This is the Best Ever Healing Chicken Soup, packed with healthy ingredients and so much flavour. You’ll feel better in no time!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – swap out for another neutral cooking oil such as grapeseed or canola oil.
- Chicken breasts – boneless skinless chicken thighs or leftover turkey or pork would also work.
- Celery – double up on the carrots if you don’t have any celery.
- Carrots – substitute for more celery or even leeks.
- Yellow onion – white onion or shallots would also work.
- Fresh rosemary – swap out for 1 tsp. dried rosemary instead.
- Fresh thyme – swap out for 1 tsp. dried thyme instead.
- Garlic – freshly minced garlic is best but jarred minced garlic will work in a pinch.
- Lemon juice – use freshly squeezed lemon juice if possible. Bottled lemon juice will work if it’s all you have on hand.
- Fresh ginger – swap out for ½ tsp. dried powdered ginger.
- Lemon zest – leave this out and just use lemon juice if you don’t have any on hand.
- Turmeric – the turmeric has a lot of healing properties and is a key component of this recipe. You can use saffron for a similar flavour, but it won’t have the same healing properties and has a sweeter taste.
- Salt & pepper – to taste.
- Chicken broth – vegetable broth is the best substitute here.
- Mini pasta shells – or another small pasta shape of your choice like macaroni.
- Fresh parsley – substitute for 2 tsp. dried parsley instead.
How to make chicken soup
Step 1: Cook the chicken.
Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot on the stove. Add chicken breasts, seasoning with salt & pepper and searing for 2-3 minutes each side until lightly browned, then remove from heat.
Step 2: Sauté the veggies.
Without wiping pot clean, add celery, carrots, onions, sautéing for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and scraping up any chicken bits from the bottom of the pot as you go.
Step 3: Add the rest of the ingredients.
Add chicken back to pot, along with rosemary, thyme, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, lemon zest, bay leaf, turmeric and salt & pepper, cooking another minute until fragrant.
Step 4: Simmer the soup.
Pour in chicken broth, bringing to a boil and simmering for 20 minutes. Add pasta in the last 10 minutes of cooking time, stirring occasionally until pasta is cooked through.
Step 5: Shred the chicken.
Remove chicken from broth and shred with two forks, then add back to pot.
Step 6: Serve and enjoy!
Stir in fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy!
Using homemade chicken stock
Homemade stock is great if you've got it. But if not, you can always use a good store-bought broth or stock.
You can also use a product like bouillon cubes or Better than Bouillon, which act kind of like concentrated stock that just comes together when you mix it with water.
Frequently Asked Questions
When you’re sick, your body needs lots of liquids. Chicken soup also has anti-inflammatory properties that could help soothe sore throats and will help you feel better overall.
Turmeric has a whole host of health benefits – it's got potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities, which makes it perfect for healing chicken soup. Fresh ginger is another healthy ingredient in this soup that promotes digestion and can help fight colds and flu. Both ingredients in combination with the fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley load this soup up with healthy immune-boosting properties!
If you're following a keto diet, you can easily make this soup keto-friendly by simply omitting the pasta. Towards the end of the cooking time, add in some zucchini noodles if you like, or even some spaghetti squash.
Other than the turmeric, this soup uses fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and parsley that compliment the chicken beautifully. Plus, both fresh garlic and ginger add some extra healing powers to the soup. Some fresh lemon juice and lemon zest add brightness and enhance the other flavours. If you don't have a whole lemon, you can skip the zest and just add store bought bottled lemon juice. All of these ingredients combined make for a fresh and bright taste!
Storing and reheating
You can store this chicken soup in the fridge for up to 5 days, which makes it great for meal prep. Store individual serving sizes in glass containers then reheat it the day you want to eat it! Just warm it up on the stovetop or in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes.
Can you freeze chicken soup?
Yes! This chicken soup will freeze well. Let it cool to room temperature then freeze it in a glass container or freezer-safe Ziploc bag for up to 3 months.
The night before you want to enjoy, stick the soup in the fridge to defrost then reheat as normal. You can also reheat it right from frozen if you’re short on time, either in a pot on the stovetop or in the microwave. Reheat it for 6 to 7 minutes, stirring halfway through.
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More chicken soup recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this soup into leftovers.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Use these Ziploc bag holders if you're freezing this soup in freezer bags.
- Freeze this recipe in glass microwave-safe bowls up to 3 months.
The Best Ever Healing Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped or 1 tsp dried
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped or 1 tsp dried
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger or 1/2 tsp dried powdered ginger
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup dry mini pasta shells or another small pasta shape such as macaroni
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley or 2 tsp dried
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot on the stove. Add chicken breasts, seasoning with salt & pepper and searing for 2-3 minutes each side until lightly browned, then remove from heat. Without wiping pot clean, add celery, carrots, onions, sauteeing for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and scraping up any chicken bits from the bottom of the pot as you go.
- Add chicken back to pot, along with rosemary, thyme, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, lemon zest, bay leaf, turmeric and salt & pepper, cooking another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in chicken broth, bringing to a boil and simmering for 20 minutes. Add pasta in the last 10 minutes of cooking time, stirring occasionally until pasta is cooked through.
- Remove chicken from broth and shred with two forks, then add back to pot. Stir in fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy!
Comments & Reviews
K says
Fantastic recipe. It will be my go to chicken soup recipe. Thank you!
mÃa says
This soup is so delicious. Thank you for sharing this incredibly easy to put together recipe!!! I’ve made it a few times now and could probably make it without referencing the recipe. Very warm and nourishing, especially for chilly weather or when one is under the weather.
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy you enjoyed!
Patti says
Can you make this in a crockpot? I need hip replacement and that would be ideal for me!
Taylor Stinson says
Hi Patti – yes for sure you could do it in the crockpot. I would add everything in except the pasta and cook on high for 4 hours, adding the pasta in during the last 30 min of cook time. Good luck with your surgery!
Lallie says
Absolutely delicious and yummy
Mixture of herbs adds great flavour for these cold winter days
Em says
This is now my Sunday go to. It tastes great, I feel great after eating it and its easy to pack for lunches during the week
Taylor Stinson says
I’m so happy it’s such a hit 🙂
Libby says
Can this be made in the Instant Pot?
Taylor Stinson says
Yes, for sure! I would dump everything in (in the order ingredients are listed), pressure cook 8 minutes, then remove chicken breasts and shred before adding back to the pot.