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3 Comments There’s nothing quite like a bowl of homemade chicken soup, especially when it’s made the old-fashioned way. This old fashioned chicken soup recipe is made from scratch using a whole chicken, fresh vegetables, and herbs. The chicken slowly simmers to create a rich, flavorful broth, while the meat becomes wonderfully tender.
It takes a little longer than a quick chicken soup, but most of that time is hands-off. And the result is absolutely worth it: a comforting, hearty chicken soup that tastes just like something your grandmother would make.
Why I Love This Recipe
Homemade chicken soup for me is the ultimate comfort food. Feel a little under the weather? Nothing a steaming bowl of chicken soup can cure! And want something crunchy added? Try it with these easy homemade croutons.
Old Fashioned Chicken Soup Recipe
Chicken soup is one of those quintessential dishes that most people grew up with. It has been used for centuries for its taste, of course, but chicken soup is also often used as a remedy for all sorts of ailments. I like to think of it as the ultimate comfort food. Perfect for when you’re feeling under the weather.
If you have a cold or flu, you will often be served an old-fashioned bowl of chicken soup. And it often makes you feel better. Whether it is a placebo effect or not!
Homemade chicken soup is also typically one of those dishes that everyone has a variation of. You can find different types of chicken soup all over the world. In Greece it is called avgolemono (Greek chicken soup with egg and lemon), in Thailand you probably know Tom Kha Gai (Thai coconut chicken soup) and there are many more examples.
Recipe Ingredients
For making this homemade chicken soup recipe you will need the following ingredients
- chicken – I used one whole chicken for making this soup. Initially you will use the whole bird, skin and bones, but for the final soup you will clean the cooked chicken. My chicken weighed roughly 1.5 kilo or 3.3 pounds.
- vegetables – I’ve used the classic vegetables for making a chicken soup recipe; carrots, leek and celery. Keep in mind that you use the vegetables twice. The first batch of vegetables is cooked to a pulp and is the base for the chicken stock. Those vegetables are discarded as they’ve lost all their flavor (which has been transferred to the stock!) after two hours. You add fresh vegetables while finishing the chicken soup
- water – you first blanch the chicken in 3 litre of water (roughly a little more than 3 quart or 12 cups) without any vegetables. That will remove any impurities from the chicken. Drain the water and clean the stock pot before continuing
How to Make Old Fashioned Chicken Soup
Making old fashioned chicken soup from scratch takes a little patience, but most of the cooking time is hands-off. The secret to a flavorful homemade chicken soup is letting the chicken, vegetables, and herbs gently simmer together. This creates a rich broth while making the chicken wonderfully tender.
I usually allow about 2 hours to make this soup. Start by briefly blanching the chicken, then discard the water and add fresh water, vegetables, and herbs. Let everything simmer gently for 1½ to 2 hours. Once the chicken is tender, remove it from the pot, shred the meat, and strain the broth. Add the shredded chicken and freshly chopped vegetables back to the broth and simmer for another 10–15 minutes.
Taste the soup before serving and season with salt and pepper as needed. Even though the chicken and vegetables add plenty of flavor, a little salt helps bring everything together.
Can I make this homemade chicken soup recipe in a slow cooker?
Yes! A slow cooker is a great option for homemade chicken soup, especially if you want to let it cook while you get on with other things.
I’ve made homemade chicken broth in the slow cooker before, and it turned out beautifully. I haven’t tested this exact chicken soup recipe in the slow cooker yet, but I would expect it to take approximately 7–8 hours on low.
For the best texture, I recommend adding the finely chopped vegetables toward the end of cooking so they don’t become too soft.
How Much Soup Does this Recipe Make?
This recipe makes approximately 2.5–3 liters (10–12 cups) of chicken soup, depending on how much liquid evaporates during cooking.
It’s a generous batch, but luckily, homemade chicken soup freezes really well. Let it cool, divide it into airtight containers, and freeze for up to 3 months. I recommend leaving out the fresh parsley and adding it just before serving after reheating. That way, the herbs keep their fresh flavor and color.
FAQ Chicken Soup Recipe
FAQ Chicken Soup Recipe
Making the chicken soup with something other than a whole chicken is possible but it will not have the same depth of flavor. A lot of the flavor comes from all the parts of the chicken, including the chicken bones. So I would advise for best results to use a whole chicken. If you don’t want the hassle of cleaning the bones you can use chicken thighs. Still not the same but it’s an option. Make sure to double check if the chicken soup has enough flavor.
You will need a pan that is large and sturdy. A Dutch oven or a large soup pot will probably work very well. Or any large pot for that matter. It needs to fit both the whole chicken as well as all the vegetables and at least 3 liters of water. You do cut the chicken into pieces before adding it to the soup but it will still all need to go in.
Well yes and no. For the first two hours of the cook you have vegetables in there and things like fresh thyme, celery stalks, onion, bay leaves and such. Once the chicken soup is cooked those vegetables will have given off all their flavor but the vegetables themselves are cooked to pulp. So best to remove them from the soup broth. You also take out the chicken with a big spoon and clean the chicken. You remove bones, skin and everything inedible. You pull the chicken apart into bite-sized pieces and add all the chicken meat back into the soup. Including fresh vegetables and fresh herbs.
The only thing left to do is to season the chicken stock with things like black pepper, salt and fresh herbs.
Yes, it makes quite a bit of soup and while it is suitable for the whole family it might still be too much. You can freeze it in an airtight container or keep for 2-3 days in the fridge.
More Chicken Recipes
Old Fashioned Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken approximately 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg)
- 3 liters water, used twice 12 cups
First cook/making the chicken stock
- 1 leek cleaned, cut into large pieces
- 1 large carrots one cut into large pieces
- 1 stalks celery one cut into large pieces
- 1 large onion roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 bay leaf
Second cook (finishing the soup)
- 1 leek thinly sliced
- 1 large carrot finely diced
- 1 stalk celery finely diced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Fresh parsley finely chopped, for garnish
Equipment
- Large stockpot (at least 8 quarts)
- Fine-mesh strainer
How to make the chicken soup
- Prepare the chicken. Remove any excess fat and check for loose bone fragments. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then cut it into pieces, separating the drumsticks, thighs, and breasts.
- Blanch the chicken. Bring 3 quarts (3 liters) of water to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the chicken pieces and boil for about 5 minutes. This helps remove some of the proteins and impurities that can make the broth cloudy. Drain the chicken and discard the water. Remove any remaining foam or residue from the chicken with a spoon, and rinse out the stockpot before continuing.
- Make the broth. Return the chicken pieces to the stockpot and add 3 quarts (3 liters) of fresh water. Add the large pieces of leek, carrot, and celery, along with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and rosemary. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 1½ to 2 hours, or until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Shred the chicken. Remove the cooked chicken from the broth and let it cool slightly until it's comfortable to handle. Remove the meat from the bones and shred or chop it into bite-sized pieces. Discard the bones and skin. Also discard the vegetables. They will have been cooked to a pulp.
- Finish the soup. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer and return it to the pot. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Add the thinly sliced leek, diced carrot, diced celery, and shredded chicken. Simmer for another 10–15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have blended.
- Serve. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Notes
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
I love this chicken soup!
Good to hear! Thanks so much!
Making this old fashioned chicken soup takes a bit of time and work, but it is so worth it!