Chicken

41 Best Chicken Soup Recipes (Plus Chicken Gumbo, Pho, Pozole, and More)

When it's freezing outside or you're just not feeling 100%, chicken soup is always the answer.

January 7, 2020

Chicken soup with lots of greens and a wooden ladle in a black twohandled pot.

Hungry for the best chicken soup recipes? We've rounded up 41 soups that will warm your belly and spirit. And chicken noodle is just the beginning. Below, you'll find recipes for the best chicken noodle soup, chicken tortilla soup, matzo ball, pho ga, pozole, udon, and more.

Many of these recipes include steps and ingredients to make the broth itself, but if you want to start with the best store-bought chicken broth, we've got recommendations. Got time to make homemade stock and looking for tips? You can start with leftover roasted chicken, or roast raw pieces to get a good brown stock. Or, if you want something lighter, simmer it all on your stovetop or with your Instant Pot.

Head this way for more of our best soup recipes →

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson
1/41
Chicken Soup
This recipe for chicken soup hails from New York's famous Second Avenue Deli. You can build your bowl with matzo balls, egg noodles, or kasha.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton
2/41
Lemony Chicken Soup With Farro, White Beans, and Kale
For an extra burst of flavor, swirl some salsa verde into each serving of this hearty soup packed with farro, white beans, kale, and plenty of lemon.
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Photo by John Lee
3/41
Classic Chicken Pho
Chicken pho is actually easier to make than beef pho: there are fewer ingredients involved and less finesse required for superlative results. Plus, this Vietnamese soup recipe will get you started on traditional techniques like charring aromatics and hacking bones.
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Photo by Caleb Adams, Food Styling by Anna Billingskog
4/41
Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup With Bean and Cheese Nachos
This chicken tortilla soup recipe is enriched by the flavor of smoky chipotles, brightened by fresh lime, and ready in just 22 minutes or less. Crisp bean and cheese nachos garnish each bowl instead of the traditional fried tortilla strips.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell
5/41
Lentil and Chicken Soup With Sweet Potatoes and Escarole
Turn store-bought rotisserie chicken into a hearty soup in about half an hour. Fresh dill and lemon add a nice dose of brightness to this cold-weather warmer.
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Photo by Gentl & Hyers
6/41
Turmeric-Ginger Chicken Soup
This chicken noodle soup gets its warming flavor from ground turmeric, sliced fresh ginger, and lots of black peppercorns. If you don't have udon, you can substitute rice noodles or spaghetti.
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Photograph by Anson Smart, Donna Hay Magazine
7/41
Chicken and Spelt Soup With Greens
Finishing off this vegetable and chicken soup with a bit of fresh lemon zest and lemon balm leaves adds just the right amount of brightness.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
8/41
Nabeyaki Udon Soup With Chicken, Spinach, and Mushrooms
This classic Japanese soup is both nourishing and comforting. To make this recipe, you'll need dried sardines or dried kombu, spinach, snow peas, chicken thighs, mushrooms, tofu, scallions, udon noodles, eggs, and Japanese fish cake.
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Photo by Alex Lau
9/41
Vietnamese Chicken Soup With Rice
Sticky rice is worth using for this porridge-y, comforting chicken soup. It releases lots of creamy starches and helps build nice body as it cooks.
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Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks
10/41
Slow-Cooker White Chicken Chili
For easy, hands-off dinner prep, throw chicken thighs, green chiles, white beans, and a flurry of spices into your slow cooker and come home to a hearty, flavorful meal.
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Photo by Peden & Munk
11/41
Spicy Feel-Good Chicken Soup
This chicken soup recipe calls for kabocha squash and cabbage greens, but you can add whatever veggies you like. Top each bowl with cilantro, basil, jalapeño, ginger, and a drizzle of chili oil. Serve with lime wedges.
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Christopher Testani
12/41
Double-Dark Chicken Noodle Soup
Browning the wings results in lots of caramelized nooks and crannies that imbue this homemade chicken noodle soup with a deep, savory flavor. Sorry, but Mom's soup doesn't compare. (Unless she uses this recipe!)
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Photo by Christopher Testani
13/41
Crispy Chicken Stew With Lemon, Artichokes, Capers, and Olives
The whole family will love this wonderfully zesty and briny Greek-inspired soupy chicken dinner. Leave the skin on the chicken thighs to render out some of the flavorful fat into the stew.
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Photo by Peden & Munk
14/41
Spicy Chicken Stock
All the rejuvenating powers of your grandmother's chicken stock, plus a head-clearing kick of chile. Reserve the simmered chicken for our Spicy Feel-Good Chicken Soup or use it in sandwiches or burritos.
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