Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup
This Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup is super-quick to prepare and perfect for a light yet comforting meal. Use chicken breasts for a light version, or leftover roast chicken for deeper flavors: both work!
List of ingredients
To prepare this creamy vegetable chicken soup, you need just a few ingredients. You’ll find the exact quantities in the recipe card.
- Chicken breasts: For a healthy option, I chose skinless chicken breast. If you have leftover roast chicken or want to use chicken thighs, it’s also perfect.
- Vegetables: I usually use carrots for sweetness, celery for freshness and leeks to spice up the taste of the soup.
- Onion and garlic: Add flavor to soup.
- Chicken broth: To save time, I use good-quality chicken broth. If you have the time, your can make your own broth!
- Herbs: I just add a few bay leaves and thyme to flavor the soup. Plus a little curly parsley for decoration at the end.
- Cream (optional): For a smoother texture, add a little heavy cream at the end of cooking.
How to Make this Chicken Soup
Follow these steps to make this comforting, easy-to-prepare chicken soup with vegetables and cream.
- Brown the chicken: Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and brown them in a large dutch oven or pot with a little olive oil. This step will intensify the flavor of the soup. Once browned, remove and set aside.
- Add the vegetables: In the same pot, add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and leek. Sauté these vegetables for about 5 minutes, until they become tender and start to release their aromas.
- Simmer the soup: Add the bay leaf and thyme and pour in the chicken stock. Return chicken breasts to broth. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Flake the chicken: Remove the chicken breasts from the pan, flake them with a fork, then return them to the soup.
- Seasoning and finishing: Taste and adjust with salt and pepper. For a creamy chicken soup, add the heavy cream at the end of cooking. Serve warm, with some parsley for decoration.
And if, like me, you love this kind of creamy soups, you absolutely must try my viral Finnish Salmon Soup.
Géraldine’s tips
- Choice of chicken pieces: For a healthy and lighter soup, opt for chicken breasts. For more flavor, use thighs or leftover roast chicken.
- Add potatoes, rice or pasta: For a heartier soup, add potatoes cut in cubes, half a cup of rice or small pasta such as orzo just before adding the broth. You may need to add a little water if the rice or pasta absorbs too much broth.
- Let stand: Let stand a few minutes before serving to allow the aromas to develop.
More comforting soup recipes for winter
- White Bean and Parmesan Soup
- Lentil soup (vegetarian)
- Vegetable Tortellini Soup
- Creamy celeriac soup (with crispy bacon)
FAQ : Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Yes, leftover chicken is perfect for this recipe. They add a rich flavor and melt-in-the-mouth texture. Add them at the end of cooking to prevent them from drying out.
Absolutely, this soup keeps well and is easy to reheat. Prepare a day in advance to allow the flavors to develop even more.
Yes, you can freeze this vegetable chicken soup without any problem. If you add cream, do so after thawing to avoid texture changes.
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Recipe card
Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 skinless chicken breasts approx. 16 oz / 450 g in total
- 2 tablepoons olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 carrot diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 1 small leek thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 6 1/3 cups chicken broth (1.5 liters)
- 2/3 cup heavy cream optional (80 ml)
- Parsley chopped, for garnish
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
Prepare the chicken:
- Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot. Sear the chicken breasts on each side until they form a crust. Remove and set aside.
Cook the vegetables:
- In the same pot, sauté the onion, garlic, carrot, celery and leek for around 5 minutes. Add a tablespoon of olive oil if necessary.
Simmer the soup:
- Add the bay leaf, thyme and chicken broth, then place back the chicken breasts. Simmer for 20 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken breasts are fully cooked
Flake the chicken:
- Remove the chicken breasts, flake them with a fork and add them to the soup.
Seasoning and finishing:
- Adjust the salt and pepper. Finish with the heavy cream. Serve warm, garnished with parsley.
