How do you make vegan chicken soup taste like chicken?

A couple of ways. The easiest ways by far are to use a good imitation chicken broth. I’ve tried a lot and my favorite by far is Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base mixed with hot water. Just phenomenal flavor! I buy those jars in a six pack a few times a year from the Better Than Bouillon website. They have a bunch of great flavors. Also, using an imitation chicken really helps--I love soy curls best for this, but you could use seitan or a store bought mock chicken you like. I wouldn’t use something breaded like chicken nuggets. Also just using the typical veggies they use in chicken soup helps, such as onion, carrots, celery, and garlic.

What can I use instead of soy curls?

See the substitutions section above! My favorite swap would be vegan shredded chicken made from young jackfruit though!

What if I can’t find star pasta?

If you can’t find star pasta, also known as stelline, and you don’t want to wait to order it online, you can use any sort of pasta you like. I find that linguine or spaghetti broken in half are great for making vegan chicken noodle soup. Other pasta that would include elbows, small pastas like ditalini or pastina, small shells, or I’ve even seen people use fusilli.

Can I just add dry soy curls to the soup?

Yes, you will need to account for the extra liquid they soak up, though. I’ve tried this both ways and I prefer rehydrating them separately and adding them to the vegan chicken soup at the end of the cooking process. Your choice though!

I recommend storing soup in a glass container with a tight fitting lid in the refrigerator. Reheat in a small pot over low heat or in the microwave in a deep bowl with a little piece of paper towel over it to prevent splatter.

Vegan Chicken and Stars Soup

Name: Vegan Chicken and Stars Soup
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup soy curls (see Note 1 for substitutions); 1 + ½ cups vegan chicken broth (see Note 2); 1 small yellow or sweet onion, finely diced (¼-inch dice); 1 cup finely diced carrot (¼-inch dice) (about 1 large carrot); 1 cup finely diced celery (¼-inch dice) (about 2 large ribs); 1-2 cloves garlic, minced; ½ teaspoon dried thyme; 1 bay leaf; 6-8 cups vegan chicken broth (see Note 2); 1 + ¼ cup stelline pasta (star pasta) (see Note 3 for substitutions)

Description

This super cozy Vegan Chicken and Stars Soup comes together in just 30 minutes and is super delicious and warming.

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 cup soy curls (see Note 1 for substitutions)
1 + 1/2 cups vegan chicken broth (see Note 2)
1 small yellow or sweet onion, finely diced (1/4-inch dice)
1 cup finely diced carrot (1/4-inch dice) (about 1 large carrot)
1 cup finely diced celery (1/4-inch dice) (about 2 large ribs)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6-8 cups vegan chicken broth (see Note 2)
1 + 1/4 cup stelline pasta (star pasta) (see Note 3 for substitutions)

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Instructions

Rehydrate soy curls: I recommend using either smaller pieces of the soy curls if you separate them, or once they’re rehydrated you can cut some of the longer pieces with kitchen shears or tear them with your fingers. Add the soy curls to a medium bowl and pour hot (I use hot water to make it but you can warm it in the microwave if it isn’t warm yet) vegan chicken broth on top of the soy curls and press them down with the back of a spoon or a spatula so they all get coated. Let the soy curls sit until we’re ready to add them to the soup.
If you cook with oil, add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat. If you do not cook with oil (I recommend using a good quality large nonstick pot), you can skip to the next step and add splashes of water or broth if anything starts to stick.
Saute aromatics: Add the onions, celery, and carrots to the pot and stir frequently for 4-5 minutes until somewhat softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
Add the dried thyme, bay leaf, and broth (you can use any leftover broth from the soy curls and start with 6 or 7 total cups of broth. You can always add more if you need.) and bring to a boil.
Add the pasta and lower the heat to medium low and cook 5-7 minutes, until the pasta is soft enough to eat.
Stir in the rehydrated soy curls and let heat through for a couple minutes.
Serve: Remove the bay leaf then serve hot and enjoy!
Store: Refrigerate leftover vegan chicken and stars soup for up to 4-5 days in an airtight container. The pasta and soy curls may soak up remaining liquid. You can reheat with a bit more broth if you like.

Notes

Note 1: I like soy curls best for this because they’re fast and easy to make, healthy, gluten-free, and taste the most like chicken to me. If you’d like to substitute another protein, you could use chickpeas or butter beans, or chunks of seitan chicken, young jackfruit (try my vegan shredded chicken recipe for an easy method to cook jackfruit to taste like chicken) or a store-bought vegan chicken alternative like Gardein or Lightlife. Small-diced baked (for texture, or add it right out of the liquid but it will be quite soft) tofu will also work.
Note 2: When I’m making vegan chicken soup I always rehydrate my soy curls in vegan chicken broth--I also use this broth in the rest of the soup. I personally love Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base mixed with water (you can do a lower paste to water ratio than the jar suggests to reduce the sodium content) as it’s delicious, economical, and it stores well. Orrington Farms Vegan Chicken Bouillon is a great alternative. You could also buy prepared Imitation Chicken Broth though I generally feel this needs a little salt added but you can taste test and season to your preference. Any other brand of vegan chicken bouillon will work well, or of course you can also use vegetable broth. If you go the vegetable broth route, I’d throw in a little poultry seasoning which is just herbs and is easy to find in most grocery stores--it will help the soup taste chicken-y.
Note 3: If you can’t find star pasta, also known as stelline, and you don’t want to wait to order it online, you can use any sort of pasta you like. I find that linguine or spaghetti broken in half are great for making vegan chicken noodle soup. Other pasta that would include elbows, small pastas like ditalini or pastina, small shells, or I’ve even seen people use fusilli.

Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Soup, Dinner
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: American

Keywords: Vegan chicken and stars, vegan soup, vegan chicken soup