Chicken, vegetables, spices, a crockpot, and, voila, you have a Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup dinner recipe right at your fingertips! {Paleo}
If you need a warm bowl of dinner on a cold, windy night, then Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup has your back. It will warm your heart for sure, and I’d go so far as to say it will warm your soul. Yes, for real, Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup will warm the innards and fill your belly. It’s the answer to cold weather’s call. It’s also a wonderful way to get your vegetables for the day. I mean, seasoned cauliflower? Yes, please. And carrots, red onions, and homemade broth? Exactly where do I sign up? Also, no, I’m not asking for a friend.
This delicious, warming, bountiful soup really is the stuff hearty meals are made of. It’s also perfect for chilly autumn nights and winter holidays, too! So let’s warm our souls with batches of our own!
Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup ingredients
Below are the ingredients you will need to make your own batch of Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup:
- Homemade broth. You can prepare your own Homemade Bone Broth or Homemade Vegetable Broth. Additionally, you can use water in place of broth, if you need to.
- Chicken. If you are crunched for time, you can throw the chicken, uncooked, into the slow cooker. If you have a few extra minutes, I highly suggest sautéing the chicken first and then, using a slotted spoon, transferring the cooked chicken to the slow cooker. Cooking the chicken first, even briefly, will, according to Slow Cooker Central’s post Slow Cooking with Chicken – The Basics, make the chicken more tender and provides a chance to drain unwanted juices. I find the flavor is stronger and tastier when the chicken is pre-cooked.
- Chopped or sliced vegetables. Carrots, celery, red onion, green onion, and cauliflower. Like the chicken, if you have a few minutes to spare, try sautéing the garlic and onion for a few minutes before transferring them to the slow cooker. This enhances the hearty soup flavor, but it’s entirely up to you, your palate, and your timeframe.
- Herbs and seasonings. I like dried thyme, bay leaves, sea salt, and coarse black pepper. I also add fresh thyme sprigs to the slow cooker, if I have them on hand. But it’s important to remove them prior to serving your soup as they can be a choking hazard. Alternatively, you can pinch the itty bitty thyme leaves from their stems and add them to the slow cooker. I’d still add the same amount of ground thyme for the flavor. If you’re curious about dried vs. fresh herbs, then check out The Pioneer Woman’s post, Fresh vs. Dried Herbs – Difference Between Fresh and Dried Herbs.
How to make Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
If you are ready to make your own Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup, then read on because the process is quite simple!
- Sauté the chicken in a small skillet with a dollop of coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt. While the chicken is cooking, combine the water, broth, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaves in a slow cooker. Then cover and set the slow cooker to six hours. When the chicken is cooker through, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sautéed chicken to the slow cooker.
- Drain any juice left in the skillet and then add the pressed garlic and chopped onions, along with a pinch of sea salt, if desired, to the same skillet. Add another dollop of coconut oil, if needed. Sauté about 1-2 minutes until the onions slightly soften. Then, using the same slotted spoon, transfer the sautéed onions and garlic to the slow cooker.
- When there are about 60-90 minutes left of cooking time, add the chopped cauliflower and green onions. Stir evenly so the cauliflower and onions are immersed in the soup.
- When the six hours are up, let the soup cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Store any remaining soup in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
Best practices for making Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
If you have never made Paleo Chicken Cauliflower Soup, then keep reading for a few best practices:
- Cauliflower size: I chop the cauliflower florets into pieces slightly larger than granules of rice. That way the cauliflower doesn’t completely disintegrate during the cooking process. The process per batch is about 5-6 pulses in my little chopper. You can also chop the cauliflower into slightly larger pieces. This adds bulk and crunch to the soup without overpowering it. If you end up with more than two cups of cauliflower rice from your head of lettuce, and you’d like to add it to the soup, then add extra water or broth so the soup cooks evenly and doesn’t get too thick.
- Broth: If you don’t have bone broth on hand, then you can simply use water. My mother-in-law is makes THE MOST AMAZING SOUPS using water as a base. So it can be done! Add more broth/water for a thinner soup.
- Prep time: If you are short on time, then you can throw the uncooked chicken, diced onion, and pressed garlic in the slow cooker and let them cook that way. A film may form at the surface of the soup. If that happens, skim it off the top before adding the cauliflower florets.
Get your soups on!
If you are in the mood for warming, comforting soups, then peep your eyes on these tasty bowls of goodness!
Spiriteds, I hope you’re well. Stay wild and know I’m glad you’re here! ❤️
Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup
Chicken, vegetables, spices, a crockpot, and, voila, you have a Paleo Chicken and Cauliflower Rice Soup dinner recipe right at your fingertips!
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 30 mins
- Yield: 8 cups 1x
- Category: Soups and Stews
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 1/2 cups bone broth
- 1 cup water
- Coconut oil
- 1 lb chicken, uncooked and cut into strips
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 3–4 garlic cloves, pressed
- 2 cups carrots, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, sliced
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp sea salt, plus more as desired
- Dash of pepper
- 2 cups cauliflower, chopped (see bullet points above for size suggestions)
- 1/4 cup green onion, sliced
Instructions
- Sauté the chicken in a small skillet with a dollop of coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt. While the chicken is cooking, combine the water, broth, carrots, celery, thyme, and bay leaves in a slow cooker. Then cover and set the slow cooker to six hours. When the chicken is cooker through, use a slotted spoon to transfer the sautéed chicken to the slow cooker.
- Drain any juice left in the skillet and then add the pressed garlic and chopped onions, along with a pinch of sea salt, if desired, to the same skillet. Add another dollop of coconut oil, if needed. Sauté about 1-2 minutes until the onions slightly soften. Then, using the same slotted spoon, transfer the sautéed onions and garlic to the slow cooker.
- When there are about 60-90 minutes left of cooking time, add the chopped cauliflower and green onions. Stir evenly so the cauliflower and onions are immersed in the soup.
- When the six hours are up, let the soup cool for a few minutes before serving.
- Store any remaining soup in the refrigerator for about 3-4 days.
Notes
- The yield for this recipe is an approximation and will depend upon how much broth is used and the size of the head of cauliflower
- I chop the cauliflower florets into pieces slightly larger than granules of rice. That way the cauliflower doesn’t completely disintegrate during cooking. The process per batch is about 5-6 pulses in my little chopper. You can also chop the cauliflower into slightly larger pieces. This adds bulk and crunch to the soup without overpowering it. If you end up with more than two cups of cauliflower rice from your head of lettuce, and you’d like to add it to the soup, then add extra water or broth so the soup cooks evenly and doesn’t get too thick.
- If you are short on time, then you can throw the uncooked chicken, diced onion, and pressed garlic in the slow cooker and let them cook that way. A film may form at the surface of the soup. If that happens, skim it off the top before adding the cauliflower florets.
- You can use water in this recipe in place of broth if you don’t have any or don’t have enough. Add a few more pinches of sea salt to the slow cooker for added flavor.
It’s been so cold here and soup is all I’ve been craving! Love how wholesome and comforting this is and that you made it in the slow cooker!
It’s getting cold here, too! Winter is officially happening. Soup is the only way. 🙂 Stay warm!