Our grandma's old-fashioned chicken soup is made from scratch with a whole chicken, root vegetables, and fresh herbs. It is simple, comforting, and made for family dinners, holiday tables, or a quiet day at home. Serve it on its own, or make it a fuller meal with traditional matzo balls or thin egg noodles.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients
- Equipment
- How to Make Grandma's Chicken Soup
- Is Chicken Soup Medicinal?
- Chill the Chicken Soup for The Best Taste
- Storing Chicken Soup
- Reheating
- What to Serve with Chicken Soup
- Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls and Egg Noodles
- FAQ
- Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup From Scratch
- Explore More Old-Fashioned Recipes
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Chicken soup is not just food, it's comfort in a bowl. I make a big batch and freeze leftovers for the days one of us is feeling under the weather.
This homemade version is seasoned with dill, parsnip, leeks, onions, carrots, and celery. It is hearty, simple, and perfect even in the heat of a Key Largo summer.
Forget the canned stuff. That old-school shortcut was loaded with salt, and mystery meat. Make the real deal with a whole chicken and fresh vegetables. Freeze it in containers and pull one out when you need a little comfort.
Ingredients
- Whole chicken or 4 pounds of chicken parts (thighs, breast, legs, etc.)
- Water
- Carrots
- Parsnip
- Onions
- Fresh herbs: celery stalks and celery leaves, dill, parsley, bay leaf.
- Leek
- Garlic
- Apple cider vinegar
- Salt and black pepper
Equipment
- The most important piece of equipment you need to make chicken soup is a big pot. I use an 8-quart stainless steel pot for 10 cups of soup, enough for a family of four.
- Big Spoon
- Strainer
- Ladle
How to Make Grandma's Chicken Soup
- Rinse the chicken under cold running water. Place the chicken in the pot. If the neck is inside the chicken, add it to the pot for flavor. Remove the liver and reserve it for another use.
- Place the chicken in a 7 or 8-quart soup pot. Fill the pot with water, leaving 3 inches at the top. Bring the water to a boil over high heat.
- Boil for 10 minutes. Skim the foam that rises to the top, lifting it out with a large spoon, and discard it.
- Add the remainder of the ingredients. Turn down the heat to medium-low or a gentle simmer. Set the cover partially open over the pot to allow some steam to escape and let it cook for 1-½ hours. Check every 15 minutes to make sure the water isn't boiling.
- Remove the chicken and carrots and set them aside. Discard the rest of the vegetables.
- Remove the legs and thighs from the chicken. You can leave them whole or tear them apart into bite-size pieces and set them aside. Remove the breast meat from the bones. You can dice the white meat or shred it with 2 forks.
- Strain the soup through a fine-mesh strainer and discard the greens.
- Chill the soup with the chicken and carrots in a large bowl or airtight container, preferably overnight. When cool, skim the hardened layer of fat from the top.
- Reat and serve your soup. Ladle soup into serving bowls. Add chicken and cooked vegetables. Garnish with a little fresh dill. Serve hot.
For a faster version, try my Instant Pot Chicken Soup.
Is Chicken Soup Medicinal?
Also known as Jewish Penicillin, old-fashioned chicken vegetable soup has been a remedy for head colds and sore throats for centuries.
You might have memories of your mom or dad preparing a pot of soup that could make any ailment feel better. This homemade soup is nourishing and tasty, bringing comfort to everyone.
Chicken soup helps keep you hydrated. Staying hydrated is important for overall health and can also be beneficial when you're feeling under the weather.
"Let Food be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food."
- Hippocrates
Chill the Chicken Soup for The Best Taste
Chicken soup tastes better the day after it's made.
Once your pot of soup has cooled down on the stovetop, use a spider or slotted spoon to scoop out the chicken. Shred the meat, disjoint the chicken into eight pieces, slice any veggies you're keeping, and store them separately in a designated container.
After the soup has cooled a bit, refrigerate the entire pot until the next day. When it's cool, skim the hardened layer of fat from the top and discard it.
Storing Chicken Soup
Let the soup cool, then transfer it to airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days.
For longer storage, freeze the soup for up to 3 months. Leave about 1 inch of space at the top of each container so the soup has room to expand as it freezes.
Label the containers with the name and date before freezing. Thaw frozen soup overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stovetop until hot.
Reheating
To reheat chicken soup on the stovetop, transfer it to a saucepan and warm over medium heat until hot and gently simmering.
For the microwave, place a serving of soup in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 1-minute intervals, stirring between each interval, until hot throughout.
Taste the soup before serving. Add a little salt, black pepper, or fresh parsley if needed.
What to Serve with Chicken Soup
Chicken soup is filling enough for a simple meal with matzo balls, egg noodles, crackers, or warm bread. For holidays and Sunday dinners, serve a small bowl of soup as a first course before the main dish.
It is especially good with Lemon Basil Roasted Chicken, Chopped Liver with Onions, Pan-Seared Baby Lamb Chops, or Roasted Turkey Breast.
Chicken Soup with Matzoh Balls and Egg Noodles
For a traditional Jewish-style chicken soup, add matzo balls. Matzo ball mix is easy to find in the Jewish section of most grocery stores, often near the thin egg noodles. Brands such as Streit's and Manischewitz are good options.
Prepare the matzo balls according to the package directions. Add them to the simmering soup during the final part of cooking, allowing enough time for them to cook through and absorb some of the broth.
For more details, see my recipe for Deli Chicken Soup.
To add egg noodles, use very thin egg noodles. Add them to the soup shortly before the matzo balls, then simmer until both the noodles and matzo balls are tender.
To add extra chicken breasts, add raw boneless breasts to the pot during the last 20 minutes of cooking. Remove the chicken when cooked through, shred or slice it, then return it to the soup before serving.
FAQ
Yes. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts will work, but bone-in chicken makes a richer broth and gives the soup more chicken flavor. Add boneless breasts near the end of cooking so they do not become dry.
Yes. Chicken soup is a great make-ahead meal and often tastes even better the next day. Cool it, refrigerate it in an airtight container, and reheat when ready to serve.
Yes. You can use skinless chicken pieces. The skin adds some richness to the broth, but the soup will still be good without it.
A small amount of apple cider vinegar adds a little brightness to the broth and balances the rich flavor of the chicken. You will not taste it in the finished soup.
Save it for another meal. Cook the liver in a small skillet with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper until cooked through. It makes a simple side dish and is especially good with sautéed onions.
Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup From Scratch
Ingredients
FOR THE SOUP
- 1 whole chicken, 3-4 pounds, rinsed and cleaned out
- 12 cups water
- 6 carrots, peeled and quartered
- 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
- 1 parsnip, peeled and trimmed
- 2 yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 1 leek, cleaned well, roughly chopped, white and light green parts
- ½ bunch fresh dill
- 10 sprigs fresh parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or 15 whole peppercorns.
- 1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar
OPTIONAL: ADDED VEGETABLES FOR SERVING
- 6 carrots peeled and sliced or diced
- 5 stalks celery ½ inch slices
- 2-4 small yellow onions peeled and sliced thin
- 6 dill sprigs stemmed and chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
TO PREPARE THE SOUP
- Remove the chicken from the package and take out the neck and liver, if included. Add the neck to the soup pot and reserve the liver for another use.
- Place the chicken in a 7- to 8-quart soup pot. Add 12 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat.
- Boil for 10 minutes. Skim the foam that rises to the top, lifting it out with a large spoon, and discard.
- Add the remainder of the ingredients. Turn down the heat to medium-low, or to a gentle simmer. Set the cover ajar (covered ¾ of the way) over the pot to allow some steam to escape and let it cook 1-½ hours, checking every 15 minutes to make sure the water isn't boiling.
- Remove the chicken and carrots; set aside. Discard the rest of the vegetables.
- Remove the legs and thighs from the chicken. You can leave them whole or tear apart with your fingers into bite side pieces; set aside. Remove the breast meat from the bones. You can dice the breast meat or shred it with 2 forks.
- The soup can be strained through a fine-mesh strainer or a large piece of cheesecloth to remove the little pieces that have collected on the bottom of the pot. Chill the soup in the covered pot or large bowl, preferably overnight. When cool, skim the hardened layer of fat from the top of the soup.
- Ladle soup into serving bowls. Add chicken and cooked vegetables. Garnish with a little fresh dill. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
Explore More Old-Fashioned Recipes
Slow Cooker Bone Broth Recipe: Beef bone broth is rich, comforting, and full of collagen. Sip it on its own or use it as a base for soups, stews, and sauces.
Chicken Feet Soup & Bone Broth: Chicken feet make a deeply flavorful, collagen-rich broth. Use this homemade bone broth for sipping or as a base for soups, sauces, and other recipes.
Shrimp Chowder: Creamy shrimp chowder is full of shrimp, potatoes, corn, and simple seasonings. It comes together in one pot and is perfect with crusty bread or a simple green salad.
