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I’ve made variations of this homemade chicken vegetable comfort soup so many times. Each time with slightly different ingredients. And each time it’s been delicious and easy to prepare. My favorite part is that usually I just throw in what I already have in the fridge. You can customize it with what you have on hand, and to your specific diet.
I like to think of a recipe (this one in particular) as a guide, because there’s freedom with a guide. You can use what you like and what you have on hand. And you can change things along the way, based on your family’s preferences.
How to make homemade chicken vegetable soup
The process is simple. Take several different vegetables, cooked chicken, bone broth (homemade or this bone broth powder use code BASICS10 for 10% off your order), throw it in the pot and boom. You’re done. It’s always delicious, nourishing, and quick to put together.
I love this soup. Not only does it taste great, it’s quick and easy to prepare. Especially if you’re using leftover chicken from a previous night that’s all ready to go.
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Okay let’s get cooking. First, get out your dutch oven, or big soup pot. We love using our dutch oven because, well, it’s awesome. It makes our food taste amazing, and you can use it for so many things…soups on the stove or homemade bone broth. You can even use it to make bread.
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Here are the steps we follow:
- First, saute the veggies in the dutch oven
- Next, add herbs and salt
- When the vegetables are softening, add the broth and cook until vegetables are cooked completely.
- Next add the chicken and frozen peas (if using)
It’s a one pot meal!
Ingredient Prep
Step 1: Vegetables
Open the door to the fridge and look inside the veggie drawers. Anything you see can be used in this soup. Some of my favorite options are:
- carrots
- onion
- celery
- peas (add after the other veggies are fully cooked)
- bell peppers (these tend to sweeten the soup, if you like that, go for it)
- corn (add after the other veggies are fully cooked)
- sweet potatoes
- zucchini
To prepare the vegetables, chop them so that they’re all about the same size. Then put them in the dutch oven with a little oil and a couple hefty pinches of salt. Cook them until the vegetables have softened a little.
Step 2: Seasoning/Herbs
While the veggies are cooking, add a couple teaspoons of herbs to season the soup. I like oregano and thyme in this soup, so I usually do one teaspoon of each. Taste as you’re cooking, and add more as needed.
If your family loves black pepper, add it now. My kids aren’t fond of the spice, much to my husband’s dismay, so I use it lightly.
Step 3: Bone Broth
We use our homemade bone broth for this soup. It adds so much flavor and nutrition. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, vegetable broth will work just as well. And if you don’t want to go to the hassle of making your own bone broth, there’s a powdered form available here (use code BASICS10 for 10% off your order).
After the vegetables are cooked, pour in the bone broth so that it covers them by about an inch. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, and herbs, if needed.
Let it heat up to a simmer.
Pause for a Taste
As you’re cooking, taste frequently. This is one of my favorite parts of cooking, to be honest. I love tasting the flavors as the meal progresses.
If you’re new to this taste-as-you-go method, you might be wondering how in the world do I know what taste preferences I have? Well it takes practice and experimentation. Use recipes as a guide, and try to add something new and see how it goes. Make cooking feel fun and free.
This is a great time to taste the veggies, too. These last few steps don’t take much time, so you want the veggies to be cooked and hopefully not mushy. Taste one to see how it’s doing. If it needs a little more time, boil for a few minutes and taste again.
Step 5: Protein
If you have cooked turkey, chicken, or sausage, this is a great time to throw it in. Alternatively, you can use cooked beans or lentils for a vegetarian option. Add your cooked protein of choice when the vegetables are cooked.
Step 6: Grains, Greens, Peas, and Corn
Grains are optional in this soup. I’ve used rice (read How to Cook Perfect Rice for the best method), quinoa, or noodles before and they all worked well. If you’re using grains of any kind, cook them before you put them in, and add them just before you’re ready to serve. That way they won’t get too mushy.
This is also when you want to add vegetables like corn, peas, or greens.
Ready to Eat
Make sure the soup is hot. Then taste and season as desired, and serve.
We’ve found that leftovers are especially delicious for this soup. The flavors get even better from the extra time sitting in the fridge.
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