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I love making this slow cooker chicken parmesan soup on busy weeknights. It tastes like classic chicken parmesan, but in soup form, and it’s gluten-free! Chicken breasts cook right in the crock pot with a jar of marinara, gluten-free fusilli, and a splash of half & half go in at the end. Every bowl gets crispy butter-toasted gluten-free panko, mozzarella, and fresh basil on top.
It’s SO easy. Only a few minutes of prep before you can walk away (3 to 4 hours on high or 7 to 8 on low). All three of my kids loved this!
Table of Contents
Quick Look: Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 5 minutes
- 🍳 Cook Time: 4 hours (3 to 4 hours on high, or 7 to 8 on low)
- 🕒 Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 6
- 📊 Calories: ~508 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: slow cooker, with the gluten free pasta cooked on the stove and the panko toasted in a skillet
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: chicken parm in a bowl, with shredded chicken in a marinara broth, a splash of half & half and parmesan, and crispy butter-toasted panko, melty mozzarella, and fresh basil on top
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, a dump-it-in-and-walk-away weeknight dinner
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What Makes This Chicken Parmesan Soup Work!
Here’s the one thing to know before you start: gluten free pasta absorbs the broth FAST. I’ve cooked it right in the pot, and cooking the pasta separately is the way to go.
- For best results: cook the fusilli on the stove according to the package, put some in each bowl, and ladle the soup over top. The soup stays soupy, and the pasta won’t overcook while it sits.
- If you’d rather do it all in one pot: add the uncooked fusilli straight to the slow cooker at the end. Mine took about 12 minutes on high or 20 minutes on low - keep an eye on it and pull it as soon as it’s al dente. The time I let it sit on “warm” while we waited for dinnertime, it absorbed a LOT of the broth. Still delicious, just less soupy.
We have a simple salad on the side. If you want to keep it Italian, my chopped Italian grinder salad with creamy dressing takes 15 minutes and no cooking! And if you’d rather have it as a pasta dish than a soup, that’s my one pot chicken parmesan pasta.
A Few Ingredient Notes…
- Chicken breasts: 1.5 lbs, which was 3 boneless, skinless breasts for me. They go in whole, and you shred or chop them at the end. Boneless, skinless thighs work too if you prefer them. The whole point of the slow cooker is cooking the chicken right in the sauce, so if you want to use rotisserie chicken, I’d make the soup in a pot on the stove instead and stir the shredded chicken in at the end.
- Marinara: one 28 oz jar. I like Yo Mama’s or Carbone! Yo Mama’s is certified gluten free. Carbone isn’t officially certified, but it’s gluten free according to the label, so as always, check the jar if you have Celiac.
- Chicken broth: 5 cups. I like Kettle & Fire brand because it has the best ingredients, and it’s certified gluten free.
- Gluten free pasta: 12 oz of fusilli. I like Jovial Foods brand. It’s the best tasting gluten free pasta and it makes you feel like you aren’t missing out.
- Half & half: just ½ cup. This is not a heavy cream soup. It’s a splash at the end that makes the broth creamy. You can use heavy cream for a richer soup, or leave the cream out completely and it’ll still be good!
- For the top: gluten free panko, a little butter, shredded mozzarella, and fresh basil. I use Kikkoman gluten free panko. It’s very similar to regular panko in terms of consistency.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Soup
Step 1: Chicken breasts, seasonings, marinara, and broth go in the slow cooker. That’s it - lid on.
Step 2: Cook on high for 3 to 4 hours or low for 7 to 8.
Step 3: In the last 30 minutes, pull the chicken out and shred or chop it, then put it back.
Step 4: Cook the fusilli on the stove (or add it uncooked to the pot: about 12 minutes on high, 20 on low, until al dente).
Step 5: Stir in the half & half and parmesan until it’s creamy and combined, then taste and add salt.
Step 6: Toast the panko in butter until lightly browned.
Step 7: Serve in bowls, then top with mozzarella, crispy panko, and basil.
Don’t Skip the Crispy Panko Topping!
This is the part that makes it taste like chicken parmesan and not just tomato soup with chicken in it. Toast the panko in the butter while the pasta finishes (steps in the card below).
You want it lightly browned, not burnt. It goes on the bowls, not in the pot, and it stays crunchy in the soup. Then mozzarella and a little fresh basil on top. SO GOOD.
If you’re in a soup kind of week, my gluten free lasagna soup (it’s dairy free, too) and my slow cooker sausage tortellini soup are the two to make next. Or browse all of my crock pot dinners.
What to Do with Leftovers!
Store the soup without the pasta in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and reheat it in the microwave or on the stove top. You can freeze it, too - just make sure to leave the pasta out.
More Slow Cooker Soups!
Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew (Thick & Hearty!)
30+ Cozy Fall Soup Recipes (All Gluten-Free!)
The BEST Slow Cooker Taco Chili Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Soup (Gluten Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breasts, I used 3 boneless/skinless
- 1 tsp salt, + more to taste
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 28 oz jar marinara sauce
- 5 cups chicken broth, I like Kettle & Fire brand
- 12 oz gluten free fusilli pasta , I like Jovial Foods brand
- ½ cup half & half
- ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, + more for topping
Toppings
- ½ cup gluten free panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp butter
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh chopped basil
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts, seasonings, marinara sauce, and chicken broth to your slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
- During the last 30 mins of cooking time, remove the chicken breasts and shred / chop. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker along with the uncooked pasta. If cooking the pasta in the same pot, add your uncooked pasta, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente, about 12 minutes for high heat, 20 minutes for low heat (it may cook faster – keep an eye on it!)
- Add the half and half and grated parmesan and stir for a few minutes until creamy and combined. I've found freshly grated works best vs store-bought for the parm. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the panko and stir for a few minutes, until lightly browned and golden.
- Serve the soup topped with some of the mozzarella cheese, then toasted panko, and fresh chopped basil on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Gluten free pasta absorbs the broth FAST. For best results, cook it separately and add it to the individual bowls. If it cooks in the pot and then sits on warm, it soaks up a lot of the broth (still delicious, just less soupy).
- I used Jovial gluten free fusilli, but any pasta will work. Cooking times will vary.
- Leftovers: store the soup without the pasta in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheat in the microwave or on the stove top. Freezes well with the pasta left out.
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
