Chicken Vegetable Soup (with the easiest homemade broth)
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This chicken vegetable soup is comfort in a pot — filled with tender chicken, colorful vegetables, and a rich, deeply flavored broth that practically makes itself. It’s an easy, cozy dinner that tastes like it’s been simmering all day.
This isn’t your average chicken and veggie soup. Using bone-in chicken thighs gives the broth incredible depth and character, turning it into a sort of two-for-one recipe: homemade stock and homemade soup all in the same pot. As the chicken simmers, it infuses the broth with flavor, creating a rich, layered, satisfying base.
Once the chicken is cooked, the meat is pulled from the bones and added back to the pot along with a mix of vegetables — carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, and green beans. It’s hearty but still light enough to enjoy any time of year, and it has that classic, made-from-scratch flavor that never goes out of style.
It’s the kind of simple, reliable recipe that reminds you how good homemade soup can be — and it somehow tastes even better the next day.
What to serve with chicken vegetable soup
This soup is a meal all on its own, but a few simple sides and toppings make it even better. Add a handful of lemon pepper croutons on top for a bright, crunchy finish — they bring such a nice pop of flavor to the rich broth.
For dipping, try my garlic butter potato rolls or no yeast bread with herbs and cheese — both are perfect for soaking up every last spoonful. If you’d like to round out the meal with something fresh, serve it alongside my classic Caesar salad with homemade croutons. Together, they make a cozy, satisfying dinner that everyone will love.
How to store + reheat
This chicken vegetable soup keeps beautifully, and the flavor deepens as it rests. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. It also freezes well — just let it cool completely first, then freeze it in portions for easy, cozy meals later.
To reheat, warm it gently on the stovetop over medium heat until hot. If the broth has thickened a little, stir in a splash of water or stock to loosen it up. It’ll taste just as rich and comforting as the day you made it.
Chicken Vegetable Soup (with the easiest homemade broth)
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ medium onion (minced)
- 2 medium carrots (sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper (more to taste (see notes))
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs (skinless)
- 2 stalks celery (sliced)
- 1 cup EACH: chopped broccoli and chopped cauliflower
- 1 cup chopped purple cabbage
- 1 cup kale leaves (packed)
- 1 cup sliced green beans
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and let it cook until it is transparent, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and garlic and cook for 2 minutes more.1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ medium onion, 2 medium carrots, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the diced tomatoes (juice and all), the Italian seasoning, chicken stock, salt, and pepper to the pot and stir. Place the chicken thighs on top, then bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to simmer, uncovered, while you chop the veggies.28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 6 cups chicken stock, 4 bone-in chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- While the soup cooks, chop the celery, broccoli, and cauliflower. After 20 minutes, add them to the pot to the pot and stir. After another 10 minutes, remove the chicken from the pot. Add the cabbage, kale, and green beans and let them cook for 5 minutes.2 stalks celery, 1 cup EACH: chopped broccoli and chopped cauliflower, 1 cup chopped purple cabbage, 1 cup kale leaves, 1 cup sliced green beans
- Remove the bones from the chicken and shred the meat using 2 forks then add the chicken back into the pot. Season the soup with salt and pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
I like this recipe! I followed for the most part, with a few modifications. In addition to Italian seasoning in pot, I sprinkled on top of the thighs before placing in pot. I also sautéed 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp cumin powder to add to spices, in with onions and garlic. I didn’t have kale, broccoli or cauliflower, but used fresh market spinach and yellow squash, in addition to the other veggies in recipe. I also added 2/3 cup basmati rice to pot when the thighs got added.
My ONLY negative is that the time allotted for thighs in pot did not allow mine to cook through, so I had red when removing from bone. I microwaved for brief time to finish cooking before adding back to the pot.
Mine is definitely not as pretty as yours however I was pleasantly surprised at the taste. I lean heavily into Latin flavors so I expected this to be too bland but it is not at all, although mine is liberally peppered. I’m looking forward to experimenting with corn or hominy and using this soup to use up all the extra veggies I end up with since I am a household of 1.