I simply adore this chicken potato soup. It’s one of those really simple all-rounder comfort food recipes that easy to make and tastes great. So simple, that all you really need to do is throw everything into a big pot and let it simmer away while you retreat back to your cozy sofa to watch your favourite Netflix series. Or of course, for the less addicted, that would mean curling up on the sofa with a good book.
In my case, suffering from a cold weather cough, it meant crawling under the duvet with an episode of Black Mirror. If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s a Netflix series which I would describe as a Twilight Zone meets modern, future and virtual world of technology. Just like Twilight Zone, each episode has its own story line and cast, and the story can range from dark and twisted, to blackly comic to a simple parable of modern life for the TikTok generation. Perfectly entertaining for one of those pajama-wearing, cold-recovery nights spent under the covers with a cozy, comforting bowl of soup. And TIS THE SEASON. Thank goodness for homemade chicken soup!
Ingredients for My Easy Chicken and Potato Soup
This easy homemade chicken and potato soup comes together with simple, wholesome ingredients that bring comfort, depth, and that classic homemade flavour.
- Smoked bacon: Adds a subtly smoky backbone that builds instant flavour in the pot.
- Olive oil: Used for sautéing the onions and garlic.
- Onions and garlic: The essential flavour base, giving the soup a rich, savoury depth.
- Chicken breast fillets: I prefer using chicken breast halves as they cook quickly and are easy to shred. You can also use chicken thighs or even a whole soup chicken, though the latter will require a significantly longer cooking time.
- Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery): These bring natural sweetness, heartiness, and extra nutrients. Floury potatoes work best, but if you only have waxy potatoes, just break them down gently once they’ve softened in the broth.
- Broth: A good-quality chicken bone broth is ideal for getting that deep, comforting flavour. Homemade broth is wonderful, but a high-quality shop-bought version works beautifully too.
- Herbs and spices: Classic staples like sea salt, black pepper, thyme, and fresh parsley round everything out and give the soup its cosy, homely finish.
How to Make My Classic Chicken Soup with Potatoes
This comforting, traditional chicken soup couldn’t be simpler. Here’s how to bring it together, step by step.
Step 1) Sauté the bacon.
Heat a little oil in a large pot, then add the bacon, onions, and garlic. Let everything cook until the bacon is lightly crisp and the aromatics are soft and fragrant.
Step 2) Simmer the chicken and vegetables.
Add the chicken, followed by the potatoes, carrot, celery, chicken broth, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Bring everything together and let the soup gently simmer until the potatoes are tender and the flavours have deepened.
Step 3) Shred the chicken.
Once the potatoes are soft, lift the chicken out and shred it into bite-sized pieces. Return the shredded chicken to the pot along with a little parsley, giving the soup a final stir before serving. That’s it! It couldn’t be easier.
What I Love About This Chicken Soup Recipe
Yes, let’s talk soup. This homemade chicken soup recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, low-fat and kid-friendly. The potatoes help thicken up the broth and makes it deliciously filling. Plus it comes together in about an hour and requires just one pot. My favourite thing about this recipe, other than it being fuss-free and super tasty, is that it’s a quintessential comfort food. It has that warm, comforting feeling that comes with a bowl of homemade chicken soup. For me, something that brings me back that feeling that can only be described as: HOME. Served alongside a salad and have a satisfying and healthy dinner. One the whole family can enjoy!
If you’re in the mood for even more delicious and easy chicken soup recipes, try one of these favourites:
And for plenty more comforting ideas, hop over to the soups archive. You’ll find loads of wholesome, warming soups to brighten your day.
Simple Chicken Potato Soup
A simple, healthy and nourishing recipe for chicken and potato soup. Dairy-free, gluten-free, low-fat and hearty enough for a weeknight meal. Homemade goodness in a bowl! Serves 4-6.
I’d love your feedback – just click on the stars to rate this recipe! ⭐
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 30 g smoked bacon, chopped
- 2 small yellow onions, finely chopped
- 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (preferably free range or organically raised)
- 600 g starchy potatoes, peeled and sliced thinly (about 2 large potatoes)
- 1 large carrot, peeled and diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 6 cups chicken broth (1.5 litres)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 handful fresh chopped parsley
Method
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Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the smoked bacon and cook until brown, then add in the onions and garlic. Saute for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
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Place the whole chicken breast halves on top of the onions. Add the sliced potatoes, carrots, celery, chicken broth, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Simmer on medium until the potatoes become very soft and thicken the broth, about 40 minutes.
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Remove the chicken breast from the pot. Use two forks to pull the meat apart so that it is shredded (or chop into cubes). Add the chicken back to the pot along with the fresh parsley. Stir to combine.
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Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you only have waxy potatoes on hand that is fine too. You can break them up a little with the back of a wooden spoon once they are fully cooked.
For a relaxing atmosphere in the kitchen I recommend my personal Elle Republic: Chilled Out Kitchen Tunes Playlist on Spotify.
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This recipe has become a staple in our house! It’s quick and easy to make, and a double-batch feeds us for the entire week.
Thanks Jason, so glad to hear that this chicken soup recipe is such a hit! Love the idea of making a double batch—smart move! And thanks for the 5 stars! 🙂
Don’t normal leave reviews but this one was worth it! So delicious. I did simmer an entire 6lb chicken in it so I did add more bone broth and slightly more spices to make up for the extra liquid. We did omit the bacon because my son has an allergy. And it was still great! Saved it under my “favorites”!
Thanks so much Emily for the 5 stars! Love that you made it your own with a whole chicken—great idea! So happy it’s in your favorites! 🙂
Ty you so much it’s so good I even made corn bread thank you so much for sharing this wonderful receipe me and my husband ❤️ good for winter coming up will be making this again
Thank you Valerie! So glad you enjoyed this chicken soup recipe. I just made it again this week with fresh gnocchi added at the end (instead of potatoes), also delicious! Many thanks for the 5 stars!
Delicious. Every winter, every 2 weeks from left over Sunday roast chicken for the last 3 years.
Thank you Carolyn, so happy happy to hear that this chicken soup recipe has made it into your regular rotation! And thank you for the 5 stars! 🙂
I used boneless skinless chicken thighs and chicken bone broth and added turmeric and ginger as we are all sick here with a cold and I omitted the bacon because we don’t eat pork. Tastes amazing and will make again!
Thank you Loretta, so glad you enjoyed this chicken soup recipe!
OMG, delicious. I am so happy I found this recipe. It was amazing. I was so scared i was going not come out right. Drum rolllllll, My family loved it. The only thing I added was the Knorr Cube Bouillon Chicken. Other than that amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Great to hear! Thanks Valencia! 🙂
Beautiful dish, a family favourite in my home. Thank you
Wonderful! Glad to hear that you enjoy it so much!
I wanted a chicken soup recipe with potatoes for a change, and this came up. We haven’t tried it yet, but it’s on the stove cooking. I didn’t change much, just added a few more potatoes and adjusted the chicken stock. One question I do have is, do you cook it with the lid on or off?
Hi Gwenn, sorry I missed your comment. I prepare this without a lid, but you could also partially cover with a lid. Hope you enjoyed this recipe!
Found your recipe years ago and it’s still a staple in our home. Making it tonight actually!! Incredibly easy and absolutely delicious. Perfect comfort food for any time of year.
We love this recipe so much it’s on the stove cooking on Christmas Day! I follow the recipe with just minor spice adjustments! Greatest dish you can serve anytime and dress it up for a special occasion! Thank you!
Thank you Liz, so glad that you and your family enjoy this chicken soup recipe so much! Even on a special occasion like Christmas! 🙂
Big success!!! So tasty and so easy to make. This is one for the books👌🏼
Thanks Kaylee, so glad you enjoyed this chicken soup recipe. And thank you for the 5 stars! 🙂
Delicious! I didn’t have bacon or thyme this time, so I used hatch green chilies to season instead.
So glad you enjoyed this! Thank you for the feedback and 5 stars 🙂
Amazing soup! Simple, hearty and filling. Making it for the second time this month, my family love it. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you so much and for the 5 stars!! So glad that the whole family loves it. 🙂
This is now a family favorite in our meal rotation, and in fact want a bigger batch, so there will be leftovers. 🙂
Thank you so much! So happy to hear that this chicken soup recipe is such a hit. And thank you for the 5 stars! 🙂
A great soup! Very very pleased! I did all but the bacon and celery. Used low sodium broth too. A perfect fall day soup.
Thank you Cassandra for 5 stars! So glad you enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe. I needed something simple with the ingredients I had on hand and your recipe was a great guide for me. Didn’t have celery, but I added couscous to make it a bit heartier. I doubled the garlic (I do that for every recipe—love garlic). Starting with bacon is a great tip that I’m going to do with more soups! I also used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs which I seasoned and seared first to render out some and after simmering, it shredded easily and I discarded the skin and bones (they did their job of flavoring the broth). It came out so good.
Hi Vuthy, love your adaptations. I’m a big fan of garlic too! The chicken thighs would have given this soup even more depth of flavor. A little more work but definitely delicious! Thank you for the 5 stars! 🙂
I made this today. Super good! I took it to my mom who wasn’t feeling well. She loved it too!
Thanks Judy, so nice to hear that both you and your mom enjoyed this recipe. 🙂
Do you have to cook the chicken first or does it cook with the carrots and potatoes?
Hi Nicole! No need to cook the chicken breast ahead, it cooks with the potatoes and carrots. 🙂 Let me know how you like this recipe!
This was a fantastic soup as is!!!
Thank you so much Melanie! So happy to hear that. 🙂
So good I just make it just now and a good smell.I hope my boss and family would love this new recipe everyday routine cook for them.Thnx for sharing
Hi Gemma, thanks for your comment. I hope everyone enjoyed this recipe! 🙂
Made this with bone in chicken breast, fantastic! Whole family loves it.
Fantastic! So glad to hear that this recipe also works well with bone-in chicken breast! Thank you for the feedback and 5 stars! 🙂
Can you use bone in chicken?
This soup was a big hit at our house. Really tasty and the bacon gave it an extra depth of flavour. Will definitely make this again. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Don, glad to hear everyone enjoyed it! And thanks for the 5 stars! 🙂
I have made this soup once a week ever since I came across the recipe back in 2020😊 it’s delicious and tastes so good which is all the more better because it’s so simple to make.
Big fan ❤️
Fantastic, thanks for the feedback! So happy to hear that this recipe is part of the regular rotation. 🙂
This soup is wonderful! My daughter has to be on a special diet because she has Crohn’s Disease, so I was hoping for something tasty. I had to remove the celery and bacon because she isn’t allowed to have those yet, and even without them, it is delicious! Thank you!
I forgot to leave the 5 stars!
Thank you so much!!
So happy to hear that this recipe works well for your daughter’s diet. And that you both enjoyed it! 🙂
Stupid question, am a very new person to cooking.. do you cook the chicken first before adding to the pot? Or do you just put the chicken in raw? Also, does the amount of time to cook change if i added more chicken to the recipe? Thanks for helping a newbie out.
No worries! The chicken is cooked in the pot along with the other ingredients. Adding more is fine, if needed add a little extra broth or water. Let me know how it turns out for you! Enjoy! 🙂
To add a twist, I soaked a few cashewnuts in warm water and ground them into a white thickening paste. I added this into the soup and I thought it added a nice taste to it. Loved the soup, all of my family loved it, will make it again thank you!
Sounds like a lovely idea! I do that sometimes with vegetarian soups, or mash up white jumbo or cannelini beans to add along. Really glad to hear that the whole family enjoyed this soup! 🙂
Came out so delicious! Perfect proportion of ingredients and fantastic flavor! So happy to have found this recipe 🙂
Thanks Lauren, so happy to hear that you enjoyed my chicken soup recipe! 🙂
I tried this with everything in the slow cooker on high for 6 hours and it was great!
Fantastic! Glad to hear it works well in a slow cooker as well. 🙂
I didn’t have noodles so I looked up a recipe that called for potatoes and came across yours. As soon as I saw that it had bacon I just knew it had to be a German recipe and could almost smell the deliciousness through my laptop. Making this today as it is a very chilly cloudy day and I know it will make my Oma proud. Thank you for sharing your recipe and I cannot wait for supper.
Thanks your your comment Susanne! I hope you enjoyed the soup! 🙂
Hello Everyone!
This soup was delicious! My family fished it off in one sitting. It was perfect! Thank you for sharing!
God bless you!
~Daisy
Fantastic! So happy to hear that! Thank you so much. 🙂
Hello Elle and Constance,
Thank you both. I am here in NJ in the house due to Covid with my husband, 24 and 20-year-old sons and my three-year-old I adopted in 2018. I am going to try this recipe today. I will let you know.
God bless you!
Hi Daisy, hope you liked this soup. Wishing you and your family also the best during these trying times!
Made your soup today, like you and everyone, locked inside due to the Covid 19 virus. We had rotisserie chicken that we used but that was our only exception to your direction. Being from New Mexico we added green chili, adding a bit of NM. LOVED THE SOUP. Extra easy to make!
Rotisserie chicken is perfect for this soup and green chili would be a fabulous addition! I’ll definitely give that a try myself. Thanks for the tip!
Just made this tonight! Happened to have leftover bacon from breakfast… it was delicious! My family gave it two thumbs up! Glad to have some leftovers for tomorrow 🙂
Super, so glad to hear that everyone enjoyed it! 🙂
Love it here in Tennessee! We made it this evening for the first time. We had to make some variations due to what we had available (currently staying at home amid COVID-19 precautions). I added shredded lemon pepper seasoned rotisserie chicken that I had bought from the store and refrigerated. Since we are a family of six, four of which are two 17 yr old teenage boys, our 29 yr old college son and my husband, we ended up using 6 carrots, a red onion since we didn’t have yellow, and 4 cups of water in addition to 4 cups of chicken broth. Everything else we followed as the recipe suggested. The pot is empty!!
Thank you Constance! Here in Germany we have been inside for 2 weeks now. So lot’s of cooking happening here too. 😉 Lemon pepper rotisserie chicken would be a dream! So glad the whole family liked this recipe. 🙂 Greetings from Hamburg.