Next Day Leftover Chicken Soup Recipe

Next Day Soup is a great way to re-purpose leftovers and create a delicious, budget friendly meal. This Leftover Chicken Soup is one of my family’s favorite Next Day Soups. It’s wonderfully aromatic homemade broth is loaded with vegetables and shredded chicken.

We are all looking for ways to eat healthier on a budget. Creating your own food staples like chicken or beef broth is a great way to save money. Plus it’s NOT loaded with sodium like boxed or canned broths. You know exactly what’s in there and know it’s healthy for you and your family.

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Leftover Roast Chicken Soup

First of all, I recommend marketing this as “Next Day” soup. It sounds way better than leftovers!

Chicken soup is comfort food that is good for the tummy and the soul. In this recipe, use leftover chicken whether it’s been roasted, boiled, or even grilled. A rotisserie chicken also works.

Add in vegetables you already have and you’ll have a delicious pot simmering in no time. This is one of my family’s favorites. My kids request it when they need a little extra love or aren’t feeling well.

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Ingredients for Chicken Soup

Most of these ingredients are probably already in your kitchen. If not, feel free to substitute types of chicken or vegetables for what you do have on hand. Stick to your budget as there is nothing fancy in this chicken soup recipe.

Broth Ingredients:

• Water
• Chicken bones and giblets from leftover roasted chicken
• Vegetable scraps, optional
• Bay leaf
• Dried parsley

Soup Ingredients

• Leftover chicken, shredded
• Potatoes, peeled and diced
• Carrots, chopped
• Stalks of celery, chopped
• Onion, chopped
• Garlic, finely minced
• Frozen peas
• Frozen corn kernels
• Diced tomatoes
• Thyme
• Salt and pepper

How to Make Homemade Broth

Homemade chicken broth is simple to make and doesn’t cost you a penny. This delicious bone broth is made with leftover chicken bones from a chicken dinner like Lemon Thyme Crockpot Chicken or Clay Pot Roasted Chicken.

Creating broth does take time. I usually make mine overnight in my slow cooker and then refrigerate until I need it.

When peeling or cutting vegetables like carrots, celery, onions, etc., save the ends and peels for use in this broth. These veggie scraps store easy enough in the freezer. Add them and a few herbs you probably already have on hand into your soup pot to create an aromatic, delicious, and very budget friendly broth to use for soups or other dishes.

Homemade Broth Step-by-Step

Remove any remaining cooked chicken from the chicken bones. Place the bones into a crockpot or a stock pot. Add 12 cups of water to the pot, along with a bay leaf, 1 tablespoon of dried parsley, and any vegetable scraps (optional).Cook all this down, overnight in the crockpot or 1 hour in the stock pot. Strain off the broth. Place the broth in containers and store in the refrigerator. Remove any additional chicken meat from the bones/broth. Refrigerate in a container for the soup.

Directions to Make Chicken Soup from Leftover Chicken

Add chicken broth and enough water to equal 10 cups to a stock pot. Add all remaining ingredients, including shredded chicken, to stock pot.

Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer or medium heat and cook for 10-12 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Season with additional salt and black pepper if needed.

Serve it immediately or leave it on a slow simmer until ready to serve.

Substitutions in Chicken Soup

Like I said above, you can substitute many of the ingredients in this easy chicken soup. Use egg noodles instead of potatoes, for example. (Put the noodles in at the end so they don’t turn to mush).

Use fresh parsley instead of dried herbs if you have them on hand. If you don’t want to make homemade broth, you can substitute canned or boxed stuff. But I guarantee the difference in taste is worth the extra effort.

Any kind of chicken will work from chicken thighs to chicken breast. Roasted, grilled, broiled – whatever type of leftover chicken you have.

Storing Next Day Chicken Soup

I like to make a big batch of soup so we have leftovers for lunch the next day. It will stay good in an air tight container in the fridge for 3-5 days. You can also freeze any leftover broth.

What to Serve With Chicken Soup

Chicken soup is simple and nourishing so I like to serve it with other simple foods such as cornbread or muffins and fruit.

How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

Meal planning is another way I eat healthier on a budget. I plan out what my family eats during the week so I know exactly what’s for dinner. This week, we’re having Lemon Thyme Crockpot Chicken one night, then this Leftover Chicken Soup with Vegetables the next.

There will be plenty of extra soup, so I will freeze a few portions to have on another day or eat for lunch later in the week. Together these meals cost me under $18 at a local grocery store. 2 dinners plus a lunch equals out to $6 per meal. Not Bad! Don’t you agree?

More Soup Recipes to Try

• Easy Finnish Salmon Soup Recipe
• 15 Bean Soup with Ham – A Warm, Hearty Instant Pot Recipe Your Family Will Love
• Creamy Tomato Basil Soup Recipe
• Reinventing a Classic – Easy Bacon Cheeseburger Soup Recipe