There is nothing I love more on a cold fall/winter day than a steaming bowl of homemade chicken soup. You know what I don’t like about homemade chicken soup? How long it usually takes to make it! Well, I have figured out some awesome time-saving solutions to making a delicious chicken soup in no time.
Cut up all of your veggies. I cut my vegetables fairly small because otherwise, my kids won’t touch it.
Add the vegetables to your pot.
Season with salt and pepper.
Cook on the stovetop over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until veggies are tender and have a bit of color, about 15 minutes.
*Here is the 1st shortcut.* I do not make my own chicken stock. I have done it before, but it is so time-consuming. Kind of the opposite of what we are looking for here. I have a way to get all of that lovely chicken flavor without all of the work. Storebought chicken stock and chicken bouillon cubes save the day!
Add 32 ounces of chicken stock to the pot. Cover and bring to a boil. It takes about 5 minutes or so. You want it good and bubbly.
Add the bouillon cubes and stir for 1 minute.
*Here is the 2nd shortcut.” I use storebought rotisserie chicken. Yes, I do! This is not the time to roast and cook chicken. I have also used leftovers from a roasted chicken that we have had for dinner another night.
Whenever I make a Roasted Chicken I let the leftover chicken cool and then I remove whatever is left, put it in a ziptop bag and throw it in the freezer. I have it ready to go whenever I want to whip up a quick batch of soup. You can also use any leftover turkey you might have from Thanksgiving and turn this into a turkey soup. You have a few quick options here.
Add the chicken to the pot along with 6 cups of water.
Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer, cover partially, and cook for 15 minutes until everything is heated through.
While the soup cooking, prepare your pasta according to package directions. You can literally use any pasta you like here. Orzo, alphabet pasta, and bowties are all ones that I love. You can even use rice if that’s your thing. I am using tortellini because I feel that it makes the soup heartier and more filling. It’s hard to pass off soup as the main course for dinner around here. We have some big eaters in our house! So the tortellini definitely helps.
Once your pasta is cooked and the soup is done, add the pasta to the soup.
Check soup for seasoning. I generously add salt and pepper at this point. You are ready to serve without spending hours in the kitchen. Enjoy!
| Prep Time | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time | 35 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 4 carrots diced
- 2 stocks celery diced
- 32 ounces chicken stock
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 6 cups water
- 9 ounces tortellini or any pasta of your choice
- salt and pepper
Ingredients
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Instructions
- Add olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery in a pot.
- Cook over medium-high heat for 15 minutes until vegetables are tender and have a little color.
- Add chicken stock. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Add bouillon cubes and stir for 1 minute.
- Add chicken and water. Bring to a boil. Turn down to simmer and cook for 15 minutes, partially covered.
- While soup is cooking, prepare tortellini according to package directions.
- Add tortellini to heated soup.
- Serve and enjoy!!
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Happy Eating!!
I do the same with rotisseri chicken! I get one almost every time we go to Costco and I save the carcass and bones in a ziplock back for home made chicken broth (which I make in the slow cooker, so it cooks itself). And I save leftover chicken for chicken soup.
It is really a great time-saver!