Bring a large Dutch Oven to medium-high heat. Add butter and let melt. Add garlic and move around pan until it becomes fragrant, approx. 30 seconds.
Add pancetta and onion. Move around pan until the pancetta starts to render and the onion becomes soft, approx. 2-3 minutes.
Add chicken broth and chicken. Cover and let simmer 30-60 minutes.
Remove chicken and place a plate. Use two forks to shred the chicken and return to the pot along with the carrots, celery, potatoes, salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Let simmer 15-30 minutes or until potatoes and veggies are firm, but tender.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Make it Creamy: if you want to make more of a "Creamy Chicken Potato Soup" simply scoop out 1 1/2 cups hot broth in Step 4 after you remove the chicken. Combine the hot broth with approx. 1/3-1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or 1-to-1 gluten-free flour) and whisk until it becomes very thick. Return this mixture to the pot and whisk as you simmer the broth - it will thicken. Feel free to add in a 1/3-1/2 cup of either heavy cream or full fat coconut milk as well! Continue following the rest of the directions. Easy Creamy Chicken Potato Soup!
Slow Cooker: you can make this in a slow cooker by sauteing the garlic, pancetta and onion in a skillet and transferring to a slow cooker. Add broth and chicken and cook on LOW 3-4 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to slow cooker along with remaining ingredients and continue to cook on LOW for 1-3 hours, depending upon how soft you like your vegetables.
Best Potatoes: I recommend russet potatoes here, but you could definitely use Yukon gold potatoes or baby red potatoes, if you prefer.
Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Nutrition Info: this is an approximate calculation for the recipe above, not for the creamy version of the soup in the notes section.