21 Chicken Soup Recipes To Make for Dinner This Week

Loaded with noodles, rice, or just plenty of chicken, chicken soup is a comfort food staple that always delivers.

By
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara Bir
Sara is a chef, culinary educator, and author of three cookbooks, The Pocket Pawpaw Cookbook, Tasting Ohio and The Fruit Forager's Companion. The latter won a 2019 IACP Cookbook Award.
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Updated November 09, 2024
Sara Bir
chicken and noodles

Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

Chicken soup is good for what ails you: a common cold, the blues, and plain old hunger. When the weather is meh and you and your household needs warmth in their bones and a good cheering up, get chicken soup in your weekly meal rotation.

And there are so many ways to make it! We have recipes from China, Mexico, Vietnam, and Greece, plus multiple recipes from multiple moms. We have soups with noodles, rice, tortillas, and dumplings. We have brothy soups and creamy soups. There's bound to be a chicken soup or two in here that'll fit your needs, whether you want a classic or a new-to-you twist. Put on a Carole King favorite, get to cooking, and turn everyone's frown upside down.

  • Chicken and Rice Soup

    A bowl of One-Pot Chicken and Rice Soup with a spoon and a napkin to the side
    One-Pot Chicken and Rice Soup.

    There are a few schools of thought on chicken and rice soup. One (and the best, in my opinion) is that the rice should be cooked until it's mushy and almost porridge-like. That's what you get with this easy recipe, which starts with chicken breasts, raw rice, and boxed stock.

  • Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

    Bowl of copycat Olive Garden chicken and gnocchi soup on a beige table napkin

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood

    Simply Recipes Recipe Developer and Food Stylist Melissa Gray says, "Store-bought gnocchi is firmer than homemade, so it's ideal for soups. You can use shelf-stable, refrigerated (I prefer this), or frozen gnocchi. Simply take note of the cook time on the packaging to make sure it cooks through in the soup."

  • Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

    Easy chicken noodle soup in a white bowl.
    Elise Bauer

    If you want a recipe where you start with a whole chicken and end up with gallons of fabulous soup, this is the one to go for. Tip: the vital ingredient is salt. Use it generously and your soup is in no danger of blandness.

  • Soba Noodle Soup With Chicken and Bok Choy

    Soba Noodle Soup with Chicken and Bok Choy
    Sally Vargas

    Long and slender buckwheat-based soba noodles are hearty in flavor but delicate in texture. This quick soup bursts with the lively flavors of fish sauce, sweet red chili sauce, and a pop of fresh lime juice.

    Continue to 5 of 21 below

  • Chicken Pot Pie Soup

    Bowl of chicken pot pie soup topped with toasted oyster crackers on a plate with a spoon and next to it, a mustard colored napkin

    Simply Recipes / Photo by Fred Hardy / Food Styling by Emily Nabors Hall / Prop Styling by Julia Bayliss

    Simply Recipes Recipe Developer Liv Dansky says, "You can swap the all-purpose flour with 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch to make the soup gluten-free."

  • Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup

    Bowl of Creamy Chicken Enchilada Soup Garnished with Cilantro, Crema, and Jalapenos Surrounded by Little Bowls with Toppings (Jalapenos, Lime Wedges, Cotija, and Crema)

    Simply Recipes / Sally Vargas

    Simply Recipes Contributor Sally Vargas says, "Look for fire-roasted canned tomatoes for the base, but don’t worry if you can’t find them. Even with regular canned whole tomatoes, your soup will still have plenty of flavor."

  • Easy Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup

    Two bowls of rotisserie chicken noodle soup
    Nick Evans

    I skulk in the grocery store looking for marked-down rotisserie chickens, the ones that are a day old. Then I bring them home to transform into lightening-fast soups like this. You can even freeze the carcass to later make into chicken stock for soups of the future. Such pleasing circularity!

  • Chicken Pozole (Pozole Blanco)

    A bowl of chicken pozole with corn tortillas to the side and a garnish of fresh cabbage, radish, avocado, and cilantro
    Elise Bauer

    The pozole you may be familiar with is pozole rojo, which is pork-based and has a robust broth made spicy and earthy with dried red chiles. This pozole is chicken-based and much lighter in color and flavor. The assortment of fresh toppings remains the same.

    Continue to 9 of 21 below

  • Lemon Chicken Chickpea Soup

    Lemon Chicken Chickpea Rice Soup
    Elise Bauer

    Simply Recipes Founder Elise Bauer says, "If you're fending off a cold, you need this chicken soup! Ginger, turmeric, and of course the chicken, are all power fighters when it comes to cold season."

  • Chicken and Dumplings

    Dumplings recipe ladled in a bowl.
    Elise Bauer

    To call this dinnertime favorite a soup is a bit of a stretch, but we include it because it's so dang good. And also much easier to pull off than you might suspect.

  • Mom's Chicken and Noodles

    A Dutch oven of chicken and noodles

    Simply Recipes / Sara Haas

    Amish noodles are the secret to author Sara Haas' mother's recipe. They cook up eggy and soft and absorb a ton of flavor from the chicken-y broth. If you can't find Amish noodles, try dried spaetzle noodles (you can sometimes find them at ALDI).

  • Tortilla Soup

    A white bowl of pressure cooker tortilla soup with a spoon and grey patterned linen napkin to the left. The top right corner has a partial view of a second bowl of the same soup.
    Coco Morante

    Tortilla soup encompasses all the good things: avocado, crispy tortillas, tender shreds of chicken, and the flavors of a good salsa.

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  • Instant Pot Chicken Soup

    Instant pot chicken noodle soup in a bowl with the instant pot in partial view behind it.
    Coco Morante

    I used to simmer a whole chicken for hours when I made chicken soup from scratch. Now, I look to my IP. It's twice as fast, with results just as classic. Add rice, noodles, or whatever carb your heart desired.

  • Mulligatawny Soup

    A Dutch oven of Mulligatawny Soup
    Elise Bauer

    This soup is a result of the British Raj era of India, a mashup of Indian flavors with Western preferences. Though its colonial origins may be complicated, it's very much worth making. Curry powder, diced apples, and a little cream distinguish it from the average chicken soup.

  • Sopa de Lima

    A bowl of Mexican Chicken Lime Soup
    Elise Bauer

    This soup hails from Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. At first glance it may look like tortilla soup, but the flavors are a whole other ballgame. Habanero peppers, a touch of cinnamon, plus a whole bunch of lime juice give it a flavor that one reader commented as "incredible."

  • Matzo Ball Soup

    A bowl of matzo ball soup with three matzo balls
    Coco Morante

    There's no chicken meat in this soup, but an excellent chicken stock is fundamental to an excellent matzo ball soup. These matzo balls are fluffly and light and total keepers.

    Continue to 17 of 21 below

  • Chicken Pho

    Quick Chicken Pho
    Emma Christensen

    Here's a good starter pho for those who have always wanted to make it at home. The broth is aromatic with clove and coriander seed. Serve with plentiful fresh herbs.

  • Chicken Soup With Shiitakes and Ginger

    A bowl of Chicken Soup with Ginger and Shiitakes
    Elise Bauer

    Ginger, chicken thighs, and dried shiitakes come together to make a deeply flavored soup from a few simple elements.

  • Chicken Avgolemono

    Yasmin Khan’s Lemon Chicken Soup in a bowl with a white linen underneath it.
    Alison Bickel

    Avgolemono is always tart from lemon and creamy without having any dairy, thanks to the addition of beaten eggs shortly before serving. It's a Greek classic that you can easily make at home.

  • Mom's Cold Season Chicken Soup

    A bowl of chicken soup with a spoon in it
    Elise Bauer

    Here's how our founder's mom makes her chicken soup. If your mom's chicken soup did not thrill you, try this one. It's a hug in a bowl. Elise's mom can be your honorary mom.

    Continue to 21 of 21 below

  • Macaroni Chicken Sopas (Filipino Chicken Noodle Soup)

    A pot of macaroni chicken sopas (Filipino chicken noodle soup), with a golden serving spoon scooping some soup out

    Simply Recipes / Shilpa Iyer

    A splash of patis (Filipino fish sauce) adds an alluring dimension of umami to this comforting (and easy!) chicken soup that's hearty with macaroni.

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