The 9 Best Spices For Chicken Soup

For the homemade blend below, start with 2 teaspoons for 8 US cups of broth. That is 1 teaspoon per quart. Use less if the stock or chicken is already heavily seasoned, then taste and adjust once the chicken is fully cooked. You do not need to add all nine herbs and spices separately.

How Much Seasoning Should You Add?

Readers have asked how much of the mix to use for eight cups of stock. Use the amounts below as a light starting point for this particular blend, not a fixed rule for every soup or a direction to add the whole jar. Your stock, the amount of chicken and vegetables, and your preferred herb strength will affect the final amount.

Starting amounts for the dry seasoning blend below

Broth volume	Start with
4 US cups / 1 quart	1 teaspoon blend
8 US cups / 2 quarts	2 teaspoons blend
12 US cups / 3 quarts	3 teaspoons / 1 tablespoon blend

Stir the measured blend into the simmering broth and give the dried herbs time to infuse. Once the chicken is fully cooked, taste a cooled spoonful. If you want more herb flavor, add another ½ teaspoon, let it infuse and taste again. If you already added individual herbs, bouillon or a seasoned rotisserie chicken, begin with less of the mix.

When Should the Herbs Go In?

Add the dry blend with the broth so the thyme, rosemary and other dried ingredients have time to hydrate. Add whole bay leaves at the simmering stage and remove them before serving. Dried parsley can go in near the end. Season with salt separately after accounting for the salt already in your stock or chicken.

I make chicken soup at least once a week during the colder months, and the biggest lesson I’ve learned over the years is that the broth is only as good as what you season it with. Plain chicken simmered in water tastes like almost nothing — it’s the spices and herbs that turn it into something you actually want a second bowl of.

When I first started making soup from scratch, I relied on those little seasoning packets from the store. They worked fine, but once I started building my own spice blend, the difference was night and day. The soup tasted cleaner, fresher, and I could adjust things depending on what kind of chicken soup I was going for — lighter and brothy, or thick and hearty.

Below are the nine spices and herbs I come back to every time. Some are staples that go into every single pot, and others I rotate depending on my mood or what’s in the pantry. For each one, I’ve included a couple of specific products worth picking up if you don’t already have them on hand.

The 9 Best Spices for Chicken Soup

Our favorite spices to use when making chicken soup include the following:

• Onion
• Garlic
• Paprika
• Parsley
• Bay Leaf
• Thyme
• Oregano
• Marjoram
• Rosemary

You do not need all nine ingredients in every pot. Start with the flavor you want, then choose the herbs and spices that support it. Onion, garlic and thyme make a straightforward base; paprika, oregano, marjoram and rosemary let you take it in a different direction.

1. Onion Powder/Flakes

Onion powder and flakes can be used in place of freshly chopped onion. It gives a deeper flavor to the chicken soup that really does make a world of difference.

It is also a great spice to use if you are short on fresh ingredients, but still want that onion taste that makes a chicken soup taste hearty.

Frontier Co-Op White Onion Flakes

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These white onion flakes are made from dried, organic white onion, and have a sweet and robust flavor.

They deliver the flavor of onion to a soup without any preparation needed.

McCormick Granulated Onion Powder

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Granulated onion is useful when you want onion flavor without chopping a fresh onion. It is coarser than a fine onion powder, so give it time to disperse in the broth.

Choose it for flavor and convenience, rather than treating a small seasoning portion as a source of nutrition.

Check the ingredient list on the selected container. Onion powder, granulated onion and onion salt are different products; onion salt will also change the salt level of your soup.

2. Garlic Powder

Overall, garlic powder is such a great spice to keep in your pantry.

Garlic powder gives the broth a distributed garlic flavor without pieces of fresh garlic. Add a little, let it disperse, then decide whether the soup needs more.

You can easily control how much of a garlic taste you add into your soup using garlic powder, as sometimes fresh garlic cloves can be less potent than others.

Garlic is a useful starting ingredient, but it is optional. Leave it out or reduce it if you prefer a gentler broth.

McCormick Garlic Powder

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This 8.75-ounce bottle of garlic powder is as aromatic and flavorful as you could want.

Check the bottle for any fresh-to-dried substitution guidance. Clove size and product strength vary, so a single teaspoon conversion is not a reliable rule for every garlic powder.

Badia Roasted Garlic

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Badia Roasted Garlic is prepared from fresh garlic but has a distinctive roasted flavor that adds a new dimension to your chicken soup.

It blends well with onion powder in chicken soup, and the two make a perfect combination for a base flavor profile.

3. Paprika

A little touch of paprika in a chicken soup makes such a difference.

Choose smoked paprika for a smoky flavor or regular sweet paprika for a gentler pepper flavor and color. They are not interchangeable if you want the soup to taste the same.

Pons Sweet Smoked Paprika

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This 70g tin of smoked paprika has an intensive flavor, so a little is all you need to add a slightly smoky taste to your chicken soup.

Paprika: Check the Style

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Check whether the selected paprika is regular, sweet, hot or smoked. The word “paprika” alone does not tell you how much heat or smoke it will bring. Start with a small amount when trying a different style.

For comparison, Simply Organic sells regular paprika and a separately labeled smoked paprika. Check the label of the actual product you choose.

4. Dried Parsley

Dried parsley adds a subtle flavor to chicken soup and only needs to be added in near the end of the soup preparation.

Parsley gives a mild herb note and color. It is a finishing option rather than a requirement for every chicken soup.

Dried Parsley Flakes

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Choose dried parsley flakes for a mild finish. Check the current container size and ingredient label rather than relying on an old pack photo or a particular brand name.

McCormick suggests adding dried parsley toward the end of cooking. Let it hydrate in the hot broth rather than leaving dry flakes floating on top.

5. Bay Leaf

Dried bay leaf can be added to your soup to give a subtle flavor of mint and pine, which gives an earthier flavor to the chicken soup.

Add a whole bay leaf while the broth simmers and remove it before serving. Count the leaves as you add them so you know how many to take out.

Whole Bay Leaves

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Look for culinary whole bay leaves and check the ingredient label. Add them to the simmering broth, then remove the leaves before ladling the soup.

6. Dried Thyme

Dried thyme works well in the simmering broth. Start lightly: it should support the chicken and vegetables rather than dominate them.

Do not add too much-dried thyme to the chicken soup as it is a strong flavor, a little goes a long way.

Whole Dried Thyme

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Whole dried thyme leaves can steep in the broth as it simmers. Start with a small amount and allow the flavor to develop before adding more.

7. Dried Oregano

Dried oregano is perfect for hearty chicken soup. It has a wonderfully strong flavor, and pairs well with thyme in many dishes.

Use a little bit to add more of a herby flavor to your chicken soup.

McCormick Oregano Leaves

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With a flip-top shaker, using dried oregano in your kitchen has never been easier.

The small leaves will give a unique herby flavor to your soup, and you only need to add a small amount to chicken soup.

8. Dried Marjoram

Marjoram and oregano can be used together. Marjoram is generally milder; oregano is more assertive. McCormick lists both as ingredients in Italian seasoning, so there is no rule that they must be kept apart.

You can also use one in place of the other, but start with less oregano when replacing a milder herb and adjust to taste.

Dried Marjoram Leaves

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Dried marjoram brings a gentler herbal flavor. Check the actual product label for its form, ingredients and any certification claims.

9. Dried Rosemary

Rosemary and chicken are like a match made in heaven, and the two pair well together in chicken soup as well.

Rosemary also complements the vegetables, but its piney flavor can become prominent. Ground rosemary and whole needles behave differently, so follow the form specified in the blend below.

Make sure to add the rosemary as you start cooking, so the flavor permeates the soup.

Simply Organic Whole Rosemary Leaf

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This bottle of dried rosemary offers an authentic flavor to chicken soup, with the dried whole leaves still containing a punch of flavor that blends well into a soup when cooked for an extended time.

The rosemary is certified organic as well.

The Best Seasoning Blend For Chicken Soup

This is a dry pantry blend, not the amount to empty into a single pot. Mix a small batch and use a portion to season your broth.

The quantities below make 9 teaspoons, or 3 tablespoons, of dry seasoning. The starting-amount table uses this specific blend. It contains no added salt; check that your onion and garlic powders are not salt blends.

• 3 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 2 teaspoons ground rosemary
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon white pepper

Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly in a bowl and transfer them to a clean, dry, airtight jar. Label it with the ingredients and date, store it away from heat and moisture, and use a dry measuring spoon. Stir or shake the mix before measuring so the powders and leafy herbs are distributed.

Related Questions

How do I make the chicken soup more flavorful?

Taste the soup once the chicken is fully cooked. First check whether it needs salt, more broth flavor or more herbs; those are different problems. Add a small amount of one thing at a time rather than tipping in several spices together.

Onion, carrot and celery help build the base. If the broth is diluted, extra dried herbs will not replace its savory flavor. For a brighter finish, try a few drops of lemon juice in one spoonful or bowl first, then decide whether to add it to the pot.

Can I use rotisserie chicken in soup?

Yes. Add properly stored cooked chicken once the vegetables and noodles are nearly ready, then heat it through thoroughly. A cooked chicken can shorten preparation, but it does not remove the need to handle leftovers safely.

USDA guidance for cooked chicken is to refrigerate it within two hours, or one hour above 90°F, and use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days. Reheat leftovers to 165°F with a food thermometer; bring reheated soup to a rolling boil. See also our guide to refreezing cooked chicken.

The Best Spices For Chicken Soup

Making your chicken soup from scratch means you can play around with different herbs and spices to make one that you and your family enjoy the best.

However, certain spices go best in chicken soup, and the above-listed spices can transform a bland chicken soup to one that is rich, hearty, aromatic, and flavorful.

Keep the mix separate from the soup, measure a small starting amount and taste once the chicken is cooked. You can always add more seasoning to the pot; it is much harder to take it back out.