The Best Homemade Chicken Soup Recipes

HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Put the chicken, carrots, celery and onion in a large soup pot and cover with cold water. Heat and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken meat falls off of the bones (skim off foam every so often).
• Take everything out of the pot. Strain the broth. Pick the meat off of the bones and chop the carrots, celery and onion. Season the broth with salt, pepper and chicken bouillon to taste, if desired. Return the chicken, carrots, celery and onion to the pot, stir together, and serve.

THE ULTIMATE HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Place the whole chicken, whole peeled carrots, celery stalks, onion halves, thyme, parsley, and bay leaves in a large stock pot. PRO TIP: Leave on the onion skin. It will make the stock a darker golden color.
• Add enough cold water to just barely cover the chicken, but make sure there is still an inch of space between the water and the rim of the pot. If part of the chicken is still not covered, that's ok. In my pot, this is about 2 1/2 quarts of water.
• Bring the pot to a boil, then immediately lower to a very gentle simmer. Let simmer, covered, for three to four hours, and maybe a little longer. Do not stir during this time, and make sure that the broth is not boiling. There should only be small, steady bubbles. (This is a nice window to chop and prep your vegetables for the finished soup.)PRO TIP: Boiling the stock will make the broth cloudy and muddied with impurities. Allowing it to cook at a gentle simmer allows the small bits to settle during cooking. This will make the finished stock clear.
• Turn the soup off. Using a large slotted spoon, hand-held strainer, or whatever makes sense to you (I use a 7-inch spider like this), gently lift the whole chicken from the pot and place it in a large bowl. Set aside to cool a bit. Gently remove the carrots, celery, and herbs. Discard.PRO TIP: Why can't you incorporate those vegetables into the finished soup? Because the cooking process has exhausted all of the flavor and nutrients, and the texture of the celery and onions is now far too soft to be appetizing.
• Gently ladle -- do not pour -- the stock, one ladle at a time, through a fine mesh strainer into a large, clean bowl or pot. When you get to the bottom of the pot, you will notice a lot of sediment. Tilt the pot on an angle to ladle as much stock as you can while avoiding the sediment, but you will have to discard the stock at the very bottom.
• Rinse out the original stock pot and return the strained stock to the pot. Add the fresh carrots, celery, and onion and bring to a boil. Lower to a steady simmer and cook, partially covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables have softened.
• While the vegetables are cooking, and when cool enough to handle, use your fingers to pull the meat off of the chicken and break it as necessary into big, bite-sized chunks. Be sure to get the leg meat, thighs, breasts, and wings. There is also meat on the back of the chicken. You should end up with a nice mound of meat. Discard the carcass.
• Stir the salt, pepper, spinach leaves, and chicken into the soup. Taste for seasoning.
• Gently simmer for five to 10 minutes, until the soup comes together. If it looks like the soup is a little too chunky, feel free to add some water. Taste again for seasoning.
• Serve with small pasta, and garnish with fresh herbs like parsley and dill.

THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP EVER

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large pot and cover with water. Place celery leaves in pot and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and place in a bowl until cool enough to handle.
• Meanwhile, strain the cooking liquid, discard the celery tops and place the cooking liquid in a large pot. Place celery, carrots, onion, bouillon, soup mix and chicken broth in the pot and let simmer. Season with thyme, poultry seasoning, basil, peppercorns, bay leaves and parsley.
• Bone chicken and cut up meat into bite-size pieces. Return meat to pot. Cook until vegetables are tender and flavors are well blended, up to 90 minutes.
• Stir pasta into pot and cook 10 to 15 minutes more, until noodles are al dente. Serve hot.

BEST CHICKEN SOUP EVER

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in large stock pot.
• Add diced chicken pieces to pot to brown chicken, and cook for 5-10 minutes.
• Add onions, celery, garlic and carrots and saute so everything begins to "sweat".
• Add all seasonings and cook for a few more minutes.
• Add chicken stock to mixture in pot and stir.
• Add spinach leaves to stock and stir.
• Bring this to a boil, uncovered.
• Reduce to simmer and cook for about 15-20 minutes, seasoning broth to taste.
• Add 1 cup of water to pot, bring to boil again.
• Add the bag of noodles directly to pot and cook for another 15 minutes.
• Once noodles are cooked, remove pot from heat.
• When cooled, you can refrigerate or freeze.

THE ULTIMATE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Pat chicken dry with paper towels; sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a 6-qt. stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken in batches, skin side down; cook until dark golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken from pan; remove and discard skin. Discard drippings, reserving 2 tablespoons., Add onion to drippings; cook and stir over medium-high heat until tender, 4-5 minutes. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan. Add celery, carrots, bay leaves and thyme. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, 25-30 minutes., Transfer chicken to a plate. Remove soup from heat. Add noodles; let stand, covered, until noodles are tender, 20-22 minutes., Meanwhile, when chicken is cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Shred meat into bite-sized pieces. Return meat to stockpot. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. If desired, adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper. Discard bay leaves.

CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, carrots, celery, and onion. Sauté until tender 4-5 minutes. Add the garlic, fresh thyme, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 1 minute more.
• Pour in the chicken broth and egg noodles and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce to a simmer and let the noodles cook until al dente for about 10 minutes.
• Add in the chicken, and fresh parsley right before serving and continue to simmer until the chicken is heated throughout. Salt and pepper added to taste.

THE BEST CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Add 3 of the carrots, 3 stalks of the celery, half the onion, the chicken, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme and bay leaf to a large stock pot. Separate the parsley leaves from the stems and reserve the leaves. Add the stems to the pot. Cover with 3 quarts water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until the broth is golden and the chicken is cooked through, 40 to 50 minutes.
• Use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot and put in a large bowl to cool. Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve into a large bowl or other container. Discard the solids. Wipe out the stockpot and pour the strained broth back into the pot.
• Cut the remaining 2 carrots diagonally into 1/4-slices. Cut the remaining 2 celery stalks into 1/2-inch slices. Dice the remaining half of the onion. Add the cut vegetables to the stock and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
• While the vegetables are cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the noodles until al dente, about 5 minutes, then drain and reserve.
• When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and tear the meat into bite-size pieces. Discard the bones and skin. Add the meat back to the pot along with the cooked noodles. Chop the reserved parsley leaves and add to the pot. Season with 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons salt and some pepper and bring to a simmer to reheat.

HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP FROM THE CARCASS

Steps:

• One the greatest by-products of roasting a whole chicken (which I do as a pretty frequent Sunday meal), is the opportunity to make Homemade Chicken Soup with the leftover bones & carcass. Not sure if there is a food that feels more comforting and homey than Chicken Soup. Just about every family and every culture has a version, and it's one of those foods that just makes you feel good. This Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe is not hard to make, as I'll do with the leftover chicken(s) after the Sunday Roast (although you could start from an uncooked chicken). I'll show you how to make the broth from the carcass, and then put it together with the classic vegetables, and some pasta. Of course, it's easy to add other ingredients to make it your own. Hope you enjoy this Chicken Soup Recipe! Recipe Overview & Keys to Success To make the best Chicken Soup, just follow these few cooking techniques: Make your own chicken broth/stock with left over bones/carcass (you can even freeze them until you have enough) While it takes a bit more time, the essence of the soup is the broth, and you can make much better broth than you can buy Try to get the vegetables as uniformly cut as possible. Not only will that help ensure they cook evenly, but it makes the chicken soup easier, and more pleasant to eat. If you're using leftover chicken like me, make sure to pull the chicken meat you want in the soup, off the carcass before making the broth. While the bones simmer and make the broth, the meat is going to give up all it's flavor and get every dry - you won't want that in the soup. Instead we'll add the meat back to the soup at the last minute Note, you can freeze the leftover chicken carcasses and make the soup another day; or better yet, make the chicken broth, and freeze that. Then you can pull it out to make the chicken soup, whenever you want RECIPE FOR HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP Ingredients (for 5) 1 - 2 left over chicken carcasses (with some meat on the bone) 1/2 cup pieces of chicken meat 2 carrots diced into quarter inch pieces 1 large celery rib diced into quarter inch pieces 1 yellow onion diced 2 garlic cloves mined 1/3 cup orzo pasta (you can use traditional spaghetti or any pasta you'd like) 1 teaspoon thyme 1 ear of corn (optional) Homemade Chicken Soup From the Carcass Assuming you're using leftover roast chicken, remove any remaining meat from the carcass and dice it for the soup If you need more chicken meat, you can certainly cook off another breast and dice it up as well Place the chicken carcass(es) in a stock pot and cover with water by 2 - 3 inches Bring the water up to a very light simmer, and continue to simmer for 45 minutes to hour to make the chicken broth Remove the chicken bones from the broth and discard. Pour the broth into a bowl, through a strainer to collect any small bones or bits of chicken, and set the broth aside Clean the soup pot, and put it back over medium heat, coat with olive oil Add the carrots, onion, celery and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine Continue to sweat the vegetables until the onions are just translucent Add the thyme leaves, and the chicken broth Bring everything up to a simmer again, and cook until the carrots just soften (about 10 minutes) Add the corn, chicken and orzo pasta Cook for another 5 - 8 minutes until the orzo is tender Taste and re-season the soup if needed Serve up this delicious Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with some crusty bread and a nice salad, can you've got a perfect, warming, comforting meal. Hope you enjoy it! Wine Recommendation: Soups can make for a tough wine pairings. I don't really like reds for chicken soup, as the flavors are likely to drown (no pun intended) the lighter soup. Similarly, so would full bodied or oaky whites. I'd suggest you go with an austere white wine, like a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley in France. The wines are generally fairly tight, minerally, and clean tasting, and should accent the sweet elements in the soup. Hope you enjoy it!

CLASSIC HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Cut up your chicken into pieces (thighs, legs, breasts, etc) and place in a large stock pot.
• Fill with cold water to cover and put on high heat as you assemble the rest of the ingredients.
• Cut up all of your veggies. You can do this any way you like, but I like to leave these in large pieces so they don't get too mushy during the long cooking time.
• You can tie your dill and parsley together if you like.
• Put all the veggies and herbs into the pot.
• Add extra water if needed.
• Bring to a boil, and then let simmer.
• Simmer for 2-4 hours*.
• *The cook time is largely up to you. I like to cook mine for many hours to get all of the flavors out of the chicken, but really, once the chicken is cooked through, you can take it off the fire.
• If you prefer to have smaller pieces of carrots, potatoes, or celery in your soup, dice as much as you want and put it into the pot 30-40 minutes before it's done.
• ***TIP: There will be A LOT of fat on the top of this soup from the chicken skin. Traditionally, you would cook this the day before, refrigerate over night, and then remove the hardened fat layer. Easy as pie. But, if you want it the same day, you will have to skim the fat as the cooking progresses. So watch the soup over the 2-4 hours of cooking and skim as you go.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. (you will need a lot of salt. Don't fret. Start off with a teaspoon. Taste. Add another pinch. Taste. Add. And so on until you reach desired flavor.
• Take all the chicken out of the pot and remove the meat from the bones and skin. Discard the bones and skin. You can replace the meat into the pot or leave it on the side for people to put into their individual bowls.
• Make egg noodles, rice, or dumplings to accompany.
• Eat and enjoy.

BEST HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE

Steps:

• Put the roasted chicken in a large pot and put enough water (or broth) to cover the chicken.
• Add celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and thyme. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
• Remove chicken and shred the meat once it's cool enough to touch. Season shredded meat with salt and pepper, and place back into the pot. (add pasta if using and cook until done)
• Add lemon juice and fresh parsley. Enjoy!

THE BEST EVER HEALING CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot on the stove. Add chicken breasts, seasoning with salt & pepper and searing for 2-3 minutes each side until lightly browned, then remove from heat. Without wiping pot clean, add celery, carrots, onions, sauteeing for 3-4 minutes until fragrant and scraping up any chicken bits from the bottom of the pot as you go.
• Add chicken back to pot, along with rosemary, thyme, garlic, ginger, lemon juice, lemon zest, bay leaf, turmeric and salt & pepper, cooking another minute until fragrant.
• Pour in chicken broth, bringing to a boil and simmering for 20 minutes. Add pasta in the last 10 minutes of cooking time, stirring occasionally until pasta is cooked through.
• Remove chicken from broth and shred with two forks, then add back to pot. Stir in fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy!

THE BEST HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub a little olive oil on the chicken breast and season liberally with kosher salt and pepper. Roast the chicken until cooked through, approximately 25-30 minutes. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool to room temperature or until cool enough to handle.
• Shred the chicken into small pieces and set aside.
• In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over med-high heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the carrots and celery and continue to cook until soft. Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Transfer the cooked chicken to the pot and stir to combine. Add the chicken stock, herbs, salt and pepper and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Serve immediately or transfer to airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months.

OLD FASHIONED CHICKEN SOUP FROM SCRATCH

Steps:

• Put your chicken into the stock pot and cover with water.
• Add a little salt and bring to a boil. Once it comes to a good rolling boil for a few minutes, lower the heat to between LOW and MEDIUM. Put the lid on and let it cook for about 2 hours on the stove.
• Open the pot and check to see how the chicken is doing. When the meat is more tender and JUST STARTS to come off the chicken it's time for the next step.
• Using tongs or another kitchen tool (I like to use a large roast beef fork) remove the chicken from the pot and set on a cookie sheet or large plate. The only thing that should be left in the pot is the liquid.
• While the chicken cools for a couple minutes so you can work with it easier, skim off some of the fat that's accumulated on the surface of the pot. You don't have to remove it all since it does give the soup a great flavor but if there's a lot you should try to remove some. The amount of fat you have on the top depends on the chicken itself - some are fattier than others.
• Using a fork and knife, remove as much meat as possible from the chicken and drop it into the pot. Do not cut the meat into chunks - let the meat naturally come apart as it continues the cooking process.
• Make sure that you add the leg bones to the pot along with the meat. The bones are extremely important in making the soup taste perfect.
• Once all the meat is removed from the chicken you can discard the unused parts.
• Now add the vegetables, garlic and herbs to the pot.
• Add some water to the pot until the veggies, etc are covered.
• Bring to a rolling boil once more for a couple minutes.
• Lower the heat to about between LOW and MEDIUM, cover and let it cook for 2 more hours.
• Stir the soup a couple times while it cooks.
• At the end of cooking give the soup a taste and add a little more salt and pepper to taste.
• Let it cook for a couple more minutes and remove the leg bones and bay leaves.
• Once done - Enjoy!

HOMEMADE CHICKEN SOUP RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat stock over medium-high heat until temperature reaches between 150°F and 160°F (66 and 71°C) on an instant-read thermometer; adjust heat to maintain stock temperature in the 150°F-160°F range. It's okay if the temperature bounces around a little, but try to keep it above 150 and below 170°F (77°C). Cook until thickest part of chicken breasts registers 150°F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour. Remove chicken breasts and set aside.
• Return all chicken to pot except breast meat and return to a simmer. Add diced carrot, turnip, onion (or leek), parsnip, and celery and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add minced fresh herbs and remove from heat. Dice chicken breasts and stir into soup along with any accumulated juices. Serve hot.