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Chicken Vegetable Soup with Oats, an Easy One-Pot Recipe

Homemade shredded chicken soup with carrot, potato, celery and rolled oats. One pot, simple ingredients and ready in under an hour.

By · Updated on

Total time
55 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
Cuisine
International
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Image of Chicken Vegetable Soup with Oats, an Easy One-Pot Recipe

Ingredients

  • For the soup

  • To serve

Method

  1. Prep the vegetables

    Peel the carrots and potatoes and cut them into 1/2 inch (1 cm) dice. Chop the onion, garlic and celery, and set the chicken breast on a plate.

    Wooden board with diced carrot and potato, chopped celery, onion and garlic in small piles, a chef's knife and a raw chicken breast on a plate.

    Wooden board with diced carrot and potato, chopped celery, onion and garlic in small piles, a chef's knife and a raw chicken breast on a plate.

  2. Cook the chicken

    Put the chicken breast in a large pot with 1.5 liters of water and the bay leaves. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, until cooked through.

    Blue pot on the stove with a whole chicken breast in water with two bay leaves and the first gentle bubbles.

    Blue pot on the stove with a whole chicken breast in water with two bay leaves and the first gentle bubbles.

  3. Add onion, garlic and celery

    Stir the chopped onion, garlic and celery into the broth and let them cook gently for 5 minutes.

    Pot of steaming broth while chopped onion, garlic and celery are added from a wooden board.

    Pot of steaming broth while chopped onion, garlic and celery are added from a wooden board.

  4. Add carrot and potato

    Add the diced carrot and potato and cook over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, until tender.

    Pot of broth and vegetables while diced carrot and potato are poured in from a bowl, with light steam.

    Pot of broth and vegetables while diced carrot and potato are poured in from a bowl, with light steam.

  5. Shred the chicken

    Move the chicken to a board, check that it is cooked through (165 °F / 74 °C) and shred it with two forks. Fish the bay leaves out of the pot.

    Cooked chicken breast shredded into strands with two forks on a wooden board, with the pot in the background.

    Cooked chicken breast shredded into strands with two forks on a wooden board, with the pot in the background.

  6. Add the oats

    Stir in the rolled oats and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring now and then, until the broth thickens slightly.

    Hand pouring rolled oats from a bowl into the pot of vegetable soup while a wooden spoon stirs.

    Hand pouring rolled oats from a bowl into the pot of vegetable soup while a wooden spoon stirs.

  7. Return the chicken and season

    Return the shredded chicken to the pot, taste and adjust the salt. Simmer gently for 3 minutes so the flavors come together.

    Wooden ladle lifting thick soup with shredded chicken and vegetables over the pot, with a bowl of salt beside it.

    Wooden ladle lifting thick soup with shredded chicken and vegetables over the pot, with a bowl of salt beside it.

  8. Serve with cilantro

    Ladle the soup into warm bowls and finish with chopped fresh cilantro on top.

    Ceramic bowl of chicken, vegetable and oat soup garnished with cilantro, next to a spoon, a bowl of oats and the pot in the background.

    Ceramic bowl of chicken, vegetable and oat soup garnished with cilantro, next to a spoon, a bowl of oats and the pot in the background.

The step photos are illustrative.

Notes

Tips

  • Simmer the breast gently: a hard boil makes it dry and stringy.
  • Cut the potatoes and carrots to the same size so they cook at the same rate.
  • Add the oats at the end: if they cook too long, the soup turns thick and pasty.
  • If the soup thickens as it sits, stir in a little hot water when reheating.
  • Safety: chicken must reach 165 °F (74 °C) in the center before you shred it; check with a kitchen thermometer.

Substitutions

  • Chicken: skinless thighs are juicier; add 10 minutes of cooking time.
  • Vegetables: zucchini, squash, green beans or peas instead of celery or potato.
  • Oats: use rice or thin noodles instead; you will lose the light thickening.
  • Flavor: add a pinch of cumin or a squeeze of lemon when serving.

Storage

Let the soup cool and store it in a covered container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat until it boils and reaches 165 °F (74 °C); if it has thickened, add a little water or broth. You can freeze it for up to 3 months, although the potato will be a little softer after thawing.

Sources: USDA FSIS, safe minimum internal temperatures; USDA FSIS, leftovers and food safety.

Nutrition facts

1 bowl (1/4 of the recipe)

248Calories · kcal
Protein
26.2 g
Carbohydrates
27.2 g
Fat
3.5 g
Saturated fat
0.7 g
Fiber
4.6 g
Sugars
4 g
Sodium
534 mg

Estimate per serving, calculated with raw chicken breast, rolled oats, carrot, potato, celery, onion, garlic, cilantro and salt.

Reference source: USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy April 2018

For general information only; it does not replace advice from a qualified health or nutrition professional.

About this recipe

This chicken vegetable soup with oats is a soft, comforting homemade dish made in a single pot with ingredients from any pantry. The chicken breast is simmered whole in water with bay leaves to make a clean broth, then shredded so it stays tender and juicy in every spoonful. Onion, garlic and celery flavor the broth, carrot and potato add body and natural sweetness, and rolled oats thicken it slightly without cream or flour. It finishes with a little salt and fresh chopped cilantro just before serving. It makes 4 servings and takes about 55 minutes in total: perfect for a light weeknight meal or whenever you want something warm and simple.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use bone-in chicken?

Yes. Simmer bone-in thighs or drumsticks in the broth, discard the skin and bones when shredding, and add 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time.

What do the oats do in the soup?

They thicken the broth slightly and give it body without cream or flour, plus a soft, smooth texture.

How long does the soup keep in the fridge?

3 to 4 days in a closed container. Reheat until boiling before serving.

Can I freeze it?

Yes, in portions for up to 3 months. After thawing the potato is a little softer, but the flavor holds.

How do I know the chicken is cooked?

It should be white inside with no pink and reach 165 °F (74 °C) in the center when measured with a thermometer.

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