21 Chicken Soup Recipes You’ll Want To Make Forever

With noodles, rice, or just plenty of chicken, chicken soup always delivers comfort.

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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Published October 23, 2023
Sara Bir
A ladle spooning chicken noodle soup into a bowl

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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • Teriyaki Chicken Noodle Soup

    Bowl of teriyaki chicken noodle soup next to a spoon and a yellow kitchen towel

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

    Teriyaki chicken in soup form! Soft and silky udon noodles float in a salty-sweet broth that'll fill you with coziness upon your first sip.

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    Continue to 5 of 21 below.

  • 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!

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  • 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

    This creamy soup takes its cues from chicken pot pie filling. Top it with seasoned oyster crackers as a nod to the pastry.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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    Continue to 9 of 21 below.

  • 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).

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  • Spicy Chicken Udon Soup

    Spicy Gochujang Chicken and Udon Noodle Soup in a white bowl with a spoon and fresh herbs.
    Sally Vargas

    A quick marinade of gochujang plus a splash of soy sauce and sesame oil powers up this weeknight-friendly noodle soup.

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  • 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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  • Creamy Chicken Soup

    A white bowl filled with the best creamy chicken noodle soup set on a grey linen against a blue background with a bundle of thyme near by and a hunk of sourdough bread..
    Alison Bickel

    What makes this chicken noodle soup so creamy? There's only a tad of cream. The rest comes from a few cans of puréed cannellini beans. It lightens up the recipe without sacrificing any of its appeal.

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    Continue to 13 of 21 below.

  • 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.

    Instant Pot Chicken Soup
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  • 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.

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  • 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."

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  • 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.

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    Continue to 17 of 21 below.

  • Instant Pot Chicken Wing Ramen

    A white bowl, sitting next to a blue napkin on a cutting board. The bowl is filled with the best chicken wing ramen. It has noodles, chicken, scallions, and a soft boiled egg -- all made in the pressure cooker.
    Alison Bickle

    If you have a party and there are wings left over, use them to make this incredible ramen. The cartilage from the wings yields a broth with a memorable body. Add some Buffalo sauce if you want to keep it in the spirit of game day.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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  • 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.

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    Continue to 21 of 21 below.

  • 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.

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