The 30-Minute Chicken Soup I’m Making All Winter Long

When I was growing up, I always looked forward to my after-school snack at my grandma’s house. But while my schoolmates were snacking on Gushers and those little Handi-Snack packs of crackers and mysteriously firm-yet-soft cheese, I would ask my grandmother for “real food.”

To me, “real food” meant reheated mac and cheese from our family lunch on Sunday, pimento cheese sandwiches, or whatever my grandmother was cooking that day, like her vegetable soup. My grandma’s soup was both light and hearty, full of veggies and potatoes but with enough meat to give it substance, and bolstered with canned tomato juice, which gave it a depth that all-chicken-broth vegetable soups lacked. It never failed to tide me over until dinnertime.

This flavorful chicken soup is very much in the spirit of that childhood soup. It’s light and brothy, packed with chicken for protein, and loaded with vegetables, making it warming and restorative. The chicken and potatoes absorb the flavors of the broth while the tomatoes add just the right amount of acid to round out all the flavors. 

Tips and Shortcuts

• The broth: Use your favorite chicken broth, as it’s the backbone of the recipe. In fact, consider using bone broth instead of regular chicken broth for the best flavor and body.
• The veggies: Add the frozen vegetables towards the end of cooking so they retain their tender-crisp texture. They’re already cooked, so they just need to heat through.
• The potatoes: Feel free to use canned potatoes if you don’t want to cut your own potatoes, but add them at the same time as the frozen vegetables.
• The garlic: Use jarred minced garlic to cut down on prep time. 

Easy Variations

• Veggie options: Add in any variety of veggies that you like! Chopped or canned green beans, frozen corn, or sliced carrots are all great choices.
• Make it Italian: Add a teaspoon of Italian seasoning along with the garlic, stir in pre-made potato gnocchi instead of the potatoes, and garnish with spoonfuls of pesto.
• Flavor with herbs: Add woody herbs, such as rosemary and thyme, along with the garlic. You can also finish the soup with tender herbs like parsley and basil.
• Add noodles: Add some egg noodles to the simmering soup. They will take about 6 minutes to cook.

How To Serve Chicken Vegetable Soup

Maybe the best thing about this soup is that you can serve it as-is and call it a meal, but practically every soup benefits from a side helping of some kind of bread. I like to toast thick slices of sourdough in olive oil in a skillet, but hunks of garlic bread are always a good idea. Or take it in a direction reminiscent of chicken pie by baking squares of thawed puff pastry to float on top of each bowl.