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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.
With a flavorful, savory broth as its base, this Chicken Vegetable Soup is loaded with flavor and love. It’s a breeze to whip up, making it perfect for busy weeknights when I’m juggling everything from my daughter’s dance practice to soccer runs! My family loves chicken thighs for that extra richness, but you can easily use breasts or even leftovers. I sometimes swap out the rice for noodles for that chicken noodle soup vibe, especially when my kids are craving some comfort food. And of course, don’t forget to pair it with my no knead bread—my family practically devours it every time!
This chicken soup is also a meal prep hero because it stays great in the fridge for up to 4 days, making it an easy go-to throughout the week.
Why I Love This Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe
- Bowl of soul. This really is chicken soup for the soul. It will warm your body and spirit from the inside out.
- Versatile. It’s easy to make this soup your own. Add more vegetables, or add different veggies. Use turkey instead of chicken, potatoes instead of rice, and so on. 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.
What You’ll Need
Below, you’ll find the ingredients along with helpful notes and substitutions for this Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe. It includes a combination of fresh vegetables, tender chicken, and a few pantry staples. For total ingredient amounts and instructions, check the recipe card further down the page.
- Olive Oil: Used to sauté the aromatics and vegetables, adding a subtle richness. You can substitute with any neutral cooking oil like avocado oil or vegetable oil.
- Yellow Onion: If you don’t have yellow onions, white onions or shallots can be used.
- Garlic: If fresh garlic isn’t available, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder per clove.
- Celery: Provides a mild flavor and a bit of crunch to the soup. You could use fennel for a similar texture with a slightly different flavor.
- Carrots: Adds sweetness and color to the soup.
- Salt & Black Pepper: Essential for seasoning and balancing flavors. Adjust to your taste as needed.
- Dried Oregano: Adds a warm, slightly bitter herb flavor. If you’re out of oregano, try dried thyme or Italian seasoning.
- Chicken Stock: Forms the base of the soup, giving it richness and depth. Chicken broth is also okay to use. Vegetable broth works well as a substitute for a vegetarian option.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts: You can swap the whole chicken breasts with boneless skinless chicken thighs for a richer flavor or use rotisserie chicken for convenience.
- Jasmine Rice: Adds heartiness to the chicken vegetable soup. Any long-grain white rice can be used instead.
- 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.
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!
- 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.
Recipe Tips And Variations
Chicken soup recipes are my fave, right up there with the classics like split pea soup and minestrone. The best part 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!
- Your pot matters. I highly suggest using a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven to make this recipe. It will distribute heat more evenly throughout the soup.
- Utilize leftovers. This soup is a great 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.
- Use wild rice. Swap the white rice out for wild rice. Just 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 bring some richness to the table.
Serving Suggestions
While this easy recipe for 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, a green salad, and roasted sweet potatoes. I have been loving it with this la Scala chopped salad and next time I’ll have to try it with a side of green goddess salad.
If you’re in the mood for a classic soup-salad combo, this soup pairs beautifully with my Reuben sandwich or this creamy dill chicken salad, between two slices, of course.
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.
More Easy Soup Recipes
We are in the thick of soup season, so it’s time to bolster your soup recipe collection with some of these phenomenal bowls of comfort.
- Turkey Noodle Soup
- Crack Chicken Soup
- Broccoli Potato Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Tom Yum Noodle Soup
- The Best Lasagna Soup Recipe
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Chicken Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ribs of celery, thinly sliced
- 5 medium carrots, thinly sliced into rounds
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 10 cups chicken stock
- 1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves, loosely packed
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Sauté the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and sauté for 15 seconds or until fragrant.
- Sauté the veggies. Add the celery and carrots to the pot and season with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add the stock. Pour the chicken stock over the veggies and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the chicken and rice. Stir the chicken and rice into the soup and continue to simmer for an additional 30 minutes.
- Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pot, transfer it 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, about 2 minutes.
- Season to taste. Taste the chicken and vegetable soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the fresh parsley. Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
This looks so good! I need to make this, this Winter for sure!
Yup, it’s definitely a cozy soup for those chilly winter days! 😊 I make a big batch on a Sunday and enjoy a cup or two throughout the week.
Can you use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice?
Hi!
Sure! But you don’t have to add it to the soup until like the last 8 to 10 minutes of cooking.
Awesome soup. Maybe the best I’ve had!! I actually cooked the rice separately and it worked out well. Made it a second time with potatoes and delicious
This is such an amazing soup! My family loved it! So perfect on a cold night!
This soup is super delicious! Thanks for the easy recipe!
Looks tasty and incredibly delicious! Can’t wait to make this!
This soup looks delicious! I love the addition of spinach in it. That adds so much more flavor.