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White bowl filled with homemade chicken soup.
4.87 from 2177 votes

Chicken Soup Recipe

This Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe is my absolute favorite soup recipe and is so easy to make from scratch!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 153kcal

Ingredients

  • 10-12 bone-in skinless chicken thighs
  • 3 quarts cold water
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions - peeled and diced
  • 8 large carrots - peeled and chopped
  • 6 ribs celery - chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic - minced
  • 2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • Juice from one lemon
  • 2 bay leaves
  • fresh chopped parsley - to garnish

Instructions

  • Make your broth. Add the chicken thighs to a large stockpot. Add approximately 3-4 quarts of cold water to the pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for approximately 30-45 minutes.
  • Cook the vegetables (mirepoix). As the broth simmers, chop and prepare your vegetables. Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes or until the onions turn translucent. Add the carrots and celery to the onions and mix well to combine. Continue to cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring often. In the last two minutes stir in the minced garlic and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix well to combine and add the bay leaves.
    If the mirepoix starts to brown or burn, reduce heat to medium-low.
  • Strain the broth. After the broth has finished simmering and the chicken is cooked, remove the broth from heat. Use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a clean cutting board to cool. Carefully strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into the same pot as the vegetables.
  • Shred the chicken. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, use two forks (or your hands) to shred the chicken. Set aside.
  • Simmer. Add the lemon juice to the pot and return the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are fully cooked. In the last 5-10 minutes, return the shredded chicken back to the pot.
  • Serve. Season with additional salt and pepper, to taste and garnish with fresh chopped parsley if desired.

Notes

  • The best type of chicken for chicken soup includes anything that is considered dark meat (thighs, legs, wings). You may use chicken breasts, just take extra care not to overcook them when making the broth.
  • Do you have to cook the stock separately? No. You may cook the chicken and the vegetables at the same time if you prefer. I take this extra step because I prefer a nice clear broth. This requires straining the broth through a cheesecloth or mesh strainer.
  • If you're in a hurry cut back on cook time and use store-bought chicken stock with shredded rotisserie chicken. Adjust seasoning as needed.
  • Add other veggies including parsnips, potatoes, leeks, cabbage, or even kale.
  • Can you put raw chicken in soup to cook? Yes. As long as you allow enough time for the chicken to cook completely.
  • How long does it take for raw chicken to cook in soup? It will take 30-45 minutes for raw chicken pieces to fully cook (or poach) in a pot of simmering broth (although the total time will vary depending on the size of each piece).

Nutrition

Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 97mg | Sodium: 586mg | Potassium: 379mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1787IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 1mg
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