Chicken Vegetable Soup

5 from 6 votes

An easy and healthy Chicken Vegetable Soup recipe is the perfect cozy lunch or dinner for a chilly day!

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken and vegetable soup, chicken vegetable soup, old fashioned chicken vegetable soup

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

0 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings quarts (about 16 cups total)

Calories 125kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

2 tablespoons butter
1 ½ cups peeled and diced carrots
1 small onion, finely-diced
¾ cup diced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
1 russet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes
1 small zucchini, diced
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, not drained
1 ½ cups frozen peas (or sub with frozen cut green beans)
1 ½ cups frozen corn
3-4 cups cooked, diced or shredded chicken (the meat from about 1 rotisserie chicken)

Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the carrots, onion and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are translucent – about 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 more minute.
Stir in the chicken broth, rosemary, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, salt and pepper, mushrooms, potato, zucchini and tomatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the potato and vegetables are tender – about 20 minutes.
Stir in the peas, corn and chicken. Simmer for 5-10 more minutes, or until heated through. Discard bay leaf. Garnish with additional fresh herbs and serve immediately.

This makes a very large pot of soup! You can either save the leftovers for later meals, or cut all of the ingredients in half to prepare a smaller batch.
You do not need to thaw the peas or corn before adding them directly to the soup. They will thaw almost immediately when they hit the hot broth.
Fresh herbs add the best flavor to this old-fashioned soup. If you don't have access to the fresh version, you can substitute with dried herbs in a pinch. You'll need about ¼ teaspoon each of dried rosemary, thyme and parsley.
Don't forget a side of crusty bread, warm biscuits or soft dinner rolls for dipping in that delicious tomato broth!
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the very end is a nice, bright addition.
Garnish with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for a delicious finishing touch!