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The 9 Best Spices For Chicken Soup

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The key to good, hearty chicken soup is herbs and spices. Without them, you’ll end up eating a bowl of bland chicken water.

Spices and herbs make all the difference in delicious chicken soup, and you no longer have to rely on store-bought soup seasoning packs. Instead, you can make your own chicken soup seasoning at home!

Which are the best spices and herbs to use for chicken soup? The best spices for chicken soup are onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika. When it comes to herbs, you can use just about anything, but the best to use are parsley, bay leaf, and thyme. If you have a herb garden or are looking for some extra flavor, you can use other herbs such as oregano, marjoram, and rosemary.

Making your own chicken soup seasoning will take a bit of trial and error, but using these spices and herbs, you will be on the right path to making your own secret recipe!

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

Below is more information on why these spices and herbs are best for chicken soup, and which products you should use.

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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Packed in a convenient bottle from a trusted spice brand, this McCormick granulated onion power is both aromatic and flavorful.

It is nutrient-rich, making it perfect for healthy homemade soup.

It is 100% natural and has no additives or preservatives. There are endless options besides chicken soup with this powder!

2. Garlic Powder

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

Garlic powder adds that distinctive garlic flavor, more powerfully than fresh garlic, and gives a chicken soup a richer flavor.

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 basic spice that absolutely needs to be added into chicken soup.

Frontier Garlic Powder

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This 2.4-ounce bottle of garlic powder is as aromatic and flavorful as you could want.

1/8 of a teaspoon of the garlic powder is the same as one clove. The garlic powder is non-GMO and non-irradiated.

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.

It adds a smoky depth of flavor to the chicken soup that no other spice or ingredient can achieve and just adds to the flavor profile of the soup overall.

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.

Simply Organic Paprika

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Made from organic ingredients, the smoky paprika from Simply Organic not only smells smoky but tastes it as well.

A little goes a long way, and the bottle will last a long time in your kitchen.

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.

It is the most popular dried herb used in chicken soup, as it is not an overpowering flavor, but still gives that herb taste.

Dried Parsley From Savory Spice Shop

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The dried parsley from Savory Spice Shop is sold in different size bags and contains natural vitamins and minerals, which are all beneficial to be added into chicken soup.

It is aromatic and flavorful, even though it is dried.

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.

You might not be able to distinguish the flavor of the bay leaf from the other ingredients, but it does make a difference to the overall flavor.

Spicy Organic Bay Leaf

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This bag of Spicy Organic Bay Leaves contains premium, hand-selected true bay laurel leaves. There are no additives, just bay leaves with a sweet, earthy aroma.

6. Dried Thyme

Dried thyme should be added to the chicken soup as it starts cooking. It is a Mediterranean herb that has a strong flavor and is most commonly used with chicken.

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

Badia Whole Thyme Leaves

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This bottle of dried thyme includes whole dried thyme leaves and the flowering tops of thyme plants. The small leaves blend in well with other spices and are perfect for slow cooking chicken soup.

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.

Culinary 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

Dried marjoram should not be used with dried oregano, but the two can be substituted for each other.

It also has a strong taste, so use a little bit, and only if you do not have oregano.

McFadden Farm Organic Marjoram

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Certified organic, these dried marjoram herbs have a sweet, delicate flavor that will help to enhance the overall taste of the chicken soup you are making.

9. Dried Rosemary

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

Not only with the dried rosemary enhance the chicken, but it complements the vegetables in the soup as well.

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

If you make chicken soup quite often at home, it would be a good idea to mix up your own batch of seasoning. This can be kept in an airtight glass jar, and you can use some whenever you cook up chicken soup. 

Here are the spices and the quantities you will need to make your own chicken soup seasoning, adjust the recipe to make a larger batch to keep in the pantry:

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

Mix these in a bowl and transfer them to a mason jar to store away for when you need it. It also makes a great poultry seasoning for roast chicken and other chicken meals.

Related Questions

How do I make the chicken soup more flavorful?

The best way to make the chicken soup more flavorful is to add in some of the above spices. These will give a depth of flavor to your chicken soup that really finishes it off.

Remember to also use aromatic vegetables, such as onion, carrot, and celery, and do not add in too much water which could dull the flavor.

Can I put rotisserie chicken to chicken soup?

Using rotisserie chicken to add to chicken soup is a great way to use leftovers.

It will require less cooking time, and the flavor of the cooked chicken will add to the overall flavor of the soup while bulking it up with the chicken that is obviously needed to make chicken soup!

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.

Mix up your own chicken soup seasoning to keep in the pantry for when you cook up your next batch, to save you some time and guessing when it comes to the perfect seasoning.

5 Comments

  1. Thanks for this post. I was in the middle of “Best Chicken Soup …” (not) and found it bland, again. Then I found your suggestions – and started adding and tasting…finally enough flavor!! I added your suggestions to my notes – Happy to find you.

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