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Chicken vegetable soup in a white bowl
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Chicken Vegetable Soup

Chicken vegetable soup warms your tummy and your heart with chicken, Italian herbs, and BACON! The hearty comfort food...perfect any time of the year.
Course Chicken Dinner, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword chicken recipes, Chicken Soup, soup recipes, vegetable soup
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 315kcal
Author Kathleen

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 6 cups chicken broth
  • 1 heaping tablespoon chicken flavor Better Than Bouillon
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, with juices
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
  • 1 (16-ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables
  • 4 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 1/2 inch cubes

Garnish:

  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs such as parsley, thyme, or chives, chopped

Instructions

  • Cook bacon pieces (4) in a large soup pot over medium, stirring often until the bacon is cooked. Transfer cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Remove and discard all but 2 generous tablespoonfuls of the drippings in the pot.
  • Add onion (1 cup) and garlic (2 cloves) and saute over medium heat until it begins to soften about 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour (2 tablespoons) over vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
  • Remove pot from the heat and slowly whisk in chicken broth (6 cups) until smooth. Return to heat and stir in Better Than Bouillon (1 heaping tablespoon), Italian seasoning (2 teaspoons), thyme (1 teaspoon), salt (1 teaspoon), pepper (1/2 teaspoon), bay leaf (1), petite diced tomatoes (1 (14.5-ounce) can), tomato sauce (1 (8-ounce) can), potatoes (2), and frozen vegetables (1 (16-ounce) package).
  • Bring to a boil then immediately reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, about 25 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Add more chicken broth if the soup gets too thick. Stir in chicken (4 cups) and cooked bacon and heat through. Adjust to taste as needed Garnish with fresh herbs of choice (2 tablespoons) and serve.

Notes

  1. Bacon: No need to feel limited to traditional bacon in this recipe! There are so many delicious varieties that can bring yummy bacon flavor to your soup. I particularly love smoked bacon to give a nice smoky twist to the soup!
  2. Potatoes: This healthy chicken vegetable soup recipe calls for russet potatoes. What’s the difference between russet potatoes and other kinds? Russet potatoes have some of the highest starch content, which means they break down very well when cooked in soups and help further thicken the broth.
  3. Chicken: I generally use a rotisserie chicken for time and convenience. Freshly cooked chicken breast or skinless chicken thighs work great, too, if you have a little extra time.
  4. Add More Veggies: There are so many extra veggies you can add to increase beneficial nutrition. You can add chopped carrots and or celery and saute with the onions, step #2 below. Sweet potatoes are also great. Add them at step #3 below.
    • I love fresh green beans in this soup. Add them, stemmed and cut into 1/2 inch slices, at step #4 below. Peas, fresh or frozen work well added the last 10 minutes of cooking.
  5. Add Pasta: Add 1 cup of any small shaped pasta when potatoes are about halfway cooked through. You'll likely need to add more chicken broth or water.
  6. Make It Cheesy: I like to sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top of individual servings.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipe | Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 10mg | Sodium: 1218mg | Potassium: 878mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg