Chicken Vegetable Soup

4.91 from 11 votes

Dec 06, 2023, Updated Oct 11, 2025

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If there was ever a chicken vegetable soup for the soul, this is it. Juicy shredded chicken, tender veggies, rice, and spinach are cooked in a deeply savory stock along with bright fresh herbs and seasonings. Serve it with warm, slow cooker bread and a butternut squash salad for a comforting meal.

A soup pot full of chicken and veggie soup.

Chicken Soup with Vegetables

This chicken vegetable soup starts with a savory broth and is packed with tender chicken, rice, and veggies. It’s quick enough for even the busiest weeknights.

My family loves chicken thighs for that extra richness, but you can use breasts or even leftovers. I sometimes swap out the rice for noodles for that chicken noodle soup vibe, paired with my crusty no knead bread!

Why I Love This Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe

Bowl of soul. This really is chicken soup for the soul. When that cold rolls in, this is the soup you’ll want simmering on the stove.
Make ahead friendly. This chicken veggie soup is also a meal prep hero because it stays great in the fridge for days, making it an easy go-to throughout the week.
Versatile. Add more vegetables, or add different veggies. Use turkey instead of chicken, potatoes instead of rice, etc. You could even add a dash of cream.
A complete meal. This chicken vegetable soup recipe has it all, with protein, veggies, carbs, and lots of good flavor in one bowl.

Ingredients For Chicken Vegetable Soup

Overhead image of ingredients used to make chicken vegetable soup.

Olive Oil: Used to sauté the aromatics and vegetables. Any neutral cooking oil, like avocado oil or vegetable oil, can be used.
Yellow Onion: White onions or shallots are also okay.
Garlic: If fresh isn’t available, use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder per clove.
Carrots and Celery: Part of the traditional soup base, they build flavor and add texture to the broth.
Salt & Black Pepper: Essential for seasoning.
Dried Oregano: If you’re out, try dried thyme or Italian seasoning.
Chicken Stock: Vegetable broth is a good vegetarian substitute.
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: You can swap them for boneless skinless chicken thighs, or use rotisserie chicken for convenience.
Jasmine Rice: Any long-grain white rice can be used here to add heartiness to the soup.
Baby Spinach Leaves: You could use chopped kale or Swiss chard instead.
Fresh Parsley: Brightens the soup with a pop of fresh flavor. Fresh cilantro or dill could be used as alternatives.

Recipe Tips And Variations

Chicken soup recipes are my fave, right up there with the classics like split pea soup and minestrone. The great thing about this chicken vegetable soup is how versatile it is! These tricks and substitutions will help you make it with things you have on hand.

Use homemade stock. While store-bought chicken broth will definitely do the trick, homemade broth is just so much better. So, if you have the time, do it!
The cooking pot. I highly recommend using a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven for this recipe because it distributes heat more evenly.
Utilize leftovers. This soup is a good way to use up leftover rotisserie chicken or holiday turkey meat. Just remove the meat from the carcass, shred it, and stir it into the soup just before you add the spinach.
Experiment with veggies. I used carrots, onion, and celery but you could easily add some green beans, peas, diced bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, or even butternut squash.
Rice options. Swap the white rice out for wild rice, but note that you will have to cook the soup for quite a bit longer.
Creamy chicken vegetable soup. Stir in a dash of heavy cream just before serving to add richness.

Ladling chicken veggie soup out of a soup pot.

Serving Suggestions

Bread. While this chicken and veggie soup is a meal on its own, it goes so well with a warm hunk of bread like my famous Focaccia bread!
Roasted vegetables and salads. For a classic soup-salad combo, I suggest making this la Scala chopped salad or a side of green goddess salad with roasted sweet potatoes.
Sandwiches. This soup pairs nicely with my Reuben sandwich or this creamy dill chicken salad.

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How to Make Chicken Vegetable Soup

If you’re craving a good soup to warm you up during the colder months, this is just what you need! Follow these simple steps to make this cozy dish a regular on your dinner table!

Adding carrots and celery to sauteed onions and garlic in a soup pot. — Saute the veggies.

Adding chicken and rice to a soup pot full of veggies and stock. — Saute the veggies.

Shredding chicken with two forks. — Shred the chicken.

Adding baby spinach to chicken and vegetable soup. — Shred the chicken.

Sauté the veggies. In a large pot, saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add the remaining veggies and seasoning and saute for a few minutes.
Make it a soup. Stir in the stock, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes before stirring in the chicken and rice and simmering for 30 minutes.
Shred the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and shred it. Return it to the pot.
Add the spinach. Stir the spinach into the soup and simmer until wilted.
Season to taste. Season the chicken and vegetables soup with more salt and pepper (if needed), garnish with fresh parsley, and serve it with these easy garlic breadsticks.

Closeup overhead image of a bowl of chicken vegetable soup with a spoon in it.

Proper Storage

To store. Once the soup has cooled to room temperature, seal it in an airtight container and store the leftover soup in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To reheat. Allow it to thaw in the fridge (if frozen) and then reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warm. You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each.

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4.91 from 11 votes (7 ratings without comment)