Slow Cooker Chicken & White Bean Soup

I’m sure you’ve heard people declaring “new year, new me.” But here at Hamilton Beach it’s more like “new year, new soup recipe.”

I love a slow cooker soup. This slimmed-down version is perfect if you’re looking for a soup recipe that nixes the milk, half and half, and cheese. Am I the only one trying to eat less cheese after indulging at all those holiday parties? I didn’t think so.

While it may lack the creaminess of some of your favorite slow cooker soups (broccoli cheddar is one of my all-time favorites), it definitely doesn’t lack in flavor.

We started with a pound of dry great northern beans. If you’re used to grabbing a few cans at the grocery store, try buying a bag of dry beans the next time you’re there. They’re cheaper and you can better control the ingredients (for example, some canned beans have added salt and flavoring).

Your Hamilton Beach® slow cooker is a great vessel for soaking dry beans. We added the beans to the crock with 6 cups of water and let them soak overnight. When you wake up, drain the water and leave the beans in the crock before adding the rest of the soup ingredients.

Add all of the ingredients besides the spinach and chicken to the crock and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or LOW for 6 to 7 hours.

Before serving, stir in spinach (or kale) and chicken to heat them through. To save on time, we cut up a rotisserie chicken and added it to the soup. Rotisserie chicken is great to have on hand to throw into soups, pasta, or tacos throughout the week. And at around $5 a piece, you can pick one up at the grocery store before a busy week to ensure you get some protein in every meal.

We topped this colorful chicken soup with a few extra fennel fronds and served it with a crunchy, dunkable baguette. Feel free to skip the bread if you’re being extra strict with your diet this time of year. Whether you’re serving it for family dinner on a chilly winter night or making it for your weekly meal prep, this soup is sure to satisfy.

Beginning in September, the Pioneer Woman 6-Quart Slow Cooker will be available in Ree’s signature Flea Market design exclusively at Wal-Mart. Fans of the collection will also find three additional patterns including Vintage Floral, Country Garden and Rose Shadow, part of a limited-time offering this holiday season.

Slow Cooker Chicken & White Bean Soup

Author: Hamilton Beach Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 pound great northern beans
¼ cup butter
2 bulbs fennel, white part only, sliced. Save the fronds to garnish
1 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
3 cups shredded cooked chicken
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 bunch fresh thyme leaves
6 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cups baby spinach leaves

Instructions

Place beans in slow cooker crock. Add 6 cups of water and let soak overnight. Drain and leave beans in crock.
In a Dutch oven over medium-high, melt butter. Add fennel, onion and garlic. Cook just until fragrant. Add to slow cooker crock.
Add remaining ingredients except chicken and spinach to crock.
Cover slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours or LOW for 6 to 7 hours or until beans are tender. Add chicken and spinach and cook until heated through.