Everyone loves old-fashioned chicken soup. The classic soup is made right on the stovetop with a whole chicken and fresh veggies and cooks in under two hours.
1leekcleaned well, roughly chopped, white and light green parts
½bunchfresh dill
10sprigsfresh parsley
2bay leaves
1teaspoonsalt
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper or 15 whole peppercorns.
1tablespoonorganic apple cider vinegar
OPTIONAL: ADDED VEGETABLES FOR SERVING
6carrotspeeled and sliced or diced
5stalks celery½ inch slices
2-4small yellow onionspeeled and sliced thin
6dill sprigsstemmed 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
Enhance your chicken soup with these 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.
Nutrition Facts
Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup
Amount per Serving
Calories
287.4
% Daily Value*
Total Fat
14.7
g
23
%
Saturated Fat
4.2
g
26
%
Trans Fat
0.1
g
Cholesterol
71.4
mg
24
%
Sodium
448.7
mg
20
%
Potassium
667.1
mg
19
%
Carbohydrates
19.3
g
6
%
Fiber
4.8
g
20
%
Sugar
8.1
g
9
%
Protein
19.7
g
39
%
Net Carbohydrates
14.5
g
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Calories
287.4
Net Carbohydrates
14.5
g
The provided nutritional information is an estimate per serving. Accuracy is not guaranteed.
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