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I’ve made a lot of chicken soup over the years, but this one is my go-to. It tastes like classic chicken noodle soup, only without the pasta, so you’re getting a healthy dose of protein and veggies in each bite.

I originally developed this recipe years ago, when my tiny Los Angeles kitchen was too small even to keep a box of broth on hand. Luckily, I learned you don’t need to rely on store-bought broth to make a flavorful soup base. (Just read the glowing reviews below if you don’t believe me!)

Best of all, you won’t have to cut any raw chicken before getting started, which should help you save on clean-up time.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review

“I was looking for a quick throw together soup that didn’t take hours to make. Wow, this recipe is perfection!” – Rose

chicken vegetable soup in white pot with ladle.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe

It’s comforting. It makes an excellent option if you like to meal-prep for the week ahead. You can even take a warm thermos with you to work or school! 

It’s flexible. This soup’s base is chicken and veggies, but you can add potatoes or a can of white beans to this recipe to make it even more of a complete meal, with extra fiber in each bite. If you have more veggies to use up, such as peas, spinach, or kale, those can also be added in! 

No special ingredients are required. Instead of relying on store-bought chicken broth or veggie broth, this soup recipe calls for water. When you cook the chicken, veggies, and seasonings directly in the water, it becomes as flavorful as any other stock! So, you can save yourself a little money and still enjoy a well-seasoned soup. 

It’s allergy-friendly. As written, this soup is naturally gluten-free, nut-free, and dairy-free. To make it more filling, I often add a can of drained and rinsed cannellini beans, but feel free to add any other extras you love.

It’s easy to prepare. One of my least-favorite kitchen tasks is working with raw meat and then cleaning the cutting board afterward. If you feel the same way, you’ll love this cooking method! 

Instead of cutting the raw meat into chunks and then cooking it, you’ll stick the whole chicken breasts into the soup pot and let them cook directly in the broth. When they are done, you can easily shred them with two forks and add them back to the soup. 

Have a rotisserie chicken to use up? You can use that here, too! In that case, you might want to start with a quart of chicken broth to ensure your soup has plenty of flavor. Then add the shredded cooked chicken and simmer until the veggies are tender. Be sure to start with less salt in this case, since veggie broth will already have some sodium added. 

Chicken Veggie Soup Ingredients

Here’s what you need for the best chicken soup:

  • Chicken breasts. We’re using whole breasts instead of chunks, so you won’t have to clean raw meat from the cutting board. Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. (They are nearly impossible to overcook!)
  • Onion, carrots & celery. This trifecta of veggies (together called mirepoix) is the perfect base for any soup recipe. They are aromatic and create a flavorful broth as they simmer in this recipe.
  • Garlic & thyme. Using dried thyme is convenient and adds the classic comfort food flavor that you’d expect from chicken noodle soup. If you’re a garlic fan, feel free to use more!
  • Green beans. I use frozen green beans to increase the veggie content without extra chopping. If you prefer a different veggie, these are easy to substitute.
  • Salt & pepper. I use fine sea salt (Real Salt brand), which tastes different than white table salt. If you’re using a different variety, start with a smaller amount and add more to taste. If your soup tastes bland, it’s because you didn’t use enough salt.

This will give you a delicious broth base, similar to chicken noodle soup. If you prefer to use different veggies, feel free to experiment with what you have on hand.

chicken veggie soup ingredients labled on white surface.

How to Make Chicken Vegetable Soup

Step 1:

Pour the olive oil into a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, and saute the onion, carrots, and celery until they start to soften, about 8 minutes. 

Once the veggies are soft, add the garlic and dried thyme, and stir for an additional minute, just until they smell fragrant. 

soup veggies sauteed in pot with herbs and garlic.

Step 2:

Add in the water or broth, frozen green beans, chicken breasts, salt, and pepper.

Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of at least 160ºF. 

water and chicken added to pot.

Step 3:

Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts from the soup, and let them rest on a plate for at least 5 minutes, allowing them to finish cooking. (The internal temp needs to reach at least 165ºF for the chicken to be thoroughly cooked, but it will usually reach that while resting.)

chicken removed from soup pot.

Step 4:

Use two forks to shred the chicken after they have had time to rest. Then, add the shredded chicken back to the soup pot and give it a stir. 

Adjust any seasoning to taste at this point, adding more salt or more water if you prefer more broth. This is also the time to add a squeeze of lemon juice to help brighten the flavor. 

chicken shredded on plate and added to soup pot.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve it warm right away, with fresh parsley or a little shredded Parmesan cheese on top. 

How to Store Leftovers

Leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it on the stovetop until heated through, which should take about 5 minutes.

(Or use the microwave to reheat in 30-second intervals, stirring between each round.)

chicken soup served in a bowl with a spoon.

Vegetable Chicken Soup Variations

Can I use chicken thighs?

Yes, boneless, skinless chicken thighs are sometimes better in soup, because they don’t dry out the way chicken breasts can! If you use bone-in chicken thighs, just keep in mind that they will require a slightly longer cooking time. Be sure to use a meat thermometer, to ensure they reach an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Can I cook this in a crockpot?

I think you can, but I haven’t yet tested that with this recipe. From experience with other slow cooker chicken recipes, I’d assume this soup will cook in about 6 hours on low in a crockpot. But always use a meat thermometer to make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through.

What other flavors can I try?

Try Curry Chicken Soup, Mexican Chicken Soup, or my vegetarian Chickpea Noodle Soup.

chicken vegetable soup in white pot with ladle.

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

4.73 from 48 votes
This may not be the first chicken vegetable soup recipe you’ve tried, but it’s going to be your favorite. It turns out ultra-comforting, with no store-bought broth required!
prep10 mins cook25 mins total35 mins
Servings:6

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion , chopped
  • 3 carrots , chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 3 celery stalks , chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 5 cups water
  • 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen green beans , cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
  • 1 tablespoon fine sea salt (I use Real Salt brand)
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Optional Additions

  • 1 (15 oz.) can chickpeas or white beans , drained and rinsed
  • 1 pound potatoes , cut into ½-inch pieces
  • Fresh lemon juice
  • chopped parsley

Instructions

  • In a large pot with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion, carrots, and celery until softened, about 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and thyme, and stir for one more minute.
  • Add in the water, green beans, chicken, salt, and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil and then cover the pot and lower the heat so the soup can gently simmer for 15 minutes. (If you want to add potatoes or chickpeas, now is the time to do that, too.)
  • Check on the chicken by lifting it out of the pot and testing it with a meat thermometer. When the temperature reaches 160ºF, you can use the tongs to remove the chicken and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes, so it can finish cooking and reach a safe internal temperature of 165ºF.
  • Use two forks to shred the chicken, or cut it into small, bite-sized pieces. Return the chicken back to the soup pot, and adjust any seasoning to taste. You can add 1 more cup of water, for extra broth, or add in a squeeze of lemon juice, to help brighten the flavor. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
  • Leftover soup can be stored in airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Notes

Nutrition information is for roughly 2 cups of soup. This is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee. (This was calculated without extra add-ins, like chickpeas or potatoes.)
• Want to use broth instead of water? Be sure to cut back on the salt. (Start with just 1 teaspoon to be on the safe side.)
• Have cooked chicken to use up? You can add it during the last 10 minutes of the cooking cycle, just to make sure it is heated through.

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 1300mg | Potassium: 522mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5405IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken vegetable soup

More Recipes to Try

If you try this Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!

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Megan Gilmore leaning on her white countertop.

Megan Gilmore

Hi, I’m Megan. A former fast food junkie turned best-selling cookbook author. As a Certified Nutritionist Consultant (CNC), I love to make healthier food using simple ingredients. I test these recipes multiple times in my kitchen to make sure they will turn out perfectly for you.

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Comments

  1. Loved this soup! Easy to make and soooo tasty. Can’t believe there was no stock cube. Will definitely be making this again

  2. Delicious!! I made this in the Instant Pot and doubled the recipe. At the end, I sprinkled in the dried no-salt seasoning mix from Costco. I also boiled egg noodles in a pot on the cooktop and added them to our bowls of soup.

  3. It’s not a very flavorful soup unless you make your own chicken stock ahead of time. I used five cups of stock and four cups of water.

  4. Thank for this

    Thank you, this will be my go to recipe . It will be my go to chicken vegetable

    Loved this recipe! It’s so easy and my husband loved it.

  5. This recipe was delicious! My whole family loved it, and kept going back for more! I made my broth with mostly chicken bone broth and a few cups of water. I kept the same amount of salt and it tasted great! One thing that I might change next time is a little less onion. Maybe 1 instead of 2 onions (because I doubled it), but otherwise AMAZING recipe! 🙂 Thank you!

  6. Thank you for this! This is the third soup recipe of yours that I have made, and I love them all. I didn’t have thyme so I subbed herbs de province, and I didn’t have green beans so I did a head of bok choy. It is delicious and great for my cold.