This is the BEST EVER Healing Chicken Soup, packed with healthy ingredients and SO much flavor. It's the only chicken soup you'll ever want to eat!
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Ingredients in chicken soup
Don't be put off by what looks like a long list of ingredients. The easy assembly of these items is part of what makes this soup so healing. Mostly, though, it's easy and delicious! The full ingredient amounts can be found at the bottom of this post in the recipe card. Here's what you need on hand:
- celery stalks, chopped
- carrots, chopped
- yellow onion, diced
- fresh rosemary sprigs (dried will work, but won't have as much flavour)
- fresh thyme (dried will work, but won't have as much flavour)
- garlic cloves
- lemon juice
- grated ginger (dried will work, but won't have as much flavour)
- lemon zest
- turmeric
- chicken broth
- dry mini pasta, or other small shape such as elbow macaroni
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish and more flavour
How to make chicken soup
This comforting recipe comes together in one pot so once you have all your ingredients prepared, making it becomes the easy part!
Here's what you need to do:
- Heat the oil in a 6 or 8-quart pot or Dutch oven add the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and sear the breasts and cook for 2-3 minutes before removing from the pan. This will add some extra flavour to the veggies when you saute them next.
- Without wiping the pan clean, you'll saute the carrots, celery, onions until tender. They'll get the flavour of the chicken juices from the bottom of the pan. After that, put the chicken back in the pot and stir in the fresh herbs and seasonings for a minute until it all becomes fragrant.
- Pour in the broth, bring the soup to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Add the pasta during the last 10 minutes (you don't want it in for the full 20 minutes or it will overcook and soak up all the broth).
- Remove the chicken from the pot, shred it with two forks, and return it back to the pot. Stir in the fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy!
What makes this chicken soup recipe unique
This recipe calls for turmeric, which is pretty unusual for chicken noodle soup and not your run-of-the-mill ingredient. It lends a vibrant yellow hue to the soup, along with its own subtle flavour.
Turmeric has a whole host of health benefits – it's got potent anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant qualities which make 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 fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley load this soup up with healthy immune-boosting properties so that this is the only soup you'll want to make when you're sick or in need of a boost.
How do you add flavor to chicken soup?
Other than the turmeric, this soup uses a good amount of fresh herbs such as thyme, rosemary and parsley that play well with chicken.
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!
Making it keto-friendly
If you're following a keto diet, it's simply a matter of omitting the pasta. Done and done! Toward the end, add in zucchini noodles if you like, or even some spaghetti squash.
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.
Speaking of which! Water will work, too. It will take on the flavor of whatever you cook with it!
Ingredient substitutions
This soup is super versatile so don't fret if you don't have some of the ingredients on hand. There are plenty of easy swaps you can make, and you can always leave out some of the ingredients.
- Meat – If you only have chicken thighs, no problem. They are nice and moist and great in soup. What about leftover turkey or pork? They would both work well in this soup. You wouldn't need to change any of the other ingredients.
- Pasta – I used mini pasta shells for this chicken soup, but if you don't have that pasta shape, you can go orzo with or elbow macaroni. Those will work fine. Prefer egg noodles? That works too. And rice? Sure.
- Herbs – Don't have thyme or rosemary? Sage, Herbs de Provence, tarragon and marjoram all taste good with chicken. You can also feel free to use dried versions of the herbs I have listed but the flavour will not be as strong as fresh.
- Broth – Out of chicken stock? Swap out vegetable or beef broth instead.
- Lemon juice and zest – You can leave out the lemon zest and just use bottled lemon juice if that's all you have on hand.
Storing and reheating
This soup can sit in the fridge for up to five days, which means you can make it ahead and meal prep it. Just reheat it the day you want to eat it. You won't even need sides to serve because you've got your protein, veggies and starches in one dish! Although a little bread and butter on the side never hurt…
Simply warm the soup on the stovetop for a few minutes or in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to reheat it.
Freezing chicken noodle soup
Soups like this one will freeze well. Let it cool almost to room temperature then place it in a freezer safe container for up to three months.
Put it in the refrigerator overnight before you want to cook it or you can heat it on the stove or in the microwave from frozen.
If you have stored the soup in individual glass containers with lids, then you can reheat the individual soup from frozen in the microwave for 6-7 minutes, stirring halfway through.
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
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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!
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