One-Pot Chicken Veggie Soup (Printable)

A light and nourishing blend of chicken, fresh vegetables, herbs, and a bright hint of lemon.

# What You'll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 12.3 oz), cut into bite-sized pieces

→ Vegetables

02 - 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
03 - 2 celery stalks, sliced
04 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
05 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
06 - 3 garlic cloves, minced
07 - 5.3 oz baby spinach
08 - 1 small potato, peeled and diced (optional)

→ Liquids

09 - 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
10 - 1 cup water
11 - Juice of 1 lemon, plus extra lemon wedges for serving

→ Herbs and Seasonings

12 - 1 bay leaf
13 - 1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves)
14 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano
15 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
16 - 2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
17 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Oils

18 - 1 Tbsp olive oil

# How To:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, and celery; sauté for 5 minutes until just beginning to soften.
02 - Stir in minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on all sides, approximately 3-4 minutes.
04 - Pour in chicken broth and water. Add potato if desired, zucchini, bay leaf, thyme, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
05 - Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender and chicken is cooked through.
06 - Add spinach, parsley, and dill. Simmer for an additional 3-4 minutes until spinach is wilted.
07 - Stir in lemon juice and taste, adjusting seasoning as needed.
08 - Remove bay leaf and serve hot, garnished with additional fresh herbs and lemon wedges if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's ready in just an hour, which means you're not spending your whole evening hovering over the stove.
  • One pot means minimal cleanup, and the flavors only deepen if you make extra for tomorrow.
  • The lemon and fresh herbs make it taste bright and alive, not like medicine disguised as food.
  • It's naturally gluten-free and dairy-free without any sacrifice to how good it actually tastes.
02 -
  • Lemon juice goes in at the very end, not the beginning; early addition makes it taste sour instead of bright, and you lose that fresh quality.
  • Don't skip the bay leaf even though you remove it later; it's doing invisible work that makes the whole soup taste more sophisticated than it has any right to.
03 -
  • Cut everything to roughly the same size so nothing finishes cooking dramatically before something else, leaving you with mushy carrots and crunchy zucchini.
  • Taste the soup throughout cooking so you're not surprised by seasoning at the end; broth levels vary between brands and you'll adjust salt in real time.
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