Chicken Soup
447 Comments
Updated May 23, 2024
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The best chicken soup doesn’t need much — just tender poached chicken, hearty winter vegetables, and fresh herbs simmered in chicken broth. It’s a simple combination that’s a cozy hug for your taste buds and the best kind of immunity boost.
I’ve been making this exact chicken soup for over a decade now. It’s my go-to recipe when the cold weather strikes and I’m craving something light, brothy, nourishing, and warm. And while many chicken soup recipes often contain pasta noodles, they’re definitely not needed. I swap those out for parsnips which are equally filling, but add a deliciously sweet flavor that works so well with the fresh herbs.
What’s the secret to making a phenomenal chicken soup? My answer is to keep the ingredient list minimal and simple. This chicken soup is jam-packed with a ton of nutrient-dense vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, leek, celery, and onion, plus fresh herbs. Vegetables are a big component of many of my soups recipes, from my lentil soup, to classic vegetable soup, and cabbage soup. But, it’s the fresh thyme and tarragon that really makes this chicken soup special and unique.
If you’ve made my chicken salad recipe you know that tarragon pairs beautifully with chicken, and I’d say it’s the one ingredient that really gives this soup that “wow factor” as well. So if you’re on the hunt for a chicken soup that’s cozy, healing, and flavorful, this should be at the top of your list!
Simple Chicken Soup Ingredients
- Chicken Breast: You’ll need two boneless, skinless chicken breast for poaching. Though you could also swap in chicken thighs if you’d like. Poached chicken is the best method for an easy and healthy way to cook chicken!
- Vegetables: This is a classic and hearty mix of carrots, parsnips, leek, celery, onion, and garlic. If you’re not a fan of parsnips, you can also use turnips or potatoes. Just keep in mind that potatoes may need a few extra minutes to cook until fork-tender.
- Fresh Herbs: When it comes to seasoning your chicken soup, sprigs of fresh thyme, tarragon, and a bay leaf lend herbaceous goodness. See my notes below if using dried herbs.
- Chicken Broth: With a simple ingredient list, it’s important to choose a high-quality chicken broth for the best flavor. If you’re curious about the brand I use, I’ve linked it in the recipe card below.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Make Chicken Soup
Saute the veggies. Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the carrots, parsnips, celery, leek, and onion to the pot and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Then, add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir for another minute.
Poach the chicken. Add the thyme, tarragon, bay leaf, chicken, and broth to the pot. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked. You can also use an instant-read thermometer to see if the chicken has reached 165°F.
Shred the chicken. With tongs, remove the chicken to a cutting board and gently shred the chicken with two forks. Place the shredded chicken back into the pot and simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
Garnish and serve. Remove the sprigs of thyme, tarragon, and bay leaf. Don’t forget to garnish the fresh parsley and black pepper before serving. Those little additions will make a difference!
Common Questions
While I’m no doctor, I think most would agree that chicken soups are nourishing. And for me personally, it’s always been one of my go-to remedies for when I’m feeling under the weather. The light and warm broth soothes my body and the mix of healthy protein and veggies gives me the nutrients I need to keep my gut happy.
While I do feel that fresh is best in this recipe, if you only have dried herbs on hand, go ahead and use them! Just keep in mind that dried herbs are a bit stronger in flavor, so I’d recommend starting with ½ teaspoon of each, and then adding more if you’d like.
You can always add more veggies to this soup, like peas or zucchini. In fact, I add zucchini noodles along with spicy ginger and earthy turmeric in the golden chicken zoodle soup recipe in my Healthy Meal Prep cookbook!
Storage Tips
- To store for the week: Always allow your soup to come to room temperature before storing away in the fridge in an airtight container. This soup will stay good for 4 to 5 days — making it the perfect healthy meal to quickly reheat and enjoy throughout the week!
- To freeze for later: If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m a big fan of freezing extra portions of soups, whether that’s in a glass storage container or this silicone freezing tray. Leftovers will stay good for up to 3 months in the freezer.
- For reheating: To reheat a single serving, microwave it in a bowl for a few minutes until it’s warm to your liking.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
Soups always have a designated spot on my menus, especially during fall and winter. If you’re looking for some new inspirations, I’ve got plenty of soup recipes to choose from. Give one of these a try next!
- Butternut Squash Soup: A must-make during winter squash season!
- Stuffed Pepper Soup: This hearty soup with ground beef, rice, bell peppers, onion, and tomatoes will satisfy even the hungriest bellies.
- White Chicken Chili: This chicken chili is loaded with white beans and lots of veggies.
- Avgolemono Soup: A Greek lemon, chicken, and rice soup that’s naturally creamy.
- Split Pea Soup: Green split peas are simmered with veggies and a meaty ham bone for ultimate flavor.
I hope this chicken soup recipe becomes your new cold-weather favorite. If you make it, I’d love to hear what you think of it in the comment box below. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Ultimate Chicken Soup
Description
Video
Equipment
- Le Creuset Dutch Oven My favorite soup pot!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 parsnips, peeled and sliced
- 3 celery ribs, sliced
- ½ medium onion, diced
- 1 leek, halved lengthwise, sliced, and rinsed
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh tarragon
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¼ cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Saute the veggies. Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the carrots, parsnips, celery, leek, and onion to the pot and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper, and stir for another minute.
- Poach the chicken. Add the thyme, tarragon, bay leaf, chicken, and broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and cover the pot. Simmer the soup for 15 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Shred the chicken. With tongs, remove the chicken to a cutting board and then gently shred the chicken with two forks. Place the shredded chicken back into the pot and simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.
- Serve. Remove the sprigs of thyme, tarragon and the bay leaf. Stir in the parsley, and garnish with additional fresh parsley and black pepper before serving.
Lisa’s Tips
- Those of you with an eagle eye may have noticed I added the garlic first in the video above. While that’s not detrimental, I do believe the steps listed above are best – so follow those.
- For the shredded chicken hack (using a stand mixer) that I mention in the video, check out my shredded chicken recipe.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally published January 2016, but updated to include new information and photos for your benefit!
Delicious.
Mine is cooking now. It smells wonderful! Thank you for having the receipe.
Sure thing, Debbie. Enjoy!
Love this soup. I have made chicken soup similar to this, but had forgotten about using parsnips until I read this. My mother used to always put parsnips in her soup and it was amazing. I have now started doing this and LOVE it!! I will cook some egg noodles or other pasta separately to use as an add-in for the gluten lovers (my husband). Our son is gluten sensitive and your recipes have been very helpful
Parsnips are key for this recipe! Glad this brought back some memories :)
Nice chicken soup. I think parsnip would have been lovely, but since my store didn’t have it, I used turnip and purple sweet potato.
Turnip and purple sweet potatoes are great alternatives!
Really great flavor profile, easy to make and feel very comforting on a cold winter day!
Thanks, Lisa!
I’m so glad you love this recipe, Maribel!
Love the squeeze of lemon tip to enhance flavor! Tried tarragon and thyme for 1st time and loved the flavor. Awesome recipe thx.
Greg
This is the first time I’ve used leeks. We loved it! Just enough sweetness. This is a simple recipe that is packed full of flavors for a good cold day or to nurse a body back to good health. Thank you for sharing!
Happy to hear you’re loving the leeks in this recipe! They really do help to add great flavor to this soup.
I was sure parsnips was something I would not like. But, it made the soup. This was delicious! Pefect for the first Saturday on January as we await our first winter storm of the year. I highly recommend it to try a chicken soup without noodles.
Hi Mary – I’m glad you enjoyed this chicken soup! The parsnips really do add a delicious flavor to it, and are a great alternative to noodles. Enjoy!
Delicious! I doubled the recipe since we have visitors – and everyone thoroughly enjoyed this soup. (I did squeeze some lemon before serving.) Perfect for a cold day! Comes together so quickly and easily too… So glad I came across this site. 😋
Thanks so much, Pam! I’m happy you and your guests loved this chicken soup.
Easy, simple dish that is full of flavor.
I’m so glad you love this chicken soup, Tee!
I used my own homemade chicken broth with this and the soup was outstanding! Thanks for this simple but very delicious recipe (think the parsnips really add a nice touch)
I’m sure using your homemade broth made this taste even better!
I made this last night as I wasn’t feeling the greatest and I wonder why I haven’t made this one sooner. It was SO good & has so much flavor! It’s so easy to make and is so comforting. It was exactly what the Dr. ordered. I made the recipe with no swaps and I know I’ll be making this again. Delicious!!
Hi Deanna – I’m so glad this chicken soup came to the rescue! It really is such a comforting and healing soup for winter.
This is a great soup base recipe. Lovely as is but can have so many add ins or substitutions. This is my new go to for chicken. Yum!!!
Hi Kris – Thrilled to hear you’re loving this chicken soup!
Making this for my sick household. Thanks so much for the easy steps!
Hi Bianca – Happy to hear this soup came in handy for your sick household!
This soup is a staple for me! I’ve added potatoes, sometimes noodles.. it is just so good and comforting. My daughter had a cold a couple of weeks ago and I made a nice big batch! Medicinal !!!
Hi Rhonda – Happy to hear this chicken soup was become a staple now!
Can I make this soup in a crockpot?
Best soup I’ve tasted in ages! This will be my go to soup from now on. Thank you!
Love to hear that! Thanks so much, Stacey.
This is, without a doubt, the easiest and most flavorful chicken soup I have ever prepared. The balance of flavors is exactly what you crave in a comforting bowl of chicken soup—rich, savory, and perfectly satisfying.
To elevate the taste, I finished the soup with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and a sprinkling of chopped parsley and dill. These simple additions bring a bright, aromatic lift to the broth. The inclusion of turnips, an ingredient I wouldn’t have initially considered for chicken soup, works surprisingly well, adding a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor that enhances the overall dish.
THANK YOU for providing such a delicious and easy soup!
Hi Stephanie – Love the final touches you added to this soup and happy to hear you’re enjoying this a ton.
Absolutely love this recipe! Has so much flavor! Made it twice this month. Love all of the aromatics in this soup. Used dried herbs instead since I couldn’t find tarragon at my local store. Thank you for sharing your yummy recipes.
So glad you enjoyed it (twice), Desiree!
Simple to make.
And so delicious!
I did add cubed potatoes.
Did not find any fresh thyme in the store so substituted with Summer Savory.
I will definitely make this again as it is so good.
Will try egg noodles instead of cubed potatoes next time.
Thank you.
Please delete my previous review which was full of typos.
Hi Rob – I’m happy you loved it, and definitely feel free to tweak the ingredients to what you have on hand. Enjoy!
Just finished making the soup for the first time. Tastes great! I also loved that the proportions and timing were spot on. I included everything except for the leeks as my husband doesn’t like them. It’s a great addition to my weekly repertoire!
So glad you enjoyed this chicken soup recipe, Heidi!
Your chicken soup is so yummy, nutritious and so easy to make.
Thank you
I’m happy you loved it, Mia!
A wonderful blend of flavors. I used a lemon thyme and a bay leaf from our garden. I was less familiar with tarragon and usually do not add parsnips to my vegetable soups, but I am so glad I followed your recommendations. I make vegetable soups almost weekly for my mother-in-law and myself for lunches. Usually I just throw in whatever veggies I have plus salt, pepper and oregano. I will definitely make this soup again. Thank you for introducing me to a new combination of flavors that I can play with for our weekly lunch soups.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this version, Dena, with the tarragon and parsnips. It really does add a lovely flavor twist to it. :)
Tarragon is not an expected smell or flavor for chicken noodle soup. It’s fine but this is probably not the flavor you’re looking for.
I’ve never had tarragon in chicken soup.
It’s amazing! I love it.
Yum! Excellent and so easy! Fresh, clean taste. 100% on point about the tarragon sprigs infusing the wow factor- lovely seasoning. I added a teeny tiny piece of ginger. This soup was delicious on a snowy night!
Hi Barb – I think ginger is a great addition. So happy you loved it, and hope it warmed you up on that snowy night!
Have the vegetables been cooked long enough?
Hi Stella – Yes, they should be!
The best soup I’ve ever eaten. The parsnips in this soup give it a slight peppery taste. It’s simple to make, especially if you use a rotisserie chicken that the grocery store has already cooked. Leave the parsnips and carrots in fairly big chunks so they don’t get mushy when you reheat the soup.
Hi Sue – Amazing! I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken soup. And yes, the parsnips add a delicious flavor to it!
Love the recipe very tasty. Only thing I changed was the parsnips to potatoes. Everything else stayed the same I like parsons but not that much. They have a twang that I just don’t get in touch with but the potatoes at a great field to it and the same ingredients I would not change the recipe leeks everything else the same it’s very tasty hardy soup. I also sometimes make it with thighs instead of breast.
Hi Paul – No worries at all! I’m glad you enjoyed this chicken soup with potatoes instead.
Thank you so much for this recipe that was so delicious !
Charlotte from France :)
Hi Charlotte – I’m so glad you’re loving this chicken soup recipe!
Wow! I love this recipe. I double it and exchanged the parsnips for potatoes. I tried it as originally stated but I don’t think I like parsnips so tried again without them. I use rotisserie chicken instead. Really delicious soup. I also make red lobster copy cat biscuits and put them on top of the soup. Sometimes I’ll add avocado to the soup also. It’s delicious! I will garnish with a squeeze of lemon juice as well! Thank you for a great recipe!!
Hi Sue – Love all the variations you’ve done with this chicken soup! I’m sure the biscuits were the cherry on top.
This sounds wonderful, and healthy. I’ll make it for my annual Holiday Sing A Long! Thank you so much!
Hi Nancy – I hope everyone enjoys this chicken soup recipe!
Hello! Is there a crockpot version of this? I don’t want the veggies to overcook so I’m unsure if it all should go in at once? So excited to try this delicios soup!
When autumn kicked in and a wave of sickness with it, my partner and I both inevitably caught an awful cold. Mine came first, so once I recovered I was on the hunt for the best chicken soup recipe to heal my partner when the flu came to claim his sanity.
I never EVER post reviews for recipes because I find so many don’t call for enough seasoning (or garlic!) so they don’t quite hit the mark enough for me to rave about it. But this soup was…insane. I stuck to the recipe so I could add anything extra later while all the flavours were marrying up in the pot, but to my delight, when I tasted it, it was an explosion of herby, veggie, chicken brothy goodness.
My only adjustments were swapping fresh for 1 tspn of dried tarragon (all I had to hand) and also added a tspn of dried rosemary bc it pairs so well with chicken, I probably added more salt and pepper than written but that’s just my preference. The veg all tasted SO good, soaking up all that delicious broth, never have I had such tasty parsnips! (no special preparation needed)
My partner and I lapped this up and he was better in no time and praises the soup for his speedy recovery. It was so delicious, I think about making it all the time to to make the unforgiving British winter not feel so dreadful.
Sorry for the long review! If you stuck around this long, thanks for reading my love letter to this soup :)
Hi there – Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review! Thrilled to hear you and your partner loved this soup and that it helped with a speedy recovery.
Finished product smelled delicious & at 1st bite thought it was, especially the broth! However that all came to a halt after I began biting into the parsnips…horrible! And it had nothing to do with possibly not liking parsnips I came to find out after doing some checking & reading about soapy-tasting parsnips…that’s EXACTLY the horrible flavor I tasted, undeniable. Apparently there’s a very specific step to preparing parsnips & if you skip it then you’ll be biting into a bunch of soap-like veggies that just ruined your entire pot of soup….they are supposed to be cored when on the larger side, which they all were so there was no variety of sizes to select from. A pretty significant detail & key that should be included in the recipe vs just slicing it up the same as your carrots.
Can you use dry tarragon and thyme if you don’t have fresh?
Hi Kate – yes, you can. I’d recommend using about 1/3 the amount of each.
I detest noodles or rice in chicken soup. This version is absolutely perfect: Making it was easy, the most difficult part was finding fresh tarragon. Definitely a keeper
Hi Nick – I’m happy you love this version of chicken soup! It’s all about the chicken and veggies with this one. :)
Fantastic soup. I’ve shared this recipe with 8 others and its been a huge hit. I found this on my hunt for a chicken soup recipe and fell in love with its simplicity as well as all the veggies and lack of noodles and potatoes. The only thing I changed was I added 8 chicken thighs to the 2 chicken breasts. Love the shredded chick ‘hack’ you have using my stand mixer. I wouldn’t have thought of that.
Hi Ryan – Thanks so much! I’m happy to hear you love this veggie-heavy chicken soup. And definitely feel free to add more chicken if you’d like. That stand mixer hack is such a time saver, isn’t it? Enjoy!
Can this be prepared in the crock pot? I would be using roasted chicken instead of raw?
Came out a little bland and I don’t like a lot of salt, just umami. Maybe my seasonings weren’t balanced. I used boneless thighs.
This is my go to recipe. Love it! One question what do you recommend as the serving size?
Hi Mindy – each serving is about 2 cups. Enjoy!
Thank you!
We love the soup, and it’s become my go to recipe to gift to new moms or people recovering from illness or surgery. It makes way more than 4 servings!
Aw, that’s so kind of you, Amy!
I followed this recipe exactly other than adding some cayenne powder for a little bit of heat. Fantastic recipe and will definitely be my new go-to chicken soup!
Hi Baylee – Thrilled to hear you’ve found your new go-to chicken soup recipe.
Love it. I added 1 sweet potato and 2 potatoes peeled with Italian seasoning, Lawrys seasoning, vegeta, salt and pepper and a squeeze of lemon at the end with fresh thyme. I didn’t have the other spices you had
Hi Jamie – I love the items you added to this chicken soup!
I just made this soup and it was the most flavoursome soup I’ve ever ate! Every mouthful was pure goodness and felt like it was the perfect meal to make me feel better while I am under the weather! I did leave the soup on for about 15 mins extra so the chicken would be tender enough to shred. I’m looking forward to trying some more of your soup recipes! Thank you!!!
Hi Orla – Oh wonderful, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! And I hope you feel better soon. :)
Another wonderful recipe, thank you! Other than the time spent chopping the vegetables, it is fast and easy. I have always stripped thyme leaves off the stems, but followed your recipe & used them whole. About 20 minutes later the leaves had fallen into the soup & it was easy to remove the main stems. I used oregano instead of tarragon. Everyone loved this soup!
Hi Ruth – I’m so glad everyone enjoyed this chicken soup recipe!
I made it with turkey legs. Also didn’t have tarragon and it was delicious. I can’t wait to try it with the tarragon
Sounds like a great swap with the turkey. Enjoy!
This is a very good soup & easy to make. In lieu of the parsnips, I substituted a sweet potato.
I also used dried thyme and added a touch of dried basil since I had no tarragon. It was delicious!
This soup will definitely be in our winter menu rotation.
Hi Lilly – I’m so glad you loved it! And those sound like perfect swaps.
Wow. This was amazing. I used chicken thighs and dried herbs. 3/4 tsp tarragon and 3/4 tsp thyme. I will def be making this again :)
So happy you loved this chicken soup, Kirstin!
The soup was overall good! I followed the recipe but my chicken turned out a bit tough to chew. Should I have cooked it for longer? Less time?
Hi Kara – Hmmm, it’s hard to say, but it does sound like maybe it was undercooked.
I don’t usually leave comments on recipes but this one was DELICIOUS! My husband is a foodie and my favorite “critic”, I asked “what does this need?” He said “absolutely nothing, this is delicious!” And the best part: my 3 year old loved this as well! 10/10 for us!
Thanks so much for taking the time to review! It’s always wonderful to hear feedback, especially when it’s glowing reviews all around. :) Enjoy!
First time eating parsnips and I love them! Store didn’t have leeks so looks forward to adding those in the future. I let this soup simmer for a good while. This was absolutely delicious! Did not miss the noodles I normally do with chicken noodle soup. Will definitely add this to my rotation!! Thank you
I’m glad you’re loving the parsnips in this chicken soup, Ali!