Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe - Cookin Canuck (2024)

Yes! If you don’t have shredded chicken on hand, there are a couple of ways to make this soup if you’re starting with raw chicken breasts:

Chop & saute: Chop the chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Heat 2 teaspoons of olive in the saucepan set over medium-high heat. Alternatively, spray the saucepan with olive oil cooking spray. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl and cook the rest of the soup according to the directions. Add the cooked chicken back in at the end to reheat.

Poach the chicken: Poaching chicken is a fantastic way to achieve tender, shred-able chicken by simmering in hot broth. In the soup, add the chicken at the same time the broth is added. Place 2 small-ish chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each) on top of the vegetables, pour in the chicken broth, bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the liquid is simmering. Simmer until the chicken breasts are cooked through, which takes about 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board, shred it, then add it back to the soup after the orzo is cooked.
You can also use shredded rotisserie chicken breasts.

This soup freezes really well. Allow the soup to cool, then transfer to either ziplock freezer bags or airtight glass freezer containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.

If using resealable freezer bags, fill the bags with the desired amount of soup, squeeze out any air, seal and stack flat on a baking sheet. Once frozen the frozen soup can be stored horizontally or vertically in your freezer.

4.48 from 19 votes

Course: Soups

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chicken soup, Chicken vegetable soup

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

• 1 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ yellow onion chopped
• 2 celery stalks chopped
• 2 carrots cut into half-circles
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 ¼ teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
• 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast (see Note 1)
• ⅔ cup orzo pasta (see Note 2)
• ¾ cups frozen peas
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper, and cook for 1 minute.

• Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat slightly and cook at a lively simmer for 10 minutes.

• Stir in the orzo and cook until the orzo is al dente, 7 to 10 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to ensure that the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the saucepan.

• Stir in the shredded chicken and frozen peas. Heat until the chicken and peas are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper, and stir in parsley. Serve.

Weight Watchers Points: 4 (Blue - Freestyle SP) / 4 (Green) / 4 (Purple)

Note 1: I used my Instant Pot Shredded chicken. Alternatively, use rotisserie chicken breasts or start with raw chicken breasts (see the post above for more details).

Note 2: Almost any pasta shape will do. I used orzo, but ditalini and or elbow macaroni are other good small pasta options. If you want something a little bulkier, I recommend farfalle (bowties) or rotini (spirals).