Chicken Soup
This deeply flavorful homemade chicken soup starts with browning bone-in chicken pieces to build a rich, golden broth that no canned soup can match. Loaded with tender shredded chicken, sweet carrots, celery, and aromatic herbs, it's the ultimate comfort food that actually tastes better the next day — perfect for sick days, meal prep, or a soul-warming family dinner.
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot - At least 7-8 quart capacity
- Sharp knife - For chopping vegetables
- Wooden spoon or spatula - For stirring and scraping fond
- Tongs - For handling chicken pieces
- Fine-mesh strainer or slotted spoon - For skimming foam and straining broth
- Large bowl - For shredding chicken
- Ladle - For serving
Ingredients
For the Soup
- 3 lbs whole chicken - 1.4 kg, cut into parts or bone-in chicken pieces
- 2 tbsp olive oil - or vegetable oil
- 1 large onion - diced into ½-inch pieces
- 3 large carrots - peeled and sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- 3 celery stalks - sliced into ¼-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 8 cups chicken stock or broth - 2 liters; use high-quality broth for best flavor
- 2 cups water - 480 ml
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme - or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 tsp salt - plus more to taste, divided
- ½ tsp black pepper
Optional Add-ins
- 2 cups egg noodles or rice - 200g; add during the last 8-10 minutes of cooking
For Garnish
- fresh parsley - chopped, for serving
- fresh lemon juice - optional, a squeeze per bowl for brightness
Instructions
- Pat chicken pieces completely dry with paper towels, then season all sides generously with 1 tsp salt and black pepper. Dice the onion, slice the carrots and celery into ¼-inch pieces, and mince the garlic.
- Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Working in batches, place chicken skin-side down and cook undisturbed for 5-7 minutes until deeply golden, then flip and brown the other side for 5 more minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, cooking for 5 minutes until translucent. Add carrots and celery and cook 4-5 minutes more, then stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in chicken stock and water, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Return the browned chicken (and any juices) to the pot, then add the bay leaves, thyme sprigs, peppercorns, and remaining 1 tsp salt.
- Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a gentle simmer and partially cover with a lid. Skim any foam that rises to the surface during the first 20 minutes, then simmer for 1 to 1½ hours until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender.
- Use tongs to remove all chicken pieces to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes. Discard bones, skin, and cartilage, then shred the meat into bite-sized pieces using two forks. Also discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs from the soup.
- If adding noodles or rice, bring the soup back to a boil and cook them according to package directions (8-10 minutes for egg noodles). Return the shredded chicken to the pot, taste and adjust salt and pepper, and heat through for 2-3 minutes.
- Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to individual bowls for brightness if desired.
Notes
- Don't skip browning: Browning the chicken first creates a deeply flavored fond at the bottom of the pot — this is the foundation of a rich, complex broth.
- Use bone-in chicken: Bones release collagen and minerals that give the broth its silky texture and nourishing quality. Boneless chicken won't deliver the same results.
- Keep it at a gentle simmer: A rolling boil makes broth cloudy and can toughen the chicken. Look for just a few bubbles gently breaking the surface.
- Skim the foam: Remove the gray foam that rises during the first 20 minutes for a cleaner-tasting, clearer broth.
- Season in stages: Add salt at the beginning and again at the end, as reducing liquid concentrates flavors significantly.
- Noodle tip: If making ahead, add noodles or rice only to the portions being served immediately — they become mushy when stored in broth or frozen.
- Rotisserie shortcut: Skip the browning step and use a store-bought rotisserie chicken carcass. Simmer for 45 minutes to extract flavor, then shred the meat and return it to the soup.
- Refrigerator storage: Cool soup within 2 hours and store in airtight containers for up to 4 days. The fat will solidify on top overnight and can be easily skimmed off before reheating.
- Freezer storage: Freeze (without noodles or rice) in portion-sized containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Instant Pot method: Brown chicken using the sauté function, then add all ingredients and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes with a natural release.
Nutrition
Serving: 1BowlCalories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 12gProtein: 22gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 680mgPotassium: 420mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 85IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 4mgIron: 8mg
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