THE SECRET TO THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP

Hot, Steamy, Brothy and COMFORTING The Secret to the BEST CHICKEN SOUP is EASY! This Chicken Soup will have you cuddled up on the couch sipping away!

Why This Recipe Works

• Easy
• Fast
• Hearty
• Soothing and TASTY!

Here's How It's Done

STEP 1. Cut up your ingredients and heat a large stock pot of water on the stove top. 

STEP 2. Put everything into the stock pot and heat to a slow simmer. 

STEP 3. Simmer on low and serve up hot!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)

What Chicken Is the Best For Chicken Soup? 

You'll want a whole hen for this recipe. Remove the little bag and the neck from the cavity of the bird and give the whole thing a rinse before adding it to the pot. 

What Size Stock Pot Do I Need To Use? 

You'll need about a 6 quart Stock Pot for this recipe. 

How Do You Add Flavor to Chicken Soup? 

If you follow the recipe in this post, you'll have plenty of flavor BUT you can also add flavor by adding some of the following...

• Make sure you add enough salt. 
• Add pepper
• Add 2 chicken bouillon cubes.
• Try a little chipotle pepper to your soup. 

How Do You Make Chicken Soup From Scratch? 

Make chicken soup from scratch by following this recipe and you'll be so satisfied! 

Do You Leave the Chicken Skin On When Making Soup? 

For this recipe, you will be removing the entire bird from the stock pot and then pulling the chicken from the bone. You will remove the skin and discard that as well in this phase. 

Is Chicken Soup Really Good For You? 

Chicken soup is packed with all kinds of good things including protein, veggies, water and other great stuff!

TIPS AND TRICKS for THE SECRET TO THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP

• I hope these tips and tricks don’t get too long - because I could probably wax poetic about all of the potential pitfalls. No worries, I’ll be as brief as possible so you can have all the success. Lord knows, I have already had all of the fails!
• The real THE SECRET TO THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP is to end up with a crystal clear broth. In order to do that, you MUST NOT boil the chicken. You only want to lightly simmer it. As soon as the water begins to steam, start watching. THE MOMENT you see a few bubbles, be on alert. Once you have achieved a steady stream of bubbles, you will want to cut the stove back to low. Keep a CLOSE EYE on the pot and don’t allow it to simmer more than a steady stream of bubbles. You DO NOT want your chicken being all jostled around and knocked about by a boil. Besides that, the chicken gets tough that way - you want tender tender chicken.

Things to Consider

• Once the chicken is cooked through, you will want to use a large dipper to gently remove the chicken and the veggies from the broth. You don’t want to disturb the chicken too much. Remove it to a large platter or bowl to cool. Toss all of the veggies except the carrots - allow them to cool as well.
• Make sure you are using good water. If your kitchen sink water tastes like a swimming pool, you  might want to use water you purchase at the store.
• Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, you will want to remove the meat from the bone and discard the skin.
• Make sure to skim the top of your broth before adding the carrots and chicken back in. This will remove some of the fat.
• Garnish with something green. We like parsley and chives. I also like to add croutons and cheese and anything that gives it a little bite. A dollop of sour cream anyone? Oh yeah, me too!

IF YOU ENJOYED THIS RECIPE, YOU MIGHT ALSO ENJOY:

The Secret to Perfect Chicken Fried Steak

Seriously Good Asterisk Chicken

Easy Noodle Bowl

Oven Baked Fried Chicken

Crockpot Stroganoff

How to Make Canned Chicken Soup Better

Ya'll Help Me Out, OK?

Please leave a 5 STAR comment below in the comment section so that other people can find the recipes here at Loaves and Dishes

THE SECRET TO THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP

A delicious light soup that is perfect for a sick day, a cold winter day or any day!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin SaveSaved! Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: best chicken soup

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 256kcal

Author: Wendi Spraker

Ingredients

• 1 3 lb whole hen - remove pieces packed internally
• 1 whole onion cut into 4 pieces - leave skin on
• 1 whole head of garlic - cut in half
• 4 whole large carrots - cut into 4 pieces
• 4 stalk celery - cut into 4 pieces
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• In a large stock pot (about 6 quart size) place the whole hen and cover with good water by 1 inch.
• Add all of the other ingredients to the stock pot.
• Cook over medium heat and watch carefully. AS SOON AS the water begins to simmer, cut the heat to low. If this does not keep a simmer, then apply the lid. You can increase the heat until a small simmer is maintained.
• Cook until the bird is cooked through and beginning to fall apart.
• Carefully remove the hen and all of the veggies from the stock pot using a large slotted spoon.
• Set the hen and carrots aside to cool.
• Once cooled, pick the meat from the bird and cut the carrots into slices and then quarter those.
• As the liquid in the stock pot cools, skim the fat from the top.
• Replace the meat and carrots in the pot and heat over medium heat until all is heated through.
• Serve with green garnish such as parsley or chives.

Notes

• I hope these tips and tricks don’t get too long - because I could probably wax poetic about all of the potential pitfalls.  No worries, I’ll be as brief as possible so you can have all the success.  Lord knows, I have already had all of the fails!
• The real THE SECRET TO THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP is to end up with a crystal clear broth.  In order to do that, you MUST NOT boil the chicken.  You only want to lightly simmer it.  As soon as the water begins to steam, start watching.  THE MOMENT you see a few bubbles, be on alert.  Once you have achieved a steady stream of bubbles, you will want to cut the stove back to low.  Keep a CLOSE EYE on the pot and don’t allow it to simmer more than a steady stream of bubbles.  You DO NOT want your chicken being all jostled around and knocked about by a boil.  Besides that, the chicken gets tough that way - you want tender tender chicken.
• Things to Consider
• Once the chicken is cooked through, you will want to use a large dipper to gently remove the chicken and the veggies from the broth.  You don’t want to disturb the chicken too much.  Remove it to a large platter or bowl to cool.  Toss all of the veggies except the carrots - allow them to cool as well.
• Make sure you are using good water.  If your kitchen sink water tastes like a swimming pool, you  might want to use water you purchase at the store.
• Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, you will want to remove the meat from the bone and discard the skin.  
• Make sure to skim the top of your broth before adding the carrots and chicken back in.  This will remove some of the fat.
• Garnish with something green.  We like parsley and chives. I also like to add croutons and cheese and anything that gives it a little bite. A dollop of sour cream anyone?  Oh yeah, me too!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

THE SECRET TO THE BEST CHICKEN SOUP

Amount Per Serving

Calories 256 Calories from Fat 153

% Daily Value*

Fat 17g26%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Cholesterol 82mg27%

Sodium 695mg29%

Potassium 375mg11%

Carbohydrates 5g2%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 21g42%

Vitamin A 5338IU107%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 33mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?Mention @loavesanddishes or tag #loavesanddishes!

*** This post originally appeared on Loaves and Dishes on September 28, 2017 and has been updated with all kinds of new info including Why this Recipe Works, Here's how it's done, step by step photos, frequently asked questions, nutrition information, video, equipment, updated recipe steps and related recipes***

A VERSE TO SHARE

We all need a little dark to realize the light. I read that somewhere. I wish I knew who to attribute it to. It is true though, isn’t it? Word.

Which reminds me of 1 John which says that He shines a light into the darkness and the darkness has not overcome him.

Powerful stuff, I believe. That’s the guy I believe in. The guy who created the universe and whose word is the WORD.

That said, without the darkness, we wouldn’t really realize or understand the light, would we? Thank Goodness, we’ve got Jesus shining his light into the darkness for us.

1 John: 1-5

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.