There's nothing like a bowl of old-fashioned chicken soup to heal colds and warm you up after winter activities.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Chicken soup is awesome—it's not just food, it's like a warm hug in a bowl.
A slow-cooked whole chicken with onions, carrots, and celery makes a hearty, no-nonsense soup that's perfect for any day, even in our hot Key Largo summers!
Chicken soup in a can is so 1970s! The 20th-century concoction was created to help moms put dinner on the table with minimal effort. It comes with high levels of sodium, MSG, and low-quality meat and vegetables.
Instead, prepare a slow-cooked homemade soup, freeze it in containers, and when you're in the mood for a little chicken soup, simply defrost it.
Ingredients and Equipment
- 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
- Black pepper
The most important piece of equipment you need to make chicken soup is a big pot. I use an 8-quart pot for 10 cups of soup, enough soup for a family of four. A ladle and strainer are also needed.
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 chicken in a 7 or 8-quart soup pot. Fill the pot with water leaving 3 inches at the top. Bring 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 to a gentle simmer. Set the cover ajar 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; set aside. Discard the rest of the vegetables.
- Remove the legs and thighs from the chicken. You can leave them whole or tear them apart with your fingers into bite-size pieces; set 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.
- Serve hot!
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 fond memories of your mom or dad whipping up 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.
Additional Add-Ons for Chicken Soup
Enhance your chicken soup with these versatile add-ins:
- To add more fresh vegetables to your soup, when the soup is cooking, ladle a few cups of the soup into a small pot. Add a few diced carrots, chopped celery, and sliced onion with a big pinch of salt. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.
- Add cooked noodles such as egg noodles, rice noodles, or white rice to the soup. For gluten-free chicken soup noodles, try Gefen gluten-free egg noodles.
- If you need more chicken or everyone in your family likes white meat, add a few raw chicken breasts to the pot of soup in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
- A sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley and a few fronds of dill will make the soup look extra special.
"Let Food be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food."
—Hippocrates
Chill the Chicken Soup for The Best Taste
Chicken soup will taste better on the day after you make it.
After letting your pot of soup cool down on the stovetop, scoop out the chicken with a spider or slotted spoon. 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 cools a bit, refrigerate the entire pot of soup until the next day. When cool, skim the hardened layer of fat from the top of the soup and discard.
The soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
How to Freeze Leftover Chicken Soup
Follow these steps to ensure that your soup maintains its quality and flavor.
Once the soup has cooled after cooking, ladle the soup into airtight freezer containers or freezer bags. This ensures a tight seal, preserving the quality of the soup.
Leave about an inch of space at the top of each container or bag. This allows for the expansion of the soup as it freezes.
Clearly label each container or bag with the contents and the date. This helps you keep track of how long the soup has been stored and makes it easier to identify in the freezer.
If You Like This Recipe, Try These:
Homemade Beef Bone Broth, just like old-fashioned chicken soup, bone broth is also a nourishing and delicious soup and beverage!
Swap out the cans and try our Green Pea Soup. It is made in under 30 minutes for a taste that surpasses anything from a can.
I also have a recipe for Poached Chicken Breasts. I take the chicken breasts and gently simmer them. They cook in 20 minutes and make the perfect chicken for chicken salad. If you like plain cold chicken, maybe with a little mayonnaise, this could be the recipe you're looking for.
If you'd like to use your Instant Pot, try Keto Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Crispy Chicken Skin. I show you how to render the fat out of the chicken skin and have a little snack while your soup is cooking.
Another recipe worth noting is Chicken Feet Soup & Bone Broth. In this recipe, I cook a pot full of chicken feet. If you'd like to make a pot of collagen, try this. Chicken feet make a tremendous chicken broth that you can use in all your recipes.
Summary
Traditional chicken vegetable soup, a timeless remedy, has been trusted for centuries to combat colds and provide nourishment to the body.
Simmering the whole chicken in this recipe extracts collagen from the chicken bones. Collagen, beneficial for skin and bone health, adds a nutritious element to the soup.
You can enjoy the old-fashioned chicken soup with the carrots and parsnips that were cooked alongside the chicken or customize it by adding your own boiled vegetables. You can also add egg noodles, pasta, or rice.
Feeling under the weather? A comforting bowl of chicken soup might be just what you need to alleviate your achy body. Enjoy!
FAQ
Yes, you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts, but using chicken on the bone adds more flavor to the broth.
Yes, chicken soup often tastes even better the next day. Refrigerate and reheat when ready to serve.
Yes, you can make chicken soup with skinless chicken pieces. The skin adds flavor, but it's not essential.
Apple cider vinegar draws the nutrients from the chicken bones. You will not taste it in the end product.
You can cut up the liver and cook it in a little olive oil in a small skillet. It tastes good and it's full of iron. If that's not your thing, cook it and give it to your dog.
"📖 Recipe"
Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup
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
- Rinse chicken, in and outside, under cold running water. If the neck is inside the chicken, add it to the pot. Remove the liver and reserve for another use.
- Place chicken in a 7 or 8-quart soup pot. Fill the pot with water leaving 3 inches at the top. Bring 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.
- 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
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- To add more fresh vegetables to your soup, when the soup is cooking, ladle a few cups of the soup into a small pot. Add a few diced carrots, chopped celery, and sliced onion with a big pinch of salt. Cook for 5-10 minutes until softened.
-
- Add cooked noodles such as egg noodles, rice noodles, or white rice to the soup. For gluten-free chicken soup noodles, try Gefen gluten-free egg noodles.
-
- If you need more chicken or everyone in your family likes white meat, add a few raw chicken breasts to the pot of soup in the last 20 minutes of cooking.
-
- A sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley and a few fronds of dill will make the soup look extra special.
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.