Classic Chicken Soup, French Onion, and 13 More of Our Coziest Winter Recipes Yet

For many of us here at Serious Eats, making soup is a vital self-care strategy during the cold winter months. When sunlight is in short supply, winds are biting, and spirits are flagging, a batch of spicy khao soi or an eye-opening bowl of sopa de lima can provide a much-needed morale boost. Of course, when sickness strikes, the act of making a pot of chicken soup is one of the best ways we know of to nurse ourselves—and those we love—back to health. Keep reading for some of our favorite winter soup recipes to keep the cold at bay.

Overhead view of two bowls of french onion soup in small bowls on a striped blue background. — Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

Homemade Chicken Soup

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

There is no better culinary cure for the winter chills than chicken soup. A flavorful broth and perfectly cooked chicken make this classic even better. Add fresh egg noodles to the bowl, or go all out with this recipe for the ultimate chicken noodle soup.

Homemade Chicken Soup
Shurabet el Eid (Holiday Soup)

Serious Eats / Jillian Atkinson

Turn simple chicken broth into a full meal with the addition of white rice and easy meatballs.

Shurabet el Eid (Holiday Soup)
Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

This silky-smooth soup delivers all the best parts of a loaded baked potato in spoonable form. Genevieve uses smart tricks—like cooking aromatics in bacon fat and blending for a perfectly creamy texture—to layer on rich, smoky flavor. Don’t forget the crispy potato-skin topping.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup
Binakol na Manok (Filipino Chicken and Coconut Soup)

Serious Eats / Rezel Kealoha

This brothy soup is made with chicken, coconut water, tender young coconut meat, fresh spinach, lemongrass, and ginger. The result is a subtly sweet and bitter soup that's perfect in any weather.

Binakol na Manok (Filipino Chicken and Coconut Soup)

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Moroccan Egg Drop Harira (Vegetable and Legume Soup)

Serious Eats / Jen Causey

Harira is a soup enjoyed across Morocco. Though different regions and families have their own special way of making it, the soup typically contains tomatoes, celery, pulses such as chickpeas or lentils, spices, cilantro, and cornstarch. This version features both lentils and chickpeas, and is finished with a drizzle of beaten egg to form little wispy egg bits in the thickened soup.

Moroccan Egg Drop Harira
Bún Bò Huê (Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup)

Serious Eats / Vy Tran

This spicy, funky, and meaty noodle soup from the city of Huê in the central region of Vietnam is a labor of love to make, but well worth the effort. The combination of a rich lemongrass-scented broth, thick, supple noodles, and a heaping pile of spicy, astringent, and aromatic garnishes is deeply satisfying.

Bún Bò Huê (Vietnamese Spicy Beef Noodle Soup)
French Onion Soup (Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée)

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

In the case of a simple dish like French onion soup, success or failure comes down to the onions and the broth. High-quality stock and caramelizing the onions slowly in butter until they're rich golden brown produces the sweetest, most flavorful results.

French Onion Soup (Soupe à l'Oignon Gratinée)
Ham and Bean Soup

Serious Eats / Liz Voltz

This recipe produces a rich, hearty, and undeniably satisfying soup loaded with navy beans, smoky ham, and lots of vegetables. If swapping out the smoked ham hock for some kielbasa sounds good to you, check out Kenji's recipe for kapusniak.

Ham and Bean Soup

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Simmered Frozen Tofu Soup With Pork and Cabbage

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Freezing and thawing tofu transforms its texture, making it perfect for absorbing the simple flavors of the broth, which includes pork, cabbage, chicken stock, garlic, and ginger.

Simmered Frozen Tofu Soup With Pork and Cabbage
Hot and Numbing Shredded Lamb Noodle Soup

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Aromatic lamb soup with a spicy, tingly shredded lamb topping, perfect for serving with hand-pulled noodles.

Hot and Numbing Shredded Lamb Noodle Soup
New England Clam Chowder

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

For this classic dish, Kenji starts by steaming fresh clams until they open, removes and chops the clam meat, and then builds a flavorful, creamy broth by adding milk and cream to the steaming liquid, along with salt pork, onion, celery, and bay leaf.

New England Clam Chowder
One-Pot Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)

Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

This one-pot weeknight version of the hearty Mexican classic leverages canned hominy but doesn't skimp on flavor.

Pozole Verde de Pollo (Green Mexican Hominy and Chicken Soup)

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Gamja-tang (Korean Pork and Potato Stew)

Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

Tender pork spareribs join large chunks of perfectly cooked potatoes and daikon in a broth flavored with doenjang, gochugaru, and perilla seeds. Consider this a superlative cold-weather stew.

Gamja-tang (Korean Pork and Potato Stew)
Classic Butternut Squash Soup

Serious Eats / Julia Estrada

Here, we take the classic winter squash purée and give it a few essential upgrades. Browning the butter adds a toasty, nutty flavor, while roasting butternut squash until deeply browned enhances its sweetness significantly and brings out its best possible flavor.

Classic Butternut Squash Soup
Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup With Sausage)

Serious Eats / Eric Kleinberg

This quick and easy soup from northern Portugal is pure comfort in a bowl.

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Potato and Kale Soup With Sausage)

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Classic Chicken Soup, French Onion, and 13 More of Our Coziest Winter Recipes Yet

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