Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

This chicken sweet potato soup is the bowl I reach for when I want something warm without a long ingredient list. Tender shredded chicken and soft sweet potatoes simmer together in a broth seasoned with oregano, coriander, and onion powder, so every spoonful tastes rich even though it’s made with pantry staples. It comes together on the stovetop in about 25 minutes, no blender, no cream, no canned soup shortcuts.

Key Ingredients

All ingredients and their amounts are listed in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Chicken breasts: I poach boneless, skinless chicken breasts right in the pot, which keeps this a true one-pot soup. I’ve also made this with skinless chicken thighs when that’s what I had thawed, and they work just as well, they just take a couple of extra minutes to cook through.

Pro Tip: don’t let the poaching water boil hard. A gentle boil keeps the chicken tender, a rolling boil will make it tough by the time you shred it.

Sweet potatoes: Peel them before dicing, the skin gets tough once simmered and doesn’t break down the way it would if roasted. I dice mine small, around half an inch, so they cook through in the same 10 to 15 minutes as everything else and you get a bite of sweet potato in every spoonful.

Chicken broth: I always reach for a good, low-sodium broth here since the soup reduces slightly as it simmers, and a fully salted broth turns overpowering fast. I’ve tested this with homemade broth too. It’s noticeably richer, but a good store-bought low-sodium broth gets you 90 percent of the way there for a fraction of the effort.

Seasoning (oregano, onion powder, ground coriander): This combination is what makes the broth taste seasoned instead of just salty. I recommend not skipping the coriander specifically. Readers who’ve made this tell me it’s the one ingredient that “brings it to life,” and I agree, it adds a citrusy warmth the oregano alone doesn’t. If you have turmeric or paprika on hand, a pinch of either is a nice addition, but I don’t consider them essential.

Mirepoix (onion, celery, carrot): This is the base of the soup, and I don’t rush it. Sauteing it for the full 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion is properly translucent, is what keeps the broth from tasting thin.

How to Make Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

A quick note before you start: I poach the chicken and sauté the vegetables at the same time in two separate pans, so plan to have both going at once. It saves about 10 minutes off the total time.

Poach the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to a medium pan, cover with about 2 inches of water, and season the water with salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then boil for about 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and very tender. I keep this at a gentle boil, not a hard one. A rolling boil tightens up the chicken fibers and makes it harder to shred later.

Start the vegetables while the chicken poaches. In a large pot, heat the olive oil over high heat, then drop it down to medium once the oil is hot. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and sauté for 5 to 7 minutes, until the onion turns soft and translucent. I don’t skip this step or rush it. This is where the base flavor of the broth actually comes from, and a broth built on undercooked mirepoix tastes flat no matter how much you season it later.

Add the garlic. Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, just until it’s fragrant. Garlic burns fast once the pan is hot, so I keep this short and add the liquid right after.

Build the broth. Add the chicken broth, sweet potato, oregano, onion powder, coriander, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer partially covered for 10 to 15 minutes, until the sweet potato is fork tender. I check at the 10 minute mark since sweet potato dice size varies a lot from cutting board to cutting board, and overcooked sweet potato turns mushy instead of holding its shape.

Shred and add the chicken. By now the chicken should be cool enough to handle. Shred it with two forks and add it to the pot about halfway through the sweet potatoes simmering, so it has time to warm through and pick up the broth’s flavor without overcooking a second time. Taste the broth here and adjust the seasoning. I always taste before adding more salt since the broth reduces slightly as it simmers.

Finish and serve. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley, and a pinch of cayenne if you like a little heat. I serve it right out of the pot while it’s still steaming, this soup loses some of its comfort factor if it sits too long before serving.