Best Soup Recipe with Vegetables & Chicken (Cozy & Nourishing!)
I’m living in a new I-have-broth-on-hand, and our soup season is better than ever. Not because my soup is better than yours, of course! But because we are eating soup these days without much effort. And on cold days and nights, our Minnesota souls beg for this cozy soup recipe with vegetables and chicken.
With rich, homemade broth waiting in your fridge or freezer, there’s no excuse not to make this soup—it’ll taste like you went out of your way, but you didn’t. And isn’t that what makes it the best?
A Simple Soup That’s Comforting & Satisfying
After writing about broth and remembering how comforting it can be, I started craving a big bowl of chicken noodle soup—without the noodles. Wait, without noodles, was I just eating broth and chicken? Did I need more carrots?
These questions led me to the grocery store produce aisle, hoping a forgotten vegetable would reveal itself. And it did! A random rutabaga. (The purple vegetable in this picture is a turnip, often mislabeled. The larger white and yellowish vegetable is a rutabaga!)
Why Rutabaga is the Secret Ingredient in This Soup Recipe With Vegetables
While both parsnips and rutabagas make a delicious soup, I prefer the sweeter, milder taste of rutabaga—it soaks up the flavors of homemade broth beautifully! A cross between cabbage and turnip, rutabaga (also called a swede) is sweeter than turnips and larger, with a wax-coated skin to retain moisture.
Once peeled and cooked, it transforms into a slightly sweet, savory, potato-like texture—only better! It’s a game-changer for any soup recipe with vegetables, and we absolutely love it.
This simple soup has become our fall and winter favorite. Between the homemade stock and the rutabagas, it’s deeply satisfying in every bite—no noodles required.
Best Soup Recipe With Vegetables & Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 stalks of celery chopped
- 3 carrots chopped into thin coins
- 1 rutabaga peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
- 8 cups 8 cups homemade or store-bought chicken broth (see my broth recipe)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp chopped thyme and parsley
Instructions
Roasting Chicken
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Rub chicken breasts with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place on a baking sheet and roast for 40 minutes, until the thickest part reaches 165°F (or remove at 160°F and let rest for 10 minutes).
- Once cool, remove the skin and bones, then cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces. (Save the bones, skin, and pan juices for broth-making or discard.)
Build the Soup Base
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion and sauté until translucent and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in the broth and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer, then add the chopped celery, carrots, and rutabaga. Let cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are fork-tender.
Add chicken & Seasoning
- Stir in the roasted chicken and let simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in chopped parsley and/or thyme just before serving.
Optional Add-Ins
- Noodles: Add before or after chicken, and cook until just tender.
- Kale: Stir in ribbons of kale during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Equipment
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Last Updated on March 10, 2025 by Heather Bursch
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