Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup is an easy recipe that’s both freezer and crock pot friendly! It can be made with chicken thighs, breast, or leftover/rotisserie chicken! Optional additions include rice, pasta, potatoes, and more!
Chicken Vegetable Soup
This recipe, without a doubt, is my favorite freezer food of all time. I make it in huge batches and fill up my freezer for easy (and healthy!) lunches during the week.
It makes such a great base that you can serve as-is, but there is plenty of broth to accommodate the addition of rice, tortellini, pasta, potatoes, and more! I like to freeze the soup as-is and customize the portion sizes when I reheat it later. See below for instructions on how I recommend incorporating each of these add-ons!
Ingredients
Soup
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ¼ lbs. chicken, see notes
- Salt/Pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- ¾ cup carrots, diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups frozen mixed vegetables, (corn/green beans)
Seasonings
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon EACH: Dried basil, oregano, mustard powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
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Instructions
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Pat chicken dry and season with salt/pepper. Heat olive oil in a 4.5-quart soup pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and sear on each side for about 3 minutes, until a golden crust develops. (It’s okay if the middle isn’t cooked, it will simmer and finish cooking in the soup later.)
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Remove the chicken and set aside. Let it rest for 10 minutes, then dice or shred.
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Melt butter in the same pot over medium heat. Use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom and sides of the pot. This will work the brown “fond” into the broth, which adds a ton of flavor.
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Add the onions, carrots, and celery and soften for 5 minutes.
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Add the garlic, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and seasonings. Stir to combine.
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Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken back to the soup along with any juice from the plate and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
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Add the frozen vegetables. Cover partially and simmer for 10-15 more minutes. Serve!
Notes
Crock Pot Method
- Add all ingredients to the slow cooker, including diced/uncooked chicken. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8.
- Better Yet! If you’re able, sear the chicken first. (This crock pot allows you to do that right on the stove top without dirtying up another pot), then you can add the butter and use a silicone spatula to “clean” the bottom of the pot, which makes the broth more flavorful and adds color and texture to the chicken. Then add remaining ingredients and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8.
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