This one is brothy and chunky, and you can name every single thing in the bowl.
Strands of shredded chicken, cubes of sweet potato big enough to need two bites, sliced carrot, celery, all sitting in a clear golden broth.
Nothing here is blended.
I mention that immediately because half the sweet potato soups on the internet are smooth orange purees, and this is the other kind.
It came about on a January evening when my wife had a cold and the only vegetables in the house were a bag of sweet potatoes and two tired carrots.
I poached a couple of chicken breasts right in the broth, shredded them with two forks, and threw everything else in after.
She had three bowls.
Now I make it whenever the weather turns, and I've learned exactly two things worth passing on.
Cut the sweet potato bigger than feels right, in ¾ inch cubes, or it dissolves into the broth and you lose the whole point.
And finish with lemon.
Sweet potato in a soup will drift sweet if you let it, and a couple of tablespoons of lemon juice at the end pulls it firmly back to savory.
Fifty minutes, one pot, and a rotisserie chicken cuts fifteen of those minutes if you're in a hurry.
It's the kind of soup that tastes like somebody looked after you!
A Brothy, Chunky Soup, Not a Puree
The keyword covers two completely different bowls, so here is which one you're getting.
- This soup. A clear golden broth with visible shredded chicken, sweet potato cubes, carrot and celery floating in it. Chunky, spoonable, nothing pureed.
- The other one. Sweet potatoes blended smooth into a thick velvety puree with cream or coconut milk. Lovely, and not this.
Both are good soups.
Only one of them is a chicken soup, and this is it.
Why You'll Love This Soup
- One pot, start to finish. The chicken poaches in the same broth the soup is built on.
- A rotisserie bird makes it fast. Three cups of pulled meat and you're eating in thirty minutes.
- It freezes. Three months, and I'll tell you how to handle the sweet potato below.
- Kid-friendly, adult-adjustable. Mild as written, and a pinch of cayenne fixes that for anyone who wants it.
- Real dinner, not a starter. There's a pound and a quarter of chicken in the pot.
Ingredients You Need
Nothing unusual, and the amounts matter more than the list does.
- Chicken breasts (1 ¼ pounds). Or 3 cups of shredded cooked chicken. Thighs work and give a richer broth.
- Chicken broth (8 cups). The backbone. Use one you'd happily drink on its own.
- Sweet potatoes (1 ½ pounds). Peeled, cut into ¾ inch cubes. This size is the single most important number in the recipe.
- Carrots (2). Sliced ¼ inch thick so they stay in rounds you can see.
- Celery (2 stalks). Sliced. It's what makes a chicken soup taste like chicken soup, and leaving it out is noticeable.
- Onion (1 large) and garlic (4 cloves). The base. Diced and minced.
- Dried thyme (1 teaspoon) and a bay leaf. Quiet, savory, and they keep the pot from going sweet.
- Smoked paprika (1 teaspoon) and cayenne (¼ teaspoon). Warmth and a low hum of heat. Leave the cayenne out for kids.
- Baby spinach (3 cups). In at the very end, off the heat.
- Lemon juice (2 tablespoons). Non-negotiable. Read the section on it.
- Parsley (2 tablespoons chopped). To finish.
No coconut milk in this one. Add it and you have a Thai-leaning curry soup, which is a fine dish and a different article.
Poach the Chicken, or Skip It
Two routes here, and they both work. Pick based on what's in your fridge.
Raw Chicken, Poached in the Broth
Slide the breasts into the simmering broth, drop the heat so it's barely bubbling, and cover for 15 minutes.
Lift them out, let them sit 5 minutes, then shred with two forks.
The broth is now chicken broth twice over, and that is where the flavor in this soup comes from.
Don't boil them. A hard boil makes the meat stringy and clouds the broth.
Rotisserie or Leftovers
Use 3 cups of pulled meat and add it in the last 5 minutes, just to heat through.
Add it earlier and it goes dry and cottony.
Buy the best broth you can find if you go this way, since you're skipping the step that would have made your own.
Shred, don't dice. Strands catch broth and read as chicken soup. Neat cubes read as stew.
Cut the Sweet Potato Bigger Than You Think
¾ inch cubes. Not half, not a quarter.
The most popular recipe out there calls for ¼ inch cubes, and at that size the sweet potato surrenders.
Fifteen minutes in and the edges have dissolved, the broth has gone cloudy and thick, and you've accidentally made a half-blended soup nobody asked for.
At ¾ inch they hold their corners and you can still see them in the bowl at the end.
Peel them. The skin separates in the broth and floats around looking like nothing good.
Test one at 15 minutes by pressing it against the side of the pot with a spoon.
It should give with a little resistance still in the middle.
Take the pot off the heat right then, because they keep cooking in the residual heat.
How to Make Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup
Step 1: Soften the Aromatics
Olive oil over medium heat, then the onion, carrot and celery for 7 to 8 minutes until the onion is translucent. Garlic for one more minute.
Step 2: Bloom the Spices
Thyme, smoked paprika and cayenne straight into the fat for 30 seconds.
Step 3: Poach the Chicken
Add the broth and bay leaf, bring it to a bare simmer, slide in the chicken breasts and cover for 15 minutes. Lift out and shred.
Step 4: Add the Sweet Potato
Cubes into the simmering broth, uncovered, 15 to 18 minutes, until they give with slight resistance.
Step 5: Spinach Off the Heat
Pot off the burner, chicken back in, spinach folded through. It wilts in about a minute and stays green.
Step 6: Lemon and Taste
2 tablespoons of lemon juice, then salt until it tastes like something. Parsley on top.
Keeping the Broth Clear
A clear broth is what separates this from a thickened orange soup, and it's easy to protect.
- Bare simmer, never a boil. Boiling agitates starch out of the sweet potato and emulsifies fat into the liquid.
- Skim once. A minute after the chicken goes in, lift off the foam that gathers at the edge.
- Stop cooking on time. Every extra five minutes rounds the corners off those cubes and clouds the pot.
- Stir gently. Vigorous stirring breaks up the potato just as effectively as overcooking does.
- Cream is optional. A half cup makes it richer and turns the broth opaque. Your soup, your call, but it stops being the soup in the photo.
Tips and Variations
- Southwest version. Swap the thyme for cumin and chili powder, add a can of black beans and finish with lime and cilantro instead of lemon and parsley.
- Curried coconut version. A tablespoon of curry powder and a can of coconut milk. Genuinely good, and it is a different dish, not this one.
- Slow cooker. Everything except the spinach and lemon on low for 5 hours. Shred the chicken in the pot at the end.
- Instant Pot. High pressure for 8 minutes, quick release, then shred and finish.
- More heat. A chopped jalapeno with the onion, or a spoonful of hot sauce in the bowl.
- Other greens. Kale needs five minutes of simmering, chard about three, spinach none at all.
- Thicker, on purpose. Mash six or seven of the cubes against the side of the pot. That is the honest way to thicken it.
Serving Suggestions
- Crusty bread. Something with a real crust for the bottom of the bowl.
- A grilled cheese. Sharp cheddar. This pairing needs no defense.
- A sharp green salad. Lemon and olive oil, to echo the finish on the soup.
- Cornbread. Especially with the southwest variation.
Storage and Freezing
- Refrigerated. 4 days in an airtight container. The broth thickens slightly overnight, which is normal.
- Frozen. Up to 3 months. Freeze it before the spinach goes in if you're planning ahead.
- The sweet potato softens on thawing. Unavoidable. Undercook the cubes by two minutes on a batch you intend to freeze.
- Reheating. Low heat, gently, until it's hot through. Never a rolling boil.
- Brighten it back up. A fresh squeeze of lemon in the reheated bowl restores everything that went flat in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this soup creamy or brothy?
Brothy and chunky. The broth stays clear and golden, and the shredded chicken, sweet potato cubes, carrot and celery all stay whole. Nothing is blended. If you want a smooth puree, that is a different recipe.
Can I use rotisserie or leftover chicken?
Yes. Use 3 cups of pulled meat and stir it in during the last 5 minutes, just long enough to heat through. Since you're skipping the poaching step, buy a broth you'd be happy to drink on its own.
How long does it keep, and can I freeze it?
Four days refrigerated and three months frozen. The sweet potato goes softer after thawing, so undercook the cubes by a couple of minutes if you know a batch is headed for the freezer.
My soup came out too sweet, what do I do?
Two fixes. More salt, which most people underdo in a soup with sweet vegetables in it. And more acid, another tablespoon of lemon juice at a time until it tastes savory. A little black pepper helps too.
Can I make it in a slow cooker or Instant Pot?
Both. Slow cooker is low for 5 hours with everything except the spinach and lemon. Instant Pot is 8 minutes at high pressure with a quick release. Shred the chicken and finish with spinach and lemon either way.
Do I need to peel the sweet potatoes?
Yes, for this one. The skin loosens during the simmer and ends up floating in the broth in curled strips. In a roasted or mashed dish you can leave it on, but not in a clear soup.
Can I add coconut milk or make it curried?
You can, and it makes a good soup, but it stops being this soup. A tablespoon of curry powder with the aromatics and a can of full fat coconut milk at the end gives you a Thai-leaning bowl with a cloudy, richer broth.
What can I use instead of spinach?
Kale, added five minutes before the end so it softens. Chard needs about three minutes. Escarole is excellent here. Frozen spinach works if you squeeze it dry first.
Give it a try the next time the weather turns and somebody in your house needs looking after.
One pot, and everything in the bowl is something you can point at!
Recipe
Chicken and Sweet Potato Soup
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots sliced ¼ inch thick
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper omit for mild
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 ¼ pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potatoes peeled, cut into ¾ inch cubes
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt to taste
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
To Finish
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
Build the Broth
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook 7 to 8 minutes until the onion is translucent, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
- Stir in the thyme, smoked paprika and cayenne and cook 30 seconds in the fat.
- Add the chicken broth and bay leaf and bring to a bare simmer. Slide in the chicken breasts, cover, and poach 15 minutes at a gentle simmer. Do not let it boil.
- Lift the chicken out, rest 5 minutes, then shred it with two forks. Skim any foam from the surface of the broth.
Finish the Soup
- Add the sweet potato cubes to the simmering broth and cook uncovered 15 to 18 minutes, until a cube gives against the side of the pot with slight resistance still in the middle.
- Take the pot off the heat. Return the shredded chicken and fold in the spinach, which wilts in about a minute and stays green.
- Stir in the lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the bay leaf and finish each bowl with chopped parsley.
Notes
- Brothy and chunky: nothing is blended. The broth stays clear and the chicken, sweet potato, carrot and celery all stay visible.
- Cube size matters: ¾ inch cubes hold their shape. Smaller cubes dissolve and cloud the broth.
- Never boil: a hard boil makes the chicken stringy and pulls starch out of the sweet potato.
- Lemon at the end: two tablespoons keep the soup savory instead of sweet.
- Rotisserie shortcut: use 3 cups of pulled meat, added in the last 5 minutes.
- Storage: 4 days refrigerated, 3 months frozen. Undercook the cubes slightly for a batch you plan to freeze.