Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker Chicken Soup With Ginger & Fennel

March 31, 2020
3.5
24 Ratings
Photo by Ty Mecham
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 5 hours
  • Serves 6 to 8
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Ingredients
  • 1 (2-inch) piece ginger, grated
  • 3 garlic cloves, grated
  • 1 bunch scallions (about 6 to 8), thinly sliced
  • 1 medium fennel bulb, very thinly sliced
  • 2 to 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (rotisserie works great!)
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • Cooked soba noodles or brown rice, for serving
  • Chili crisp (such as Lao Gan Ma or Fly By Jing), for serving
Directions
  1. Combine ginger, garlic, scallions, fennel, shredded chicken, broth, and red pepper flakes in a slow cooker. Stir in 2 cups of water, then season with a big pinch of salt. Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or on low for 4 to 5 hours.
  2. Stir in lemon juice. Add more salt to taste.
  3. Serve soup with soba noodles or rice, and a good drizzle of chili crisp.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

11 Reviews

Kristin D. January 16, 2024
I only wanted to make 2 small servings so I used this recipe as a jumping-off place but didn't follow proportions exactly. Sauteed first 4 ingredients + pepper flakes on the stovetop w/ a little olive oil, then eyeballed adding the broth & chicken. Served w/ rice and Kari Kari chili crisp.
Sprucing up broth w/ ginger, garlic & chili crisp is nothing new but the fennel was a nice addition, I really liked how it bulked up the meal.
Lianna September 18, 2023
I don't understand why you would put cooked chicken in a slow cooker for 3 hours? The ingredients sound wonderful, is there a mistake with the directions?
Chrysse L. September 18, 2023
I’ve done it that way and the chicken gets super tender and kinda falls apart but I usually make this on the stovetop since it cooks up in like 30 mins.
cparker January 5, 2023
I made this stove top tonight. I heated the garlic and ginger with a little vegetable oil, added the scallions and fennel and sautéed briefly before adding the stock. I used all homemade chicken stock. Added a teaspoon of fish sauce. Added the chicken once the fennel was tender. Had with chile crunch, cilantro and a squeeze of lemon. It was delicious. I thought about coconut milk but that’s another recipe.
I didn’t see the point of a slow cooker when the chicken is already cooked. Nice combination. I think it will taste even better leftover.
PNWcook January 3, 2023
Followed recipe exactly and ended up with something that tasted like bland onion water. Rotisserie chicken nearly dissolved. Followed one of the other reviewer’s recommendations to add fish sauce and it was still gross. I’m shocked there are so many good reviews. Ended up just having toast for dinner.
Chrysse L. January 2, 2023
This soup is perfection. Exactly what you need on a cold snowy January day. It took like a total of ten minutes to put together. Seriously east peasy. My husband and toddler son gobbled it up! I served it with ramen noodles and a little cilantro because that’s what I had on hand. The fennel really adds something special. It’s unexpected and delicious. Don’t skip the chili sauce, it pulls the whole thing together. This will be on repeat for years to come. Yum!!!
FrugalCat March 10, 2022
Just reading the name of this recipe felt restorative. This is perfect when you are feeling under the weather. Amazing winter soup.
gwautry December 26, 2021
We loved this recipe! So easy. I made one batch in the crockpot and another on the stove so that I had a batch for friends who were under the weather. We all enjoyed it. I used yellow rice and liked that combination.
dogtoothedviolet September 29, 2021
This had all the components to be really good but the finished product seems to be missing something. It’s lacking a bit of sweetness and umami to balance out the aromatics, heat, and citrus, which I thought the fennel would have provided. Will try again and add some sugar, tomato paste, or fish sauce to bring it up.
tastysweet October 2, 2021
Maybe try Redboat Fish sauce?
Alice September 19, 2021
On a scale of 1 to 10 this is definitely a 10. Not everyone happens to have the ingredients called for already in the refrigerator but I did I was so glad that I did. It was a hit with all the family, husband and adult children.