• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Toasty Kitchen

  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • FAQ
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • Recipes
    • Subscribe
    • About
    • FAQ
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Soups & Stews

    Slow Cooker Chicken Broccoli Cheese Soup

    Published: Jan 24, 2021 · Modified: Feb 23, 2021 by Heather · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 703 words. · About 4 minutes to read this article.

    Jump to Recipe
    Slow cooker chicken broccoli cheese soup recipe.
    Slow cooker chicken broccoli cheese soup recipe.
    Slow cooker chicken broccoli cheese soup recipe.

    Slow cooker chicken broccoli cheese soup is a hearty meal prepared entirely in your slow cooker. This creamy cheese soup is filled with shredded chicken breasts, broccoli, and carrots.

    Bowl of chicken broccoli cheese soup with a spoon.

    Slow cookers are a great time saver when it comes to making a home cooked meal. This chicken broccoli cheese soup is made entirely in the slow cooker, with no stove top cooking involved.

    This creamy cheese soup is filled with flavorful herbs, spices, vegetables, and shredded chicken. A great weeknight meal or hearty homemade dinner on the weekends.

    Broccoli, onion, and carrots are added to the slow cooker, then topped with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. The creamy, cheesy sauce comes together in the last 30 minutes of cooking.

    Ingredients and substitutions

    Ingredients on a counter top.

    For this recipe, you'll need a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. I find that most chicken breasts run very large nowadays, so you may only need two or three for this recipe.

    Broccoli florets can be substituted with frozen broccoli. This may slow your cooking time slightly.

    Half & half can be substituted with whole milk for a slightly thinner soup.

    I highly recommend using freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese off the block for this recipe. Pre-shredded cheeses are often coated in anti-clumping powders. When melted, these powders will cause your soup to have a grainy texture. For this reason, I do not recommend using pre-shredded cheese.

    Sharp cheddar can be substituted with pepper jack cheese for a kick of heat, or monterey jack or gruyere cheeses for a milder, creamy flavor.

    Cooking chicken soup in slow cooker.

    What kind of chicken to use

    Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are ideal for this recipe. They will cook in the same amount of time as the vegetables added to your soup.

    If using thinner cuts of chicken, like thin sliced chicken breasts or chicken tenders, your soup will need much less cooking time and your vegetables may not cook through entirely.

    Chicken breasts can be substituted with boneless chicken thighs if desired.

    I do not recommend using bone-in chicken breasts because they'll take longer to cook through and your vegetables will over-cook in that time.

    What size slow cooker to use

    To make the recipe as written for four servings, I recommend a 3 quart slow cooker (as shown in the photos above).

    If doubling this recipe, you'll want to use a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker.

    Shredded cheese melting on top of a creamy soup.

    Leftovers and reheating

    This soup keeps fairly well as a leftover for 2-3 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. To reheat, pour into a saucepan and heat over medium heat until hot throughout, about 10 minutes.

    I do not recommend freezing dairy-based soups as they tend to separate when thawing and reheating.

    📖 Recipe

    Bowl of chicken broccoli cheese soup with a spoon.
    Print Recipe
    4.93 from 13 reviews

    Slow Cooker Chicken Broccoli Cheese Soup

    Slow cooker chicken broccoli cheese soup is a hearty meal prepared entirely in your slow cooker. This creamy cheese soup is filled with shredded chicken breasts, broccoli, and carrots.
    Prep Time20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time4 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Total Time4 hours hours 50 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 592kcal
    Author: Heather

    Ingredients

    • 16 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 4 cups broccoli florets
    • 1 onion, diced
    • 2 carrots, grated
    • 2 cups chicken broth
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 2 cups half & half
    • 2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

    Instructions

    • In a slow cooker, add onion, broccoli florets, carrots, chicken broth, salt, pepper, paprika, and thyme. Stir to combine. Add chicken breasts in a single layer on top.
    • Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours, or until chicken is cooked through. Cooking time will depend on thickness of chicken beasts.
    • Remove chicken breasts, shred with a fork, then return chicken to slow cooker.
    • In a bowl, combine cornstarch with about ¼ cup of your half & half and whisk into a smooth slurry. Add cornstarch mixture, remaining half & half, and shredded cheese to slow cooker and stir to combine.
    • Cover and cook for an additional 30 minutes on low before serving.

    Equipment Recommendations

    • 3-Quart Slow Cooker
    • Measuring Spoons
    • Pyrex Liquid Measuring Cups
    • Red Spoonula Set

    Notes

    • I recommend using freshly shredded cheese from a block, not pre-shredded bagged cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in anti-clumping powders that will make your soup grainy when melted. 
    • Half & half can be substituted with whole milk for a slightly thinner soup.
    • Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. 
    • I do not recommend freezing dairy-based soups, they tend to separate when thawed.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Calories: 592kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 21g | Cholesterol: 177mg | Sodium: 1596mg | Potassium: 1152mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6814IU | Vitamin C: 96mg | Calcium: 606mg | Iron: 2mg
    Course: Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine: American

    More chicken soup recipes

    • Chicken, beans, corn, and tomatoes in a broth.
      Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Soup
    • Chicken vegetable soup recipe.
      Chicken Vegetable Soup
    • Creamy chicken tortilla soup recipe.
      Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup
    • Chicken noodle soup in a bowl with a metal spoon.
      Cajun Chicken Noodle Soup

    More Soup and Stew Recipes

    • Overhead view of a bowl of soup filled with colorful vegetables.
      Creamy Vegetable Soup
    • Close up of a metal spoon in a bowl of sausage tortellini soup.
      Sausage Tortellini Soup
    • A metal spoon scooping creamy potato soup from a white bowl.
      Irish Potato Soup
    • A metal spoon in a bowl of bison chili.
      Slow Cooker Spicy Bison Chili

    Share this post:

    Subscribe

    Get our newest recipes delivered to your inbox for free!

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Amber

      May 18, 2023 at 2:36 pm

      Making this now and realizing I don't quiet have 5 hours, could I do some time on high and some on low to try to cook faster?

      Reply
      • Heather

        May 18, 2023 at 4:10 pm

        Cooking in high will cut the time about in half, so yes you could do a combination of high and low to cook the soup a bit faster.

        Reply
    2. Aim

      March 11, 2023 at 3:28 pm

      Hi there,

      Is this recipe using frozen broccoli or fresh?
      Thank you for your time and help.

      Reply
      • Aim

        March 11, 2023 at 3:30 pm

        I forgot to ask.....is the chicken cubed or sliced in this recipe?

        Reply
        • Heather

          March 11, 2023 at 5:31 pm

          The chicken breasts are placed whole into the slow cooker in step 1, then they're removed and shredded in step 3.

          Reply
      • Heather

        March 11, 2023 at 5:31 pm

        Fresh or frozen broccoli can be used in this recipe.

        Reply
    3. Beth

      February 06, 2023 at 8:06 pm

      This is the second time I’ve made this! I make it exactly as written but double the recipe because we love leftovers for a couple days! It is delicious and makes a full meal with the added chicken! I make some garlic toast to go with it and the soup is so delish!!! Thanks for a great recipe!

      Reply
    4. Lori

      November 12, 2022 at 1:24 pm

      My daughter made it and it was fantastic

      Reply
    5. Noelle

      October 22, 2022 at 3:07 pm

      Making this tonight. It will go well with some crusty bread. Thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    6. Aim

      January 26, 2022 at 10:05 pm

      Hi there, can I use frozen broccoli for this or is it fresh? Thank you so much for your time and help!!

      Reply
      • Heather

        January 27, 2022 at 7:53 am

        Broccoli florets can be substituted with frozen broccoli. This may slow your cooking time slightly.

        Reply
        • Aim

          January 28, 2022 at 10:01 pm

          So you are saying fresh is the only way to go?!

          Reply
          • Heather

            January 28, 2022 at 10:15 pm

            I'm saying that fresh broccoli can be substituted with frozen broccoli.

            Reply
            • Aim

              January 29, 2022 at 11:07 am

              Thank you so much. You are a huge help!! I will be making this very soon and I will report back.
              By the way....how do you think Mexican cheese will turn out instead of cheddar?

            • Heather

              January 29, 2022 at 11:50 am

              You can find a list of cheeses substitutes in the post, but any melty cheeses, like pepper jack or gruyere would work well. As long as it's not a pre-shredded, bagged cheese. They're coated in anti-clumping powders that get grainy when melted.

    Primary Sidebar

    Heather of The Toasty Kitchen

    Hi, I'm Heather of The Toasty Kitchen. I love cooking with real, unfussy ingredients, and I want to help you make homemade meals with ease.

    More about me →

    Summer recipes

    • Grilled asparagus topped with melted parmesan cheese on a white serving plate.
      Grilled Asparagus in Foil
    • A serving bowl filled with southern coleslaw.
      Southern Coleslaw
    • A saute pan filled with lemon garlic pasta topped with parmesan cheese.
      Lemon Garlic Pasta
    • Two grilled chicken tacos in corn tortillas on a white plate.
      Grilled Chicken Tacos (Tacos de Pollo Asado)

    Reader Favorites

    • A spoon scooping raspberry sauce from a white bowl.
      Raspberry Sauce For Cheesecake
    • Cooked steak tips in a cast iron pan.
      Garlic Butter & Herb Sirloin Tips
    • Red spatula covered in white frosting.
      Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
    • Graham crackers dipped in a bowl of strawberry cheesecake dip.
      Strawberry Cheesecake Dip

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About
    • FAQ
    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer
    • Contact

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    As seen in

    logos of publications The Toasty Kitchen has been published in.

    Copyright © 2023 The Toasty Kitchen®