slow cooker chicken and chickpea soup

Chicken

Slow Cooker Chicken & Chickpea Soup

There's nothing better than healthy dinner ideas—except easy healthy dinner ideas. This set-it-and-forget-it slow-cooker soup recipe is just that. It simmers away all day, so you come home to a warm and healthy dinner the whole family will love. Using bone-in chicken thighs is the key to making rich soup without adding broth. Plus, if you're on a budget: thighs are less expensive than breasts, and dried chickpeas are a relatively inexpensive and versatile pantry item that's always good to stock up on.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups dried chickpeas, soaked overnight
4 cups water
1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
1 (15 ounce) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, preferably fire-roasted
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
4 teaspoons ground cumin
4 teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
¼ cup halved pitted oil-cured olives
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

Directions

Drain chickpeas and place in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Add water, onion, tomatoes and their juice, tomato paste, garlic, bay leaf, cumin, paprika, cayenne and pepper; stir to combine. Add chicken. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or High for 4 hours.
Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board and let cool slightly. Discard bay leaf. Add artichokes, olives and salt to the slow cooker and stir to combine.
Shred the chicken, discarding bones. Stir the chicken into the soup. Serve topped with parsley (or cilantro).