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.
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!
Beautiful recipe , went down a treat when I had no appetite! Good combination of all ingredients, did not need anything more adding to :)
Thrilled you loved this chicken soup recipe, Sandy!
I bet I’ve made this chicken soup 6 times in the past 6 months, it’s so good! I’ve made it for my elderly mother-in-law, for a family with a member receiving chemo treatments, and for my husband and me (several times!). It’s delicious, exactly as is. I use a quart of chicken stock and one cup of water. It really makes more than 4 servings. I also served it over rice to my toddler grandkids–they ate it up!
I’m so glad this chicken soup has been such a hit every single time, Amy!
I never rate recipes but this deserves a big fat 5 stars! The flavour is unlike I’ve ever tasted in a soup before and the veggie density is great.
Thanks so much for leaving a review, Louise! Happy to hear you’re loving this chicken soup recipe.
Best tasting chicken soup ever!! Thank you!!
Thrilled you’re loving this chicken soup, Estella!
This is our go to chicken soup recipe! We make ours in a large dutch often and we usually double the ingredients so we can freeze future meals. Potatoes and various spices are a nice addition. Wonderful base recipe. Thank you!
I’m so glad you’re loving this chicken soup, Noreen!
This is the first time I’ve used parsnips and leaks. And I must say, this recipe was an excellent way to introduce me to them. My family absolutely love it. Thank you for sharing your recipe. I look forward to trying more of them.
Happy to hear you enjoyed the parsnips and leeks! They make all the difference for this soup’s unique flavor. Enjoy, Lawrence!
I made this chicken soup and it was delicious! Perfect for a chilly day. I added some extra veggies and herbs for flavor. Will definitely make it again!
Happy to hear this chicken soup hit the spot on a chilly day, Nichole!
The best chicken soup ever indeed. I made it several times and each time was a succes ( even my mother in law loved it!!!)
Thank you Lisa!
Thrilled to hear everyone loved this chicken soup recipe, Elma!
The soup had wonderful flavor with the tarragon and thyme! I loved having leeks in there too and parsnips made the soup feel special. The only disappointment was the chicken which was tough and bland but that is probably reader error or improper expectations as I don’t see other reviewers complaining about it.
However, for that reason I will be trying other chicken soup recipes before circling back to this excellently flavored one again.
Glad you enjoyed the flavors, Lynda! You can always season the chicken or poach it in a more flavorful liquid beforehand.
Yes I did it was so easy to do and tasted beautiful I put some in the freezer as I live on my own
Happy to hear you loved this chicken soup recipe, Margaret!
Yes Yes Yes
I’ve made this twice now. I make my own egg noodles to add. The second time, I used chicken I had smoked on the grill. Restaurant quality.
Loving all the variations you made of this chicken soup, Brian. Enjoy!
This is “the best” chicken soup my friend!!
My whole family loves it!!
Thankyou !!
Wonderful! I’m so glad this chicken soup was a hit, Trudy.
This is the best Chicken Soup I’ve ever made! I’ve made it 3-4 times! Thank you!
Wonderful! Great to hear you’ve been loving this chicken soup recipe, Cheryl!
Hi.
And just aanted to say that i found your webite and recipe and made it. And was sooooo very impressed with your soup🤩and really loved it. V simple ingredients but sooo delicious😋will definitely be making this again and again😁😋👌thanks😍
Hi Charmaine – Happy to hear you enjoyed the simplicity of this chicken soup recipe!
Love this soup! Healthy, great tasting, easy to prep and cook!
Can’t beat a simple yet delicious chicken soup like this! Glad you loved it, Jim.
So delicious! I made this using homemade chicken broth, and added 4 cups of Swiss chard at the end to increase the nutritional content even further, I’m not fond of tarragon, so I just doubled up on the thyme. Thank you! I will be making this again!
Hi Pam – Glad you found a few ways to make this chicken soup your own! Sounds delicious and extra nutritious.
Apologies, i also wanted to find out your thoughts on cutting back slightly on the veggies as i will be serving this for Passover/Pesach and adding Matza Dumplings/Kneidelach which are smaller than a tennis ball but larger than a golf ball. The Kneidelach are cooked separately before adding to the soup to soak up more flavours. Do you agree?
Yes
Great flavor! I used a rotisserie chicken I had already bought and added a handful of egg noodles and it was a quick, hearty meal.
Hi Sarah – Sounds delicious with the added egg noodles! Glad you enjoyed this chicken soup.
Great recipe. No fresh tarragon or thyme at my local store so substituted fresh basil (instead of tarragon) and a quarter teaspoon of both marjoram and oregano (instead of fresh thyme). l also added a quarter teaspoon of dried chilli flakes – delicious!
Those substitutions sound like a great addition to this chicken soup, Peta! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Such an amazing combo of ingredients I will never forget how tasty it was. Thanks
So happy you loved it!
The best chicken soup I have ever made and had. It’s the 3rd time I’m making it because my kids loved it so much. I add egg noodles too and it’s just so comforting.
Yay, happy to hear it’s a winner, Amy!
I made this today for my sick daughter! It was perfect soup to help her get healthy! It was really delicious, healthy and hearty. The first recipe I tried from Lisa, won’t be my last.
So glad you both enjoyed it, Angela! And I hope your daughter feels better soon. :)
Family loves it! Perfectly balanced soupy meal in one :)
Happy to hear you all love it!
Didn’t have parsnips. Left them out. After I shredded the chicken I added it back in with some kale and egg noodles. Soooooo goood!
This is the best chicken soup I have ever tasted !!! I call it: sautéed chicken soup.
I bought a whole chicken, de-boned it, made a nice chicken broth from the carcass and bones and after that I followed your instructions. The result was and today still is wonderful
Than you for this recipe
Hi Milica – Thrilled to hear you’ve found the ultimate chicken soup recipe!
Love, love, love this chicken soup. I basically follow the recipe but add a few more veggies and broth to have more! Another perfect Lisa recipe, thank you!
This soup is such a great blank canvas to work with! Glad you love it, Terry.
I’m home sick with a cold and cough and made this soup. It’s exactly what I needed! It’s very flavorful and satisfying, not to mention nourishing. Thank you Lisa for another fabulous recipe!
I’m so glad you found the perfect chicken soup recipe to cure your cold, Teresa!
I love this soup because it is easy to make and is nutritious. I make it for my family on a regular basis. It is also a go-to of mine for meal trains as I know it will be a healthy, nourishing, and comforting dish that my friends and family can easily freeze for later and heat up when they are ready to eat it.
Thrilled to hear this has become your go-to chicken soup recipe, Liz! It’s the perfect healthy meal to keep stashed away in your freezer.
Delicious 😋
Hi! could I sub bone broth for chicken broth?
Yes, no problem!
I have made this chicken soup so many times, and every time I rejoice at how easy it is to prepare and how delicious! The flavours are light and exciting, the chicken is always tender and overall it’s an absolute winner, for winter or summer.
I often read comments for recipes and how some people change them by adding this, or adding that etc … but there is no way I would mess with this recipe, it’s perfect as is.
Thank you Lisa, for a wonderful recipe!
Hi Liz – Thrilled to hear you’re loving this chicken soup as is! Sounds like you’ve found the perfect recipe you can come back to every single time. Enjoy!
I have had the flu for two weeks. I got the ingredients for this chicken soup recipe. I made it this morning, and just had some for lunch. Delicious!!
Hi Cheryl, hope you’re feeling better! Good call on making this chicken soup, as it’s the perfect meal you want to enjoy when you’re feeling under the weather!
This is a great recipe, I loved it. However, do you have any suggestions for if chicken foam is floating to the top after poaching? With all the veggies and herbs I couldn’t really scoop it out without getting some of my vegetables or herbs and I was trying not to lose any so I had a hard time getting the bits out?
Hi Katie – I would normally just scoop that out as well, as best as I can. Though I don’t usually have too much foam when I make it. Happy you loved the chicken soup!
Try sopping it up with a slice of bread folded in half. You just need to be quick with it so the bread doesn’t get saturated and fall into the soup.
Ive added white wine to mine – but then again, I’m from the UK :/
Haha, I’m sure that’s a tasty addition! Enjoy. :)
Made a batch of this delicious soup to freeze forward for a future day (cold/flu season)
Within 2 days my friend got the flu and I brought her soup. Food is medicine! She said it was welcome, wonderful and healing :-) making another batch today!
Soup is the best thing you can have when you’re under the weather! Glad you and your friend are loving this chicken soup, Kate.
Hi! We are counting calories currently. How many cups of the soup count as 1 serving for the calories listed on the nutrition facts?
Hi Christy – each serving is about 2 cups of soup. Enjoy!
Mine did not turn out flavorful and the celery was still crunchy. But it also was my first time making soup so hopefully next time will be better! I did find for the amount of vegetables in the recipe that 5 cups of broth almost wasn’t enough. Just me though. Thank you for sharing anyways God Bless
I made this tonight, and it was fantastic! Some of the family loved it, and some weren’t so sure. It’s very sweet, and I’m wondering if there is a way to make it more savory?
Hi Natalie – I’m happy to hear you loved this chicken soup! You could always add more herbs or even a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat next time.
Natalie, my attempt was also very sweet. I suspect the carrots and parsnips I used were too large, and I probably let it simmer too long, releasing their sugars into the broth. To salvage it I drained some of the broth and replaced with new chicken broth, and added some ginger and lemon juice. Next time I’d cut down on the carrots and maybe omit the parsnips altogether.
I make this soup often now. Thank you! So healthy and delicious. I make double recipe and share with friends.
I am adding potato this time. I’m sure it will still be great.
Hi Jessica – How sweet of your to share this with friends! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as you and I do.
Can it be prepared in an instant pot and or crock pot?
Made just as recipe stated. Just what I was looking for on these cold days. Very flavorful and healthy. Was not sure about the parsnips but really added a nice texture and flavor. Husband was also hesitant about parsnips and said he was pleasantly surprised. Highly recommend.
Hi Debbie – Happy to hear the parsnips surprised you both! They really do add a delicious flavor to the soup. Enjoy!
Delish—subbed some parsnip with purple sweet potatoes and it turned the broth purple haha (won’t do that again). I finished the soup with 2 TB lemon juice and fresh dill.
Hi Linz – I’m sure the sweet potatoes tasted delicious though! Happy to hear you enjoyed this chicken soup.
Great soup 🍲!
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Soup’s on the stove. Kitchen smells lovely. And it is hot here in Mexico. But, for us, soup is perfect any day no matter the temperature outside. Thanks for this healthy recipe.
You can never go wrong with a fragrant soup simmering on the stovetop! Glad you’re loving this recipe, Anna.
So good! The parsnips and tarragon make it. I made my favorite stuffing (bread, celery, onions, chestnuts, thyme, savory, butter and broth) and put some right in the soup.
I’m glad you enjoyed the parsnips and tarragon in this chicken soup. I think they’re the star ingredients as well! :)
So, so good!
Added two sprigs of fresh sage, small zucchini and a tin of sweet corn – not that the recipe needed it to be delicious.
This is the best chicken soup I have ever had! I will make this again! Love the vegetables & broth! Delicious!
Thanks so much, Susie! I’m so thrilled you loved it!
I’ve tried this already and making this once again I loved it, truly!
Yay, thanks for coming back to make it again and again!
Easy recipe and delicious
Thrilled to hear you’re enjoying this chicken soup!
Really delicious. I didn’t have all the ingredients so I substituted a few items and added some. I didn’t have parsnips so I used a potato for the leeks I used a whole onion. I added 2 T sundried tomatoes in olive oil and instead of olive oil used avocado oil. I was making the soup for my friend who is kosher so used kosher chicken and vegetable broth (since I couldn’t find kosher chicken broth and didn’t have time to make broth from kosher breasts.
Very tasty
Hi Barb – Glad this worked out in the end with other ingredients you had on hand!
Made this for my family tonight added dumplings and they loved it!
Wonderful! Glad this chicken soup was a hit, Shannon.
Really tasty soup, has become our work lunch go to over the winter! Can I ask is the nutritional information per portion? Thank you :)
Hi Emma-A great choice for a warming work lunch! The nutritional information will always be per serving. Hope that helps!
Spectacular! I used 2 medium yellow potatoes instead of parsnips. Directions were easy to follow. I’ve never been a very good cook so I was so excited when my husband loved it. Will make again and again.
Hi Michelle – I’m so glad to hear you both enjoyed this chicken soup, and that the directions were easy to follow. Congrats on making a winner of a meal!