Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe
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This Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe is packed with tender chicken, hearty beans, and fresh vegetables all simmered together in one comforting pot. I love how easy it is to make and how full of flavor it tastes, especially on chilly days when a warm bowl makes everything better.
Eating a comforting soup at least twice a week during the fall and winter has become our family routine. Some evenings I make my easy lentil soup, other nights my wife asks for her favorite chicken pozole, and when we want something simple, I go for a classic vegetable beef soup. And today I am going to show you how to make another classic that is full of flavor and comfort, my homemade chicken vegetable soup.
Chicken Vegetable Soup
Chicken vegetable soup can be made in so many ways, and that is what I love about it. As long as there is tender chicken, a good broth, and plenty of fresh vegetables, you are doing it right. I often mix and match ingredients based on what I have in the fridge, and it always comes out flavorful and comforting in its own way.
I have to say, I make this soup often during the fall when the butternut squash is at its best. I like that I can cook a big pot, serve it fresh for dinner, and freeze the rest to enjoy later during those chilly winter evenings when all I want is a warm and homemade meal.
I would say this is a very clean soup, made with natural ingredients and no artificial flavors or preservatives. Wholesome vegetables, organic chicken, cannellini beans, and fresh herbs slowly cook together on low heat until the chicken is tender and falling apart, making this a comforting bowl you will not want to miss during this season.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beans – I use dried cannellini beans. You can substitute with any dried white bean. In addition, a half cup of dried beans equals 1 15-ounce can of beans if you choose to use canned.
- Chicken – Lean organic chicken breasts is what I use in this recipe. Feel free to use thighs and drums if you’d like.
- Oil – Olive or avocado oil is the best to use. However, you can use your favorite neutral-flavored oil.
- Onions – I used yellow onions and garlic cloves. You can substitute the yellow onion with a white or sweet one.
- Vegetables – You will need to add carrots and celery to the soup. In addition to those, I use mushrooms, butternut squash, and kale. You can use whichever vegetables you enjoy the most in addition to the carrots and celery.
- Stock – I make my own chicken stock. However, you can use brodo, vegetable stock, or water.
- Herbs – Fresh thyme is what I love using. Other fresh or dry herbs you could use are sage or rosemary.
How to Make Chicken Vegetable Soup
Soak the beans: First thing I do is add the beans to a large container and cover them with water by about six inches. Then I let them soak overnight so they soften and cook great the next day.
Start with the chicken: I usually begin by searing the chicken in a hot pot until it gets a nice golden color. While the chicken cooks, I use that time to slice and dice all the vegetables so everything is ready to go when I add them in.
Cook the vegetables: Once the chicken is golden brown on both sides, I take it out of the pot and set it aside. Then I add all the chopped vegetables and saute them over low heat for about 10 to 12 minutes.
Combine everything: After the vegetables are done sauteing, I add the chicken back into the pot along with the drained soaked beans and the stock. Then I let it simmer slowly until the chicken becomes tender and easy to shred, and the vegetables are soft and full of flavor.
Simmer to perfection: I let everything cook slowly for about 60 to 90 minutes. During this time, I taste the soup, adjust the seasonings, and let it ride! Time to serve after that.
chef tip + notes
One of my best tips for making my Chicken Vegetable Soup is to always sear the chicken before adding the stock and vegetables. DO NOT SKIP IT! When you take that extra minute to brown it, the flavor deepens and the broth tastes rich and homemade. Those little bits at the bottom of the pot mix into the soup and make it taste so hearty that reminds me of slow-cooked soup made from scratch.
- Add more vegetables: I sometimes mix things up by adding spinach, collards, scallions, peas, rutabaga, parsnips, turnips, or even cabbage. Each one brings its own flavor and texture, making the soup even heartier.
- Thick and hearty texture: This soup cooks up more like a stew, full of chunky vegetables and tender chicken. I like to keep the kale crisp, so I add it just before serving to keep it bright and fresh.
- Quick bean soaking: I pour boiling water over the beans and let them sit for about an hour. It softens them quickly and saves me from soaking overnight.
- Season as you go: I taste the broth a few times while cooking and add more salt or herbs if needed.
- Cook it slow: I let the soup simmer on low heat to give the chicken time to become tender and the vegetables to absorb the flavors. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.
Serving Suggestions
I love serving my chicken vegetable soup with something warm and fresh out of the oven on the side. Sometimes I bake a tomato focaccia or make a batch of soft dinner rolls to absorb the broth. On slower weekends, I slice up some sourdough bread, spread on a little butter, classic and delicious! I mean… fresh bread and a bowl of soup make the perfect combo and I am pretty sure you agree with me on that.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: Soup always tastes better the next day, so if you’d like, you can make this soup up to 3 days ahead. Follow these instructions, cover it, and keep it cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve it with the fresh kale.
How to Store: Cover the soup and keep it in the refrigerator for 5 days. The soup will hold in the freezer covered for up to 2 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating, or add directly to a pot from the freezer and cook over low until hot.
How to Reheat: Add the desired chicken vegetable soup to a large pot and cook over low heat until hot.
More Soup Recipes
Video
Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cannellini beans
- 6 cups of water
- 3 8- ounce chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon of healthy cooking oil
- 2 peeled and small diced yellow onions
- 3 peeled and small diced carrots
- 3 small diced stalks of celery
- 4 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 2 cups of cremini mushrooms, sliced into wedges
- 1 medium-sized peeled, seeded and medium-diced butternut squash
- 96 ounces of chicken stock
- 1 bunch of julienne kale
- 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the beans to a large container and cover them with water. Let sit overnight.
- To speed this process up, boil the water and cover the beans, and let sit for 1 hour. Drain before using it.
- Next, season the chicken breasts on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the oil to a large pot over medium heat and sear the chicken breasts on both sides, and cooked throughout, about 8 to 10 minutes per side.
- Set the chicken to the side and add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and squash to the pot and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown.
- Add the chicken back in, along with the drained beans and chicken stock.
- Cook over low heat for 60 to 90 minutes or until the chicken pulls apart easily.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and shred them. Add back to the pot along with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Serve each bowl with a small handful of sliced kale.
Loved it. My husband also loved the soup
This soup is fabulous. Follow the directions and it turns out perfect. My hubby loves butternut squash so this was a huge hit for him, and me. And we grew our own squash which made it even better. Such a huge blend of wonderful flavors. Oh, I always add home grown hot pepper flakes. That’s the only thing I changed.
Brilliant tasty loved this Thank you ChefBilly gosh that’s good 😁👋😋🤩
Just as delicious as your other recipes that I have tried
Recipe called for can beans
Why soak can beans?
Did you mean dried beans?
it uses dry, I mention canned as an option.
I am so excited to try this recipe to start the New Year off healthy and with this detox delicious way! Thanks Chef Billy
Delicious and good for you.
Omg! This soup is the best I’ve ever made. I forgot the kale, but I didn’t notice. The flavors were delicious. I gave a small amount to my neighbors. But now I’m at the end of the pot at want more. I have everything for another batch except the butternut squash and stock. So I’m headed to the store. Thank you chef!
That’s awesome. thanks for giving it a shot!!
Wonderful. Perfect for me. Had Mirepoix garlic mushrooms white beans and chard soup with chicken broth. Also had a roasted half acorn squash with rosemary wondering what to do with it. Added chicken and squash, and thyme, it was wonderful. Made my soup so much better. Perfect blend of flavors.