The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (2024)

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by Erin

BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (aka Sunday Afternoon Roasted Chicken Soup) –The ultimate comfort food, elevated! This chicken soup recipe has become a Wooden Skillet classic and I am so excited that you all love it as much as I do! Feel free to add noodles (gluten-free or regular) if you want or leave them out!

The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (1)

Best Ever Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe

So I am beyond excited to share this Sunday Afternoon Roasted Chicken Soup recipe with you guys – promise me you will make it sometime soon!! Especially if anyone you know is fighting a cold! It combines two of my favorite recipes: roasted chicken and chicken soup!

So you are essentially roasting a chicken in your dutch oven first and then in that same pot and using that same roasted chicken, you are making some wickedly flavorful broth that will be the base of your soup! The depth of flavor is unreal! Comfort food at its finest :). Can’t wait for you to make some!!

Why This Recipe Works

  • Roasted Chicken: the first step in this process is to roast a whole chicken – that just results in the most delicious chicken flavor ever!
  • Broth: after we roast a whole chicken we then add in some chicken broth. Now, you CAN make your own, homemade broth through this process OR you can simply add in store-bought broth (or some of your own frozen homemade chicken broth) – totally up to you. But the flavor is just out of this world!
  • Love: not to get too mushy .. but this recipe does require some love and attention. I know a lot of my recipes are pretty quick and easy, but I also have a place in my heart for “weekend recipes” or recipes that take a little bit more time and are meant for a cozy weekend in. This is one of them. It is also the perfect recipe to bring to a sick friend or relative that needs a little bowl of love!

What You Will Need

  • whole roasting chicken (fresh or thawed): this is the base of our soup – we will be roasting it and then letting it sit in the broth before shredding and adding back into the soup.
  • salt + pepper: to season the chicken before roasting.
  • soft ghee or butter: this is also added on the chicken before roasting – feel free to just use olive oil if you can’t do dairy.
  • yellow onion + celery + carrots: we will be using some of these to roast with the chicken and we will be using another batch to actually chop up and add in with the soup.
  • garlic: for flavor!
  • fresh rosemary + thyme + sage leaves + bay leaf + oregano + black peppercorn: some delicious fresh herbs to up that amazing flavor!
  • chicken broth: this is added in after the chicken roasts.

Can you Freeze Homemade Chicken Soup

Yes! You can definitely freeze it – simply place in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 6 months. Note: if you are wanting to add noodles I wouldn’t recommend adding those in before freezing!

Leftovers

It makes the best leftovers! I love having this for leftover lunches during the week! Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator (store your noodles separately, if using) for up to 3 days.

How to Make Chicken Soup

Pat your chicken dry with a clean paper towel. Rub with butter and salt + pepper. Roast with veggies and garlic. Then remove from oven and place on stove top. Add broth and let simmer.

The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (2)

Remove chicken and let cool. Strain the broth.

The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (3)

Add the shredded chicken back in along with fresh, chopped veggies and let those cook until firm but soft.

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Serve and enjoy!

The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (5)

If you want to add in noodles I HIGHLY recommend cooking those separately because otherwise they will soak up the broth in the soup!

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The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (7)

Feel free to add noodles if you want, but make sure and cook them separately so they don’t soak up all the broth!

Other Recipes You Might Like:

  1. Homemade Marinara Sauce
  2. Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
  3. Salsa Verde Chicken (IP + Slow Cooker)
  4. Healthy Meatloaf
  5. Simple Seared Ahi Tuna
  6. Fried Zucchini

Feel free to add some noodles if you want – I love the Jovial brand if you are gluten-free!

Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, check out my Instagram account or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!

Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute andleave a star rating and review– it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!

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The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (8)

BEST Chicken Soup Recipe

★★★★★5 from 27 reviews

  • Author: Erin Jensen
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
  • Yield: Approx. 15 cups
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Oven, Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Best Chicken Soup – The perfect recipe to make on a relaxing, cozy Sunday afternoon – it is seriously the BEST chicken soup recipe! Feel free to add noodles if you want!

Ingredients

Scale

Broth

  • (1) 5-6 pound whole roasting chicken (fresh or thawed)
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 Tablespoons soft ghee (grass-fed butter, olive oil or vegan butter would work as well)
  • 1 yellow onion, quartered
  • 1 stalk celery, cut into 45 pieces
  • 2 medium carrots, cut into 4 pieces each
  • 1 head of garlic, cut of the top (or smash approx. 56 cloves)
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 34 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 12 fresh sage leaves
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 12 fresh sprig oregano
  • 1 Tablespoon black peppercorn

Soup

  • 8 cups chicken broth (you can also use 8 cups of water to make broth completely from scratch OR you could do 4 cups broth + 4 cups water. If you use broth your soup will only turn out that much richer. Just check your ingredients on the broth if concerned with Whole30)
  • Shredded chicken
  • 4 stalks of celery, sliced
  • 6 medium-large carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Optional: gluten-free noodles, diced parsnip, diced sweet potato, diced turnip

Instructions

Broth:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Place chicken in 5 1/2 qt. Le Creuset Dutch Oven and rub all over with softened ghee
  3. Sprinkle with generous amounts of salt and pepper to coat.
  4. Place onion, carrots, celery and garlic around the chicken.
  5. Roast, uncovered, for 1.5 hours.
  6. Remove from oven and place on burner.
  7. Add broth (and/or water) and turn heat up to high.
  8. Add rosemary, thyme, sage, bay leaf, oregano and peppercorn.
  9. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cover.
  10. Simmer (covered) as long as possible – if you used chicken broth I would suggest 2 hours – if you used water and broth I would suggest 3-4 hours – if you used all water I would suggest 4-6 hours.

Soup:

  1. Remove chicken and set aside to cool slightly.
  2. Strain broth and discard the cooked vegetables (they will be very soggy and not good for much after cooking for so long).
  3. Place strained broth back in your dutch oven.
  4. Once chicken is cooled enough, remove all the meat and place it in the broth (Note: depending on how big your chicken is, feel free not use all the chicken if you feel the chicken-broth ratio is off. If you want a thicker, chunkier soup then use it all, but if you want more of a broth-based soup then reserve some of the chicken for another purpose.)
  5. Also feel free to keep the chicken bones to make bone broth!
  6. Once the chicken meat is back in the broth, add your onion, celery, carrots and bay leaf.
  7. Taste and add salt and pepper, to taste, a pinch at a time.
  8. This would also be the time to add any other ingredients you want (sweet potato, turnip, parsnip or noodles).
  9. Let simmer approx. 8-10 minutes or until your vegetables are cooked, but still firm.

Notes

  • Adaptable: This is one of those recipes that you can adapt very easily to fit what you like! My preferred method is to roast with ghee, use broth, simmer on low 2 hours (but I have also only simmered for 30 minutes – 1 hour and it is still amazing!).
  • Time Saver: Since the chicken is already fully cooked you can reduce the cooking time in Step 10 of the Broth Instructions to whatever works for you!
  • Bone Broth: you could add bone broth in Step 7 of Broth Instructions to make it extra gut-healing!
  • Noodles: If you are adding noodles I would recommend cooking them separately beforehand and then adding to the soup – otherwise as they are cooking they will soak up all of the broth.
  • Homemade Broth Version: I touched on this in the recipe card instructions, but wanted to highlight again – feel free to use water instead of broth in Instruction #7. It will need to cook much longer and you will need to add additional salt, but you will end up with some delicious homemade broth! If you have the time I highly recommend!
  • Whole30/Paleo: If you are concerned with Whole30/Paleo just check those ingredients in your broth!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: Approx. 1 cup
  • Calories: 160
  • Sugar: 7.1 g
  • Sodium: 1352.7 mg
  • Fat: 5.2 g
  • Carbohydrates: 20.3 g
  • Protein: 9.7 g
  • Cholesterol: 28.3 mg

Keywords: homemade chicken soup, Roasted Chicken Soup

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  1. Elizabeth McConnell says

    I think keeping the Chicken in the pot to cook the second batch of vegetables is too long. Put the vegetables in and when cooked add the shredded cooked chicken.

    Reply

    • Erin says

      You can definitely change it up to suit your preference!

      Reply

  2. Stephenie says

    Delicious. Made the basic 8 cups of water version. Roasted exactly to recipe. Transferred to crock pot and cooked on low overnight. I omitted only the oregano. Removed chicken from crock pot and set aside. Strained broth and poured broth back into Dutch oven. Finished on stove top exactly to recipe. Absolutely satisfied with the broth richness. The chicken meat just fell away from the bone and practically shredded itself from my hands to the Dutch oven. Added cooked jovial pasta to the serving bowls as suggested. Absolutely yummy. Thank you!

    Reply

  3. Michelle says

    Wow!!! This is the best chicken soup ever! I made this on Sunday for the family. I doubled the recipe so it could go for two nights. I used six chicken thighs and legs instead of a whole chicken. Following the recipe except after shredding chicken, keeping it to the side, one daughter likes it with out chicken. Then added two heads of roasted garlic after sautéing the veggies and deglazing with 1 cup dry sherry. Cooked wide egg noodles separate and also kept to the side to save the broth. That way family can add the amount of chicken/ noodles they prefer and then covering with the broth. Holy Moly…..the broth. Best broth ever in my family’s opinion. They would have just poured cups of this and drank it. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!

    Reply

  4. Lisa says

    Made this soup today and it was so rich and full of flavors. I will keep this recipe as my favorite.
    Thank-you Erin 👍🏻

    Reply

  5. Susan M Judy says

    I’ve made this several times this year…and it’s always delicious. This is the best chicken soup that I have ever made. Guests have told me it’s the best chicken soup they have ever eaten. I’ve been a serious cook for 25 years, but this is one of those recipes that makes me feel like I really CAN cook! So glad to have this, Erin, thank you!

    Reply

    • Erin says

      So happy to hear this, Susan!!!

      Reply

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The BEST Chicken Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the secret to a good soup? ›

To make sure that every spoonful of soup is richly flavored, with juicy meat and/or tender vegetables, follow these kitchen-tested tips.
  • Use a Sturdy Pot. ...
  • Sauté the Aromatics. ...
  • Start with Good Broth. ...
  • Cut Vegetables to the Right Size. ...
  • Stagger the Addition of Vegetables. ...
  • Keep Liquid at a Simmer. ...
  • Season Just Before Serving.
Oct 9, 2022

What is the secret ingredient in soup? ›

It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.

How to make can chicken soup taste better? ›

Besides adding vegetables to your soup, another option is to play around with stirring in herbs and spices. If you love food with some zing to it, drizzling in some hot sauce can be a great way to bring on the heat and give your soup an extra edge.

Why do you put lemon juice in chicken soup? ›

Lemons are a chicken soup game changer. Why? They brighten up and balance the salty, rich flavors of the dish, and make all of the ingredients come into line. Like a vinaigrette on a salad, the pickle on a burger, and the sour cream in a coffee cake, a squeeze of lemon gives chicken soup a game-changing brightness.

What is the most important ingredient in soup? ›

For clear, brothy soups, stock is your most important ingredient. If you want to make a good soup, you need to use an excellently flavored stock — otherwise, the entire pot could be tasteless.

What not to do when making soup? ›

The 7 Biggest Mistakes You Make Cooking Soup
  1. Boiling instead of simmering. You want a small bubble or two to rise to the surface of the liquid every few seconds. ...
  2. Not using enough salt. ...
  3. Ignoring water. ...
  4. Overcooking the vegetables. ...
  5. Adding tomatoes at the beginning. ...
  6. Neglecting to garnish. ...
  7. Not trying a pressure cooker.
Nov 19, 2014

What gives soup the best flavor? ›

Foods that have a great deal of acidity, like lemon juice, vinegar, white wine, and tomato puree, can help liven up the flavor of bland-tasting bone and other broths. "The acidity of these ingredients works to complement and enhance the broth's flavors, not mask it.

Why do you put vinegar in chicken soup? ›

Whether it's white wine or vinegar, a touch of acid added to the simmering pot will create a richer finished product. That's because acid helps break down the cartilage and other connective tissues in the bones of the chicken, which helps speed up the formation of gelatin in the stock.

How do you add depth to chicken soup? ›

A splash of vinegar or wine can add depth and complexity to the flavors of your chicken noodle soup. Try adding a small amount of apple cider vinegar or a dry white wine for a delightful tangy note. Just remember to add it gradually, tasting as you go, to avoid overpowering the soup.

Does chicken soup taste better the longer you cook it? ›

While broth and stock both get richer and richer the longer you cook them, the problem is that the chicken meat will dry out and get tough if you let it go too long.

How to make chicken soup thicker? ›

6 ways to thicken soup:
  1. Blend all or part of it. If you've made a broth with chunks of vegetable in it, such as minestrone soup, then pour the soup through a sieve. ...
  2. Add cream or yogurt. ...
  3. Add flour or cornflour. ...
  4. Use a butter and flour paste. ...
  5. Blend in bread. ...
  6. Add lentils or rice.

How do you keep chicken soup juicy? ›

Cold-poaching the chicken breasts, then removing them until the end of the cooking process, guarantees a perfectly tender and juicy texture. Using stock reinforces the flavor of the broth, creating a more deeply flavorful soup.

How to make chicken broth more tasty? ›

11 Ways to Fancy Up a Box of Store-Bought Broth
  1. Add spices. Whole spices are a fast and easy way to doctor up homemade broth. ...
  2. Add aromatics. ...
  3. Simmer with fresh herbs. ...
  4. Throw in a cheese rind. ...
  5. Simmer with fruit peels. ...
  6. Add a sprinkle of smoked salt. ...
  7. Add a sauce. ...
  8. Stir in miso paste.

What acid goes in chicken soup? ›

Aside from the match-made-in-heaven, the real reason you should be adding lemon to chicken soup is because of its acidic properties. If you look at almost any soup recipe (or most recipes in general), you'll find they all have something in common: some type of acidic ingredient whether it's citrus, vinegar, or tomato.

What does lemon do to chicken? ›

Lemon is acidic and helps balance the stronger flavor of the dark meat in thighs and legs, and the fat from the chicken skin.

What are three qualities of a good soup? ›

A soup's quality is determined by its flavor, appearance and texture. A good soup should be full-flavored, with no off or sour tastes. Flavors from each of the soup's ingre- dients should blend and complement, with no one flavor overpowering another.

What gives soup a good flavor? ›

You can extract a clean, strong broth from a combination of water and several pantry ingredients. It's all about layering powerful flavor-enhancers that you probably already have on hand—bacon, tomato paste, herbs, peppercorns, a Parmesan rind, and, of course, kosher salt.

What is the basis of a good soup? ›

All soups and stews must have three major components in order to be tasty: an undercurrent liquid, aromatics, and volumizing ingredients. In every case, they're layered together until all of the flavors meld together in a harmonious, silky balance.

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