Easy Rotisserie Chicken Soup in a Hurry (Leftover Recipe)

Need a bowl of chicken soup in a hurry? Try this easy chicken soup recipe made with rotisserie chicken. It's a great quick alternative to slow-cooked chicken soup.

Here's a super-fast chicken soup recipe. What makes it so quick is using pre-cooked chicken and a few other shortcuts. You can make this soup with a rotisserie chicken-or leftover chicken you've roasted in the oven or cooked in the crockpot.

But the easiest way to make this soup is with a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Just be sure to get a plain one. The ingredient list for seasoned rotisserie chicken is pretty scary (always read the label!). Even better if you can find an organic or kosher rotisserie chicken-the ingredients are usually just chicken and salt.

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Here's what you'll need

It takes just a few pantry items and the classic soup veggies that you probably have in your kitchen.

• olive oil
• onion
• carrots
• celery
• herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning or other dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, oregano or parsley)
• chicken stock (or low sodium chicken broth)
• leftover rotisserie chicken (or cooked chicken)
• sea salt and black pepper

Pro tip: Make your own rotisserie chicken by cooking a whole chicken in the slow cooker. It's a great way to meal prep to have shredded chicken on hand to speed up the cooking process for weekday meals. You can also put the chicken bones back in the crockpot with a few cups of water and veggies or vegetable broth to make homemade broth.

How to make chicken soup with rotisserie chicken

Since the rotisserie chicken is already cooked, all you'll need to do is quickly cook a few vegetables, add chicken broth, and reheat the chicken in the soup.

Pro tip: Another secret to this speedy chicken soup is cooking as you chop the ingredients.

Start by chopping the onion. As soon as you've got the onions chopped, start sautéing them in a stock pot on the stove top so they have time to caramelize and develop that slow-cooked flavor. (I use this large pot.)

While the onions are cooking, chop the carrots. Be sure to cut them into small pieces so they will cook all the way through. Add the carrots to the pot so they can start cooking while you chop the rest of the veggies.

Once all of the vegetables are added to the pot to cook, start prepping the chicken. I find the easiest way to do this is by using your fingers to pull the chicken meat off the bones. Then you can cut or shred any large chunks into bite-size pieces.

Next, add homemade chicken stock or a good pre-made stock or bone broth to the vegetables once they are soft. I usually try to keep some homemade stock in the freezer, and a few boxes of stock in the pantry for those days when I run out.

Once the stock is simmering, add the chicken.

Variations

Starting with this homemade chicken soup recipe, you can swap out or add ingredients for many different soups. Here are a few recipe ideas to get you started.

• Chicken noodle soup - add zucchini noodles (homemade or store-bought) at the end if you want an easy rotisserie chicken noodle soup. Simmer just long enough for the noodles to heat through but remain al dente.
• Chicken rice soup - add cauliflower rice when you add the broth and let it cook through while the soup simmers.
• Lemon herb garlic - saute a couple of cloves of garlic (chopped, to taste) with the veggies. Then add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and chopped fresh herbs before serving.
• Leftover turkey soup - swap the shredded chicken for leftover meat from a whole turkey or roast turkey breast. This is a great way to use Thanksgiving leftovers!

This soup is so simple, you can stop at the grocery store on the way home from work and pick up a rotisserie chicken, a box of stock, and some vegetables to make soup for dinner.

Start to finish this chicken soup recipe takes just 30 minutes. Perfect when you need an easy chicken soup in a hurry or just a little bit of comfort food in a pot of soup.

Storing and reheating leftovers

Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. It also freezes well for up to three months. I like to freeze it in single-serving containers so I can use it as needed.

When you're ready to reheat it, warm the soup on the stove over medium heat until it's heated through. If the soup is frozen, let it thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.

More easy soup recipes

• Crock Pot Chicken Soup
• Easy Broccoli Soup
• 10-Minute Tomato Soup
• Easy Cauliflower Celeriac Soup with Bacon
• Easy Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup Recipe