Old-Fashioned Chicken Soup From Scratch
Old-fashioned chicken soup is made from scratch with a whole chicken, carrots, celery, onion, and fresh herbs simmered into a rich homemade broth. Serve this classic soup with matzo balls, egg noodles, or crackers for a comforting family meal.
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
Storage and Freezing: Store leftover chicken soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat until hot throughout, or to 165°F.
To freeze, let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers, leaving about 1 inch of space at the top. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Nutrition
Calories: 287.4kcalCarbohydrates: 19.3gProtein: 19.7gTotal Fat: 14.7gSaturated Fat: 4.2gCholesterol: 71.4mgSodium: 448.7mgPotassium: 667.1mgFiber: 4.8gSugar: 8.1g
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