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Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup with chicken is the perfect comfort food to warm you up. Full of vegetables, flavored with Italian seasoning and slow-cooked to perfection. You and your family are going to love this meal!
You may also like my healthy asparagus soup. Check it out.
Soups like this Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup are one of the most satisfying dinners, especially on chilly nights! This version of split pea soup is cooked with chicken instead of ham. It’s also filled with vegetables and is easy to make.
Split pea soup is one of those wholesome soups that, despite the color, is so incredibly delicious. Serve it with a side of rolls and a fresh green salad and you’ve got a meal that’s sure to delight!
Reasons to make this recipe
- Easy and convenient: Once you’ve sautéed the veggies, you can transfer everything to the crockpot and let it cook until flavorful and delicious. A wonderful healthy dinner will be ready and waiting when you get home.
- Wholesome: This soup has plenty of protein from the chicken and is loaded with nutrients from all of the added vegetables.
- A great family meal: This recipe is budget-friendly, tasty and healthy. It makes 8 servings, so you’ll have plenty to go around. Leftovers are great, too!
Ingredients needed
This chicken split pea soup recipe is made with healthy and wholesome ingredients. The chicken adds extra flavor and a boost of protein. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it:
- Veggies: You’ll need a white onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and dried split peas, plus some olive oil for sautéing them.
- Seasoning: Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper adds wonderful flavor to the soup.
- Broth: I am using low-sodium chicken broth for the base of the soup.
- Cooked chicken: Use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken to add flavor and heartiness to the recipe.
- For serving: I love this garnished with fresh parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese. You can also add croutons if you’d like!
How to make pea soup
Like most slow cooker soup recipes, once you sauté the vegetables this is pretty hands-off. While it slowly cooks, the flavors will meld together, intensify, and become so tasty. Here’s how everything comes together.
- Sauté the veggies: Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Add garlic and split peas and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add to crock pot: Transfer to your crockpot and stir in the seasoning, broth and water.
- Cook: Turn the heat to LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
- Next, add the chicken: Once the soup is done, stir in the chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Garnish and serve: Garnish with parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Expert tips
- To save time: If you really want to decrease the hands-on time needed to make this, consider buying pre-chopped veggies, either in the produce department or frozen foods section of your grocery store.
- Make it creamy: If you want to make this extra creamy, take about 1/4 to 1/3 of the soup (before adding the chicken) and use an immersion blender to blend until it’s smooth. Then, add the blended soup back in with the rest of the soup.
- Vegetarian option: To make this soup recipe vegan or vegetarian, omit the chicken and substitute a good quality vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
- To serve: I love to complete this meal with crackers or crusty bread for soaking up all of the delicious broth!
Frequently asked questions
Green split peas are simply dried peas that have been cut in half. Because they have been split in half, they will cook faster without being soaked overnight. They have a slightly earthy flavor with a subtle sweetness, just like sweet green peas. Once cooked, they become very tender resulting in a creamy texture that also is great for making the soup thicker.
The good thing about using split peas is that they do not require any soaking. They are similar to lentil soup. It is recommended that you still rinse them before cooking to remove any dirt.
Season it! Don’t forget to add seasonings to add flavor to your soup. I also love using broth like chicken broth or bone broth instead of water. Makes a huge difference.
To thicken your split pea soup, I recommend adding a bit of corn starch slurry. Instead of corn starch, you may also add some flour. Another option would be to mash one small boiled potato and add it to the soup.
Storage recommendations
Leftovers are even better the next day!
- In the refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. This soup does thicken as it sits. Add broth or water to give it a thinner consistency, as needed.
- To reheat: Reheat on the stovetop on medium-low heat or microwave individual portions.
- To freeze: Once the soup as completely cooled, transfer it to a freezer-safe container or place in freezer-safe bags. It will keep in the freezer for up 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat the next day.
More soup recipes
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Mexican Chicken Soup Recipe
- Italian Chicken And Bean Soup
- Chicken Lemon Rice Soup
- Healthy Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Sausage and White Bean Soup
- White Bean and Kale Soup
- Creamy Chicken Broccoli Soup
If you try a recipe and you like it, leave me some feedback in the comment section below, and don’t forget to rate it! I would love it if you shared it with friends and family.
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Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup
Equipment
- Slow cooker
- Chef's knife
- wooden cutting board
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 white onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 celery sticks, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound dried split peas, rinsed
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups chopped/shredded cooked chicken
- OPTIONAL: Freshly chopped fresh parsley and ground parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots and celery for 5 minutes. Add garlic and split peas and cook for 30 seconds.
- Transfer to your crockpot and stir in the seasoning, broth and water.
- Cook on LOW for 8 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
- Once the soup is done, stir in the chicken and season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Garnish with parsley and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Storing in the refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. This soup does thicken as it sits. Add broth or water to give it a thinner consistency, as needed.
- To reheat: Reheat on the stovetop on medium-low heat or microwave individual portions.
- To freeze: Once the soup is completely cooled, transfer it to a freezer-safe container or place it in freezer-safe bags. It will be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat the next day.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I like what I see. I like your site. I like your bio. I use smoked turkey necks for my split pea soup and will add my leftover grilled chicken to the pot this time. I’m a still busy single senior that likes cooking but has no time. I’ve also stopped eating as much. I love variety in EVERYTHING. Just got a brand new XL air fryer as my cholesterol is too high (I rarely eat deep-fried, but I do saute a lot using extra virgin, sesame, coconut, and canola oils. I’ve subbed oleo (ugh) for butter. Produce is my friend and so are cake, pie, and cookies. 5 food groups: cheese, ice cream (Haagendas), corn, butter and watermelon. Whatever doesn’t go with them I don’t want. I freeze bulk fruit and pea, lentil, bean dishes. Occasionally crave a cheeseburger (plant, turkey or sirloin) with extra all toppings. Looking forward to your air fryer recipes. Happy belated Mother’s Day and God bless. (Never woulda thought you were African. I gotta get out more.)
Thanks for the feedback. Yes, Africa will always be home in my heart.
Really love this pea soup. It was delicious and very tasty
Thanks so much. Happy you loved it