Chicken Vegetable Soup

5 from 3 ratings

A rich, thick chicken vegetable soup that is packed with flavor, protein and vegetables! An easy and unique chicken soup recipe that will have you going back for thirds!

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Servings: quarts

Author: Chef Lindsey

Ingredients

1 pound chicken thighs bone-in, skin removed
5 medium carrots
2 medium onions
4 celery stalks
12 ounces mushrooms I used baby Bella’s
4 small oregano stalks leaves removed & roughly chopped
6 fresh thyme sprigs
¼ cup olive oil
2 small zucchini
14 ounces crushed tomatoes canned
4 cups vegetable stock
15 ounces canned great northern beans not drained
15 ounces canned small white beans not drained
15 ounces canned kidney beans drained
¼ cup tomato paste
kosher salt to taste
pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Finely dice the carrots (I did not peel mine because they were super skinny!), onions, and celery. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with kosher salt and then brown in the stock pot. You will need to work in 2 batches.
Once brown, remove from the pot to a rimmed plate or dish. Repeat the searing with remaining chicken thighs. I did not need to add oil because there was a little untrimmed fat that rendered it into the pot.
Remove all chicken from the pot. Add a little more oil, approximately 1 tablespoon more, and pour in all the chopped carrots, onions, and celery. Continue cooking over medium or medium-low to sweat out the moisture.
While the mire-poix (carrot mixture) is cooking, finish chopping the zucchini and mushrooms.
Once the onions are translucent in the carrot mixture, add the zucchini, mushrooms, thyme sprigs, chopped oregano, canned crushed tomatoes, great northern beans and their juices, small white beans and their juices, drained kidney beans and tomato paste.
Add the browned chicken thighs and their accumulated juices along with the vegetable stock to the pot, stir.
Cook, covered, over medium-low heat. I taste for seasoning once everything has come to a simmer. Add salt and pepper as desired.
I skim the foam off the top of the soup after about 30 minutes. Using a small ladle or large metal spoon is best. A large ladle will not skim the foam as efficiently and you will lose more good soup.
Continue cooking until the zucchini and chicken thighs are cooked through. Using tongs, a fork or kitchen tweezers, remove the chicken thighs to a cutting board. I also remove the spent thyme sprigs while I’m in there digging around.
Shred your chicken off the bone using two forks and then cut any large chunks into bite-size pieces. Throw away the bones and then scrape the pulled chicken back into the soup. Taste for seasoning one last time. Add salt or pepper as desired.
My soup cooked for about 45 minutes total. Serve hot. I served mine with Irish brown bread, which is like whole wheat Irish soda bread!

Notes

Yield: This recipe makes about 5 quarts. I froze 2 for an easy weeknight dinner this winter!

Flavor Tips - The amount of salt will greatly depend on the salt content of your stock and the beans. I typically purchase low sodium canned beans as well as low sodium vegetable stock or I make my own unsalted veggie stock. This gives me the greatest control over flavor.

Variations - Slow Cooker: Rather than make this soup on the stovetop, you can use your slow cooker. Sear the chicken on the stovetop, then add all of the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook on low for about 6 hours or high for 3 hours.

Storage - Cool leftovers and store in the refrigerator for up to 10 days or freeze for 3 months.

Nutrition