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The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe

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4.4 from 70 reviews

This is the best homemade chicken soup recipe featuring a rich, flavorful broth made by roasting a whole chicken with aromatic vegetables and herbs, then simmering with fresh vegetables to create a comforting and nutritious meal. Perfect for chilly days or when you want a wholesome, classic soup from scratch.

Ingredients

Broth

  • 1 (5-6 pound) whole roasting chicken, fresh or thawed
  • Kosher salt, to taste
  • Ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons soft ghee (grass-fed butter, olive oil or vegan butter can be used)
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 1 stalk celery, cut into 4-5 pieces
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 4 pieces each
  • 1 head garlic, top cut off or 5-6 cloves smashed
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1-2 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1-2 fresh sprigs oregano
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Soup

  • 8 cups chicken broth (or 8 cups water, or 4 cups broth + 4 cups water)
  • Shredded chicken meat from the roasted chicken
  • 4 stalks celery, sliced
  • 6 medium-large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Optional: gluten-free noodles, diced parsnip, diced sweet potato, diced turnip

Instructions

  1. Preheat and Prepare Chicken: Preheat your oven to 375°F. Place the whole chicken in a 5 1/2 quart Le Creuset or similar Dutch oven and rub it all over with the softened ghee. Season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to coat the chicken evenly.
  2. Add Aromatics and Roast: Surround the chicken with the quartered yellow onion, cut celery stalk, carrot pieces, and smashed garlic head. Roast the chicken uncovered in the oven for 1.5 hours until golden and cooked through.
  3. Simmer Broth: Remove the Dutch oven from the oven and place it on the stovetop burner. Pour in 8 cups of chicken broth or water (or combination thereof). Add the fresh rosemary, thyme, sage leaves, bay leaf, oregano, and black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Let simmer covered for 2 hours if using broth, 3-4 hours if using part broth/part water, or 4-6 hours if using all water to extract maximum flavor.
  4. Remove Chicken and Strain Broth: Take out the chicken and set it aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine mesh to remove the cooked vegetables and herbs, discarding them as they will be soggy. Return the strained broth to the Dutch oven.
  5. Shred Chicken: Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove all the meat from the bones and add it back into the broth. Reserve some chicken if desired for a lighter soup or keep all for a heartier, chunkier version. Save bones for making bone broth if you like.
  6. Add Vegetables and Simmer Soup: Add the diced onion, sliced celery, sliced carrots, and bay leaf to the broth with chicken meat. If using, add optional ingredients like gluten-free noodles, diced parsnip, sweet potato, or turnip. Season with additional salt and pepper, adding a pinch at a time, to taste.
  7. Final Simmer: Simmer the soup for approximately 8-10 minutes until the vegetables are cooked but still retain some firmness. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Notes

  • Use a whole roasting chicken weighing 5-6 pounds for optimal broth richness and meat yield.
  • You can use either all broth, all water, or a combination depending on how rich you want your broth.
  • Roasting the chicken with aromatics first enhances the flavor significantly.
  • Feel free to add gluten-free noodles or root vegetables like parsnip, turnip or sweet potato to customize the soup.
  • Adjust salt and pepper gradually during soup assembly for best seasoning control.
  • Save chicken bones to make nutritious bone broth separately.
  • This recipe requires a Dutch oven or heavy stovetop-safe pot for roasting and simmering.

Find it online: https://flavorspath.com/the-best-chicken-soup-recipe/