If there was ever a chicken vegetable soup for the soul, this is it. Juicy shredded chicken, tender veggies, rice, and spinach all cooked in a deeply savory stock along with bright fresh parsley and seasonings.
With a flavorful, savory broth as its base, this Chicken Vegetable Soup is loaded with flavor. It’s also a breeze to whip up and works great for freezing! Toss in your choice of chicken – thighs, breasts, or even leftovers. Feel free to substitute the rice for noodles or potatoes, and don’t forget to serve it with some of my delicious No Knead Bread!
Why You’ll 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 and/or 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 soup has it all; protein, veggies, carbs, and lots of good flavor in one bowl.
Ingredients For Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Olive oil
- Veggies: Onion, garlic, celery, and carrots.
- Seasoning: Salt, pepper, and dried oregano.
- Chicken stock
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: Boneless skinless chicken thighs would work just as well.
- Jasmine rice: Basmati or any other long-grain white rice would do nicely as well.
- Baby spinach: You could use chopped kale instead.
- Fresh parsley
How to Make Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Sauté the veggies. Saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high 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 with more salt and pepper (if needed) and fresh parsley.
Tips And Variations
- Use homemade stock. While store-bought chicken stock will definitely do the trick, homemade 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 diced bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, or even butternut squash as well.
- Use wild rice. Swap the white rice out for wild rice. Just note that you will have to cook it for quite a bit longer.
- Creamy chicken veggie soup. Stir in a dash of heavy cream just before serving to bring some richness to the table.
What Goes with Chicken and Vegetable Soup
While this chicken and veggie soup is a full meal on its own, it goes so well with a warm hunk of bread (try my famous Focaccia Bread) and/or a green salad. I have been loving it with this La Scala Chopped 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 it in the fridge for up to 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
- Broccoli Potato Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Tom Yum Noodle Soup
- The Best Lasagna Soup Recipe
Chicken Vegetable Soup
Enjoy this simple Chicken Vegetable Soup, brimming with tender vegetables, rice, juicy shredded chicken, and spinach, all gently cooked in a flavorful broth.
Servings : 8 servings
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 soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Stir in the fresh parsley. Serve.
Notes
- Cooking Pot: I recommend using a heavy-bottomed pot or a Dutch oven for this recipe. It helps spread the heat evenly, making your soup even better.
- Use Leftovers: If you have some leftover rotisserie chicken or turkey from a holiday meal, just shred the meat and add it to the soup right before you toss in the spinach.
- Veggie Options: I went with carrots, onions, and celery, but feel free to throw in anything like diced bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, or even butternut squash.
- Rice Options: Try using wild rice. It’s an excellent substitute for white rice, though it’ll need to cook longer.
- Creamy Soup: For a creamier soup, add a splash of heavy cream right before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 bowl | Calories: 417 kcal | Carbohydrates: 35 g | Protein: 26 g | Fat: 18 g | Saturated Fat: 5 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8 g | Trans Fat: 0.1 g | Cholesterol: 73 mg | Sodium: 816 mg | Potassium: 713 mg | Fiber: 2 g | Sugar: 7 g | Vitamin A: 7377 IU | Vitamin C: 10 mg | Calcium: 61 mg | Iron: 2 mg
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.
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