A nourishing comfort food if ever there was one, this creamy chicken potato soup is a great dish to make when you have extra chicken meat on hand. Or turkey meat, for that matter.

Chicken Potato Soup

Chicken and potato are already both comfort foods on their own, but when they come together, joined by onion, butter, milk and everything else you’ll find in this warming, nourishing chicken soup with potatoes recipe, it’s a winning combination overall.
This creamy chicken potato soup takes a half hour of total time—that’s the prep and the cooking—and it will totally satisfy everyone at the dinner table. Ladle it out as part of a multicourse feast, or dish out larger servings and just call it dinner. Whether or not you add in a side salad is up to you.
Ingredients for Chicken Potato Soup
- Onion: Make sure the onion, which can be white or yellow, is well chopped so it breaks down and mixes in well.
- Butter: If there’s a better way to start off a recipe than by cooking onions in butter, we have not come across it yet.
- Chicken broth: Go with a reduced-sodium chicken broth; you won’t notice a flavor difference, and your cardiovascular system will thank you.
- Potatoes: You need a pound of potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes are both great options.
- Chicken breast: Aim for about 1-1/2 cups of precooked and chopped chicken breast.
- All-purpose flour: The all-purpose flour thickens up the soup some, creating a lovely texture without the need for a heavy cream.
- Milk: Use 1 cup of skim or fat-free milk, but of course if all you have is 2% or whole milk, proceed.
- Evaporated milk: The evaporated milk adds texture and flavor to this comforting creamy chicken and potato soup. The reduced-fat variety will work well.
- Fresh parsley: Yes, the minced fresh parsley is partly for looks, but the other part of the equation is flavor.
- Chives: Ditto with the chives, but here you also add a great texture—that little bit of crunch will be so welcome in each bite.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the onion, potatoes, chicken and spices
In a large saucepan, saute the onion in the butter, cooking until the onion is tender and fragrant. Then pour in the broth and add the potatoes. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pan and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the chicken and the salt and pepper.
Step 2: Add in the milk, flour and evaporated milk
In a small bowl, combine the flour and fat-free milk, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Add that blend into the saucepan, then add the evaporated milk. Bring the soup back to a boil, and cook and stir for two minutes, or until the soup has thickened. Sprinkle each bowl with parsley and chives before serving.
Chicken Potato Soup Variations
- Leave out the milk: For a thinner soup that’s still plenty tasty and lower in calories, skip the milk, flour and evaporated milk, but follow all the other steps just as they are. The result will be more like a chicken noodle soup, just with potatoes, not noodles.
- Try it with turkey: This exact recipe works wonderfully when you use turkey instead of chicken, so keep it in your back pocket for those occasions where you might end up with a lot of turkey meat, such as after a certain day in November.
- Add in more veggies: This soup welcomes the addition of vegetables like sliced carrots, chopped kale, celery and more. You can make it a true meal in a bowl when you up the veggie content.
How to Store Chicken Potato Soup
This soup will keep well in the fridge for up to three days. Just store it in an airtight container or bag, and remove as much excess air from the packaging as you can. The milk does mean that a longer storage is not a good idea.
Can you freeze creamy chicken potato soup?
This soup freezes well for up to three months, but if you think you will be freezing a portion, take care as you cook it: Cook the potatoes till they’re tender, but not until they’re falling apart. Overcooked potatoes don’t freeze well, rather devolving into a mush when they’re reheated.
Chicken Potato Soup Tips
What should I serve with creamy chicken potato soup?
A side salad makes things into a meal, but a crusty bread makes things simply delicious. Go for thick slices of sourdough or a French baguette if you want to prepare the ultimate comfort lunch or dinner.
Is this a healthy soup?
While a bit high in sodium even with the reduced-sodium broth, overall this is a very healthy soup, with about 230 calories per serving, only 5 grams of fat and 19 grams of protein per each portion.
How do I make my soup even creamier?
The best way to make this soup creamier is simply to add cream. But a healthier way to do it is to add in more flour or some potato starch or cornstarch. Just add these thickeners a little bit at a time, because you can’t take them back out if the consistency gets thicker than you want. (You can add more broth, of course.)
Creamy Chicken Potato Soup
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound potatoes, (about 2 medium), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1-1/2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup fat-free milk
- 1 cup reduced-fat evaporated milk
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced chives
Directions
- In a large saucepan, saute onion in butter until tender. Stir in broth and potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the chicken, salt and pepper.
- Combine flour and fat-free milk until smooth; stir into saucepan. Add evaporated milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Sprinkle with parsley and chives.
Nutrition Facts
1-1/3 cups: 232 calories, 5g fat (3g saturated fat), 43mg cholesterol, 646mg sodium, 27g carbohydrate (0 sugars, 2g fiber), 19g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 2 lean meat, 1-1/2 starch, 1/2 fat-free milk.
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