewy barley, pesto, and Parmesan for a cozy meal that will leave you savoring each and every bite.
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I love a good soup and I love it even more if I can make it in my slow cooker.
There’s something to be said for a soup that tastes like you’ve worked hard all day long in the kitchen when you’ve really just thrown a bunch of ingredients in your crock pot and bam!
Deliciousness!
This chicken pesto soup is one of those instances.
There’s nearly no work whatsoever and the result is a soup that tastes straight out of a really good Italian restaurant or even your Nonna’s kitchen.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Chicken broth– I like to use low sodium chicken broth so I can control how salty the soup is.
- Veggies– Diced shredded carrots, diced celery, and shredded zucchini
- Spices– Dried chopped onion, dried oregano, and minced garlic
- Chicken breasts– Boneless skinless breasts
- Barley– Pearl barley. Make sure it’s not the quick cooking kind.
- Milk– Room temperature. Sub half and half or cream for a richer soup.
- Parmesan cheese– Shredded
- Pesto– Either your favorite store bought variety or homemade pesto.
How to Make
This pesto chicken soup is so easy to make!
Just add the broth, carrot, celery, onion, oregano, garlic, and zucchini to the bowl of your slow cooker.
Stir it all together.
Then, add in the chicken breasts.
Put the cover on the crock pot and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the barley is soft and chewy.
Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer it to a plate and use two forks to shred or a knife and fork to dice it up.
Put the shredded, or diced, chicken back into the crockpot.
Stir in the milk, Parmesan, and pesto.
Turn the heat up to high, and continue cooking for another ten minutes.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with additional Parmesan and/or pesto.
Enjoy!
Storing Leftovers
Store leftovers covered in your crock pot in the fridge or in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Reheat in the slow cooker or the microwave until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- For a little brightness, you could add a squeeze of lemon to the soup prior to serving.
- Don’t have barley? Substitute with rice or orzo.
- For the richest, creamiest pesto soup use half and half or heavy cream instead of milk. It’s worth it!
- You could sneak some greens into the soup too and fold in some kale, escarole, or chopped spinach when you add the milk or cream.
Other Slow Cooker Chicken Soup Recipes
Crockpot chicken pesto soup is a family favorite.
Make it and enjoy!
Looking for other easy slow cooker soup recipes with chicken?
Try these:
- Crockpot Chicken Parmesan Soup
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya Soup
- Easy Crockpot Chicken Pho
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Soup
If you’ve tried this CROCKPOT CHICKEN PESTO SOUP, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Creamy Chicken And Pesto Soup (Slow Cooker Recipe)
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 2 carrots shredded and finely diced
- 2-3 ribs of celery finely diced
- 1 tbsp dried chopped onion
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 heaping tbsp minced garlic
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, thawed or frozen
- 1/2 cup pearl barley not quick cooking
- 1 1/2 cups milk room temperature (you can sub half/half or even cream for a richer soup)
- 1/4 cup of shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup pesto
- 1/2 of a zucchini shredded
Instructions
- To the bowl of a crockpot, add in the broth, carrot, celery, onion, oregano, garlic, and zucchini-- give it all a good stir.
- Add in the chicken breasts.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the barley is soft and chewy.
- Remove chicken to a plate, and use two forks to shred or a knife and fork to dice it up.
- Put the shredded, or diced, chicken back into the crockpot.
- Stir in the milk, Parmesan, and pesto.
- Turn the heat up to high, and continue cooking for another ten minutes.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with additional Parmesan and/or pesto, as desired.
Notes
- For a little brightness, you could add a squeeze of lemon to the soup prior to serving.
- Don't have barley? Substitute with rice or orzo.
- For the richest, creamiest pesto soup use half and half or heavy cream instead of milk. It's worth it!
- You could sneak some greens into the soup too and fold in some kale, escarole, or chopped spinach when you add the milk or cream.
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details.
I love creamy soup! I’ve never tried one with pesto but I have no doubt it’s absolutely delicious!! Don’t forget to add links to be considered for features next week! Happy Fiesta Friday, and have a lovely weekend!!