Healthy Chicken Soup shouldn’t take a lot of time. Whose schedule allows for a homemade soup on a weeknight? Yours does! Homemade Healthy Chicken Soup is on the table in under an hour with this easy recipe.
Healthy Chicken Soup in a Snap
Chicken soup made from poached chicken and homemade stock is amazing. Making it on a weeknight is unlikely. Most of us don’t have that kind of time on our hands during the work week. By keeping a few ingredients on hand and some timesaving tips, making healthy chicken soup on a weeknight doesn’t take long at all.
The Ingredients
What You Probably Have
I almost always have soup veggies and fresh garlic on hand along with dried herbs. I also always have boxed stock or chicken broth base. Orrington Farms is one of the broth bases I use most. It’s reasonably priced and gluten free.
What You May Need
Fresh Parsley
I think the parsley is a must in this recipe. It adds a little bit of freshness at the end. I don’t always have fresh parsley on hand but I do have the next best thing. Frozen Parsley Cubes. Parsley cubes are great for something like healthy chicken soup! You just take a cube or two out of the freezer and toss them in the hot pot. They melt into the soup from frozen. Learn how to make parsley cubes as well as preserving other herbs HERE.
Shredded Chicken
We usually roast chickens two at a time at home. We eat it for dinner and maybe some leftovers for lunch. Tara debones the other chicken and anything left on the first. She’s scary fast at deboning a chicken. We split the rest into 12-16 oz. portions and put it into freezer bags. Then it’s on hand and ready when needed for recipes like soup, tacos, or enchiladas.
If you don’t have shredded chicken in your freezer pick up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store. You’ll have enough for soup and leftovers for freezing or another meal during the week.
What’s Left Out
Potatoes
I skip potatoes in this soup. Potatoes are not unhealthy but leaving them out cuts some carbs. They also increase the cooking time needed.
Noodles
Chicken and Noodles go together like salt and pepper but I skip the noodles for two reasons. First, like the potatoes, leaving the noodles out cuts carbs. Second, Tara is gluten free and she likes the soup so I simply leave them out.
Keeping it Under an Hour
Timesaving Tips
A Good Dutch Oven
A large Dutch Oven is a cook’s best friend for soups and other tasty recipes. I like enamel coated cast iron ones. They retain heat (soup will cook more quickly), cook evenly, and clean up easily. They’re also affordable and last forever. Get a 6 or 7 quart one if you don’t have one.
The Chicken
Use a rotisserie chicken or frozen shredded chicken that’s been slightly thawed. I only partially thaw the shredded chicken most of the time. It’s easier to cut into smaller pieces if it’s partially frozen. It thaws out the rest of the way in the soup.
Sauté the Vegetables
Sautéing the vegetables a little bit before adding the broth means the veggies develop flavor and cook quicker.
Soup’s On!
There you have it. Simple ingredients and tips for making a healthy chicken soup any night of the week.
If you have any soup shortcut tips I’d love to hear them. Please leave your comments below.
Healthy Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbs. Olive Oil
- 2 32 oz Boxes of Chicken Broth or 8 cups of prepared broth base
- 12-16 oz. Cooked Chicken, chopped into bite size pieces
- 1 Large Onion, Chopped
- 2-3 Carrots, Peeled and Chopped
- 2-3 Stalks of Celery Chopped
- 3 Cloves of Garlic,Minced
- 2 Tbs. Fresh Parsley,Chopped
- 1 ½ tsp. Dried Thyme
- 1 Large or 2 Small Bay Leaves
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Instructions
- Heat Olive Oil over medium high heat.
- Add Onions, Carrots, and Celery and sauté for 5-8 minutes just until they start to soften.
- Add Garlic, Thyme, Bay Leaves, Salt and Pepper and give it a quick stir.
- Add Broth, increase heat, and bring to a boil.
- Once the soup boils, reduce heat and simmer for around 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove Bay Leaf
- Add chicken and heat through. This only takes a few minutes.
- Stir in fresh parsley.
- Add additional Salt and Pepper if needed.
- Serve with crusty bread, crackers or a salad.
