Hearty Chicken Vegetable Soup | Simply Quinoa

Skip the noodles and make this Chicken Vegetable Soup instead! With tomatoes, lots of garlic, spinach, and lemon, it’s got Mediterranean vibes, plus optional white beans for some extra heartiness.

Bowl of chicken vegetable soup with spoon and lemon slice.

I love Chicken Noodle Soup, but let’s be real: noodles are great for comfort food, but they don’t really bring much flavor (or nutrition) to the table. Consider this chicken vegetable soup a more fancied up version of the classic. It starts with the traditional mirepoix and chicken, but tomatoes and lemon brighten up the flavor, spinach adds some extra veggie goodness, and white beans make it even more filling.

Why This Chicken Vegetable Soup Is the Perfect Comfort Food Meal

It’s cozy season and that means it’s also soup season! This chicken vegetable soup deserves a spot on your menu.

So much flavor. Fresh lemon juice, extra garlic, and bay leaves gives this hearty chicken soup some Mediterranean flair.
Super satisfying. Some veggie soups aren’t very filling, but this one has chicken and beans to bulk it up and keep you satisfied!
Easy to make. Most of the cooking time is hands-off!

Overhead view of ingredients for chicken vegetable soup with labels.

What You’ll Need

Here’s what you’ll need to grab from the grocery store and your pantry to make this chicken vegetable soup. Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.

Olive oil
Mirepoix vegetables – Celery, carrots, and onion.
Garlic – You can slice the garlic for big bites of garlic or mince it. Either way, it’ll infuse the broth with garlicky flavor as it simmers.
Tomatoes – I chopped fresh tomatoes, but you can use canned tomatoes if you’d like.
Vegetable broth – To keep with the vegetable soup theme, I used vegetable broth, but chicken broth (or Instant Pot Chicken Bone Broth) would work too.
Bay leaves
Lemon juice
Boneless chicken breasts – Prefer thighs? You can swap those in. Just note that they take a bit longer to cook.
White beans – These are optional, but I love the creaminess they add to the soup.
Spinach – Or kale for a heartier green.
Salt and pepper

How to Make Chicken Vegetable Soup

The process is easy! Here’s a visual overview of the steps involved.

Carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and oil in Dutch oven. — Soften the vegetables.

Soften the vegetables. Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook the mirepoix vegetables and garlic until softened. Season with salt and pepper.
Simmer. Add the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, lemon, and chicken breasts, along with the squeezed lemon half. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Two forks with plate of shredded chicken. — Shred the chicken.

Shred the chicken. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove it from the pot and shred it with two forks. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup.
Add the beans. Stir the beans into the soup and cook for 5 minutes more.
Finish. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the greens until they wilt, then remove the bay leaves and serve.

Tips and Variations

Here are a few additional pointers for making this chicken vegetable soup.

Cut the vegetables to the same size. This ensures they all soften at the same time. No one wants crunchy onion in their soup!
Toss in a Parmesan rind. For extra umami flavor, add a Parmesan rind to the pot as it simmers. (This is a great trick for Minestrone Soup too.) Remove it with a slotted spoon before serving.
Thicken it. For a slightly thicker soup, you can remove a ladle full of broth and blend it with half the can of beans. The starch from the pureed beans will make the broth slightly thicker.

Ladle of chicken vegetable soup held over pot.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

Refrigerator: Transfer the chicken vegetable soup to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freezer: This soup is great for freezing! Store it in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat: Warm leftovers in a pan set over medium heat or in the microwave.

Bowls of chicken vegetable soup with lemon slices.

More Satisfying Soup Recipes

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 30 minutes

Total: 40 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup celery (about 2 stalks)
1 cup carrots (about 2 medium)
1 small white/yellow onion diced
2-3 garlic cloves
6 medium tomatoes chopped*
8 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
Juice of half a lemon
2 large boneless chicken breasts
1 (15-ounce) can white beans (drained & rinsed, optional)
3 cups spinach (or kale)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium. Add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic and saute for 5 minutes until everything has softened slightly. Season with salt and pepper.
Add in the tomatoes, broth, bay leaves, lemon and chicken breasts. Drop the squeezed lemon into the soup and allow it to cook with the rest of the ingredients (trust me, it’s so good!). Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and place on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken and add it back to the pot. Stir to combine.
If using, stir in the beans and cook for another 5 minutes. Season again with salt and pepper.
About 60 seconds before serving, stir in the greens. Allow the greens to wilt.
Remove the bay leaves then serve immediately. Garnish with fresh herbs, nutritional yeast, parmesan, etc. to your liking!