This cozy Chicken Meatball Soup is pure comfort in a bowl! Flavorful homemade chicken meatballs simmer with tender potatoes, filling the broth with a rich, savory flavor. A sprinkle of fresh parsley and a splash of lemon juice at the end bring everything to life with a bright, fresh finish. It's hearty, wholesome, and the perfect dinner soup for any night of the week!
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Chicken soup with chicken meatballs and potatoes
Chicken soup is typically made with chicken and noodles, but I wanted to share a different version. This soup has tender, flavorful mini chicken meatballs and hearty potatoes instead of the usual chicken and noodles.
As the soup simmers, the meatballs release their delicious flavor into the broth, making everything rich and cozy. It's become a favorite in my house. Even my picky kid asks for seconds!
The meatballs themselves are easy to make, all the ingredients are processed together in a food processor. It's the same recipe I use for my Swedish chicken meatballs, only here I shape them smaller so they're bite-sized for soup.
More comfort food soup recipes: Sweet Potato Sausage Soup
Ingredients
For the chicken meatballs:
- 1 pound ground chicken (lean ground chicken, or use 99% lean ground turkey)
- ½ large onion, chopped into quarters (use the other half for the soup below, or use a small onion for each recipe part)
- 1 large slice or 2 small slices soft white bread (or use soft whole wheat bread, but don't use seedy bread with a tough crust)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- oil for cooking
For the soup:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large onion, diced
- 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced (about 1.5-2 cups sliced carrots)
- 2-3 stalks celery, sliced
- 1-1.5 pounds potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 4-5 cups chicken broth, or as needed to cover the soup. Using the chicken flavor of Better than Bouillon paste + water is an easy way to add broth without opening multiple containers of broth (or use bone broth for more protein)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste
- salt and pepper, optional
Equipment
- Food processor
- Large soup pot
- Large skillet
- Measuring cups and spoons
Instructions
Combine all the ingredients for the chicken meatballs (except for cooking oil) in a food processor. Process until the mixture is well combined. Remove from the food processor into a bowl.
Use your hands to scoop up 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture and form small meatballs. Try to make the meatballs as tiny as possible so you can have lots of little meatballs in every bowl. Set the meatballs aside on a lightly oiled plate (this helps them not stick to the plate). Tip: wet your hands between every meatball to prevent them from sticking to your hand.
Heat a large skillet to high heat. Add the olive oil and gently place the meatballs into the oil. Allow them to brown for 1-2 minutes, then flip them and brown them on 2-3 sides. Remove from heat. It's OK if the meatballs are not fully cooked yet.
In a large soup pot, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the onion softens and starts turning golden brown. Don't let it burn.
Add the diced potatoes, browned meatballs, Italian seasoning, and just enough chicken broth to cover everything. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are fully cooked. Stir once or twice to make sure everything gets a chance to simmer in the broth.
Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve hot, garnishing with extra parsley. I like to dip toasted crusty bread into the soup.
Kate's cooking tips
- Instead of potatoes, you can add a cup of small pasta, such as orzo or alphabet pasta. You might need to increase the amount of liquid by a bit.
- If you have a 4-cup container of chicken broth and need 5 cups of liquid or more, you can use water instead of opening another container of broth. I recommend using Better than Bouillon paste so you can add in the broth seasoning as needed if you add water. Just be careful, this stuff is salty!
- For a shortcut, store-bought turkey meatballs or even regular beef meatballs would be fine here!
- You can make this soup more nutritious and lighter in calories by using more carrots and celery and less potatoes.
- Kale or baby spinach are a great addition to this soup. If adding kale, tear it into small pieces and add during the last 5 minutes of cooking. If using baby spinach, stir it in after turning the stove off.
- Make it creamy! Add ½ - 1 cup of heavy cream for a creamy chicken meatball soup. It will have zuppa toscana vibes.
- Try stirring in a little pickle juice brine instead of lemon juice. It's a fun way to add a little sour flavor which most soups need.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Chicken Meatball Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken - (lean ground chicken, or use 99% lean ground turkey)
- ½ large onion - chopped into quarters (use the other half for the soup, or use 1 small onion for each recipe part)
- 1 large slice or 2 small slices soft white bread - (or use soft whole wheat bread. Don't use seedy bread with a tough crust)
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon salt
- oil - for cooking
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ large onion - diced
- 2 medium carrots - thinly sliced (about 1.5-2 cups sliced carrots)
- 2-3 stalks celery - sliced
- 1-1.5 pounds potatoes - peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 4-5 cups chicken broth - (as needed to cover the soup)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3-4 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves - chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - or to taste
- salt and pepper - optional
Special equipment
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the chicken meatballs (except for cooking oil) in a food processor. Process until the mixture is well combined. Remove from the food processor into a bowl.
- Use your hands to scoop up 1 tablespoon of chicken mixture and form small meatballs. Try to make the meatballs as small as possible. Tip: wet your hands between every meatball to prevent them from sticking to your hand.
- Heat a large skillet to high heat. Add the olive oil and gently place the meatballs into the oil. Allow them to brown for 1-2 minutes, then flip them and brown them on 2-3 sides. Remove from heat. It's OK if the meatballs are not fully cooked yet.
- In a large soup pot, sauté the onion, carrots, and celery over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens and starts turning golden brown. Don't let it burn.
- Add the diced potatoes, browned meatballs, Italian seasoning, and just enough chicken broth to cover everything. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the potatoes and carrots are fully cooked. Stir once or twice to make sure everything gets a chance to simmer in the broth.
- Stir in lemon juice and parsley. Give it a taste and add salt and pepper, if needed. Serve hot.
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Kate Vaynshteyn
Friday 14th of November 2025
My son is super picky and he loved the mini meatballs in this soup. My husband loved the soup because it was filling and had lots of different things in it. I hope you enjoy this one as much as my family did!