Homemade Chicken Soup
Made with a rich homemade broth, tender chicken, and nutrient-dense vegetables, this from scratch chicken soup is both soothing to the body and soul.
Servings: 12
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound whole fresh chicken giblets removed
- 2 large yellow onions peeled and halved
- 1 head garlic cut in half horizontally
- ½ small jalapeno seeded and ribs removed
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt + more to taste
- ½ tablespoon peppercorns or 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 12 cups water
- 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes scrubbed and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 2 large sweet potatoes scrubbed, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes
- 3 large carrots peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 large lemon juiced
Instructions
- Remove any giblets, gravy packet, thermometer, or plastic ties for a whole chicken and discard. Place the chicken into a large stock pot or Dutch Oven. Add onions, garlic, jalapeño, 2 dried bay leaves, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and ½ tablespoon peppercorns. Cover with 12 cups water.
- Bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. As the soup comes to a simmer, remove any cloudy material that rises to the top of the broth with a fine-mesh strainer scum off the top of the soup as it forms and discard.
- Once the soup is simmering (small bubbles around the edges of the pan), turn the heat to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and falling apart.
- Remove the chicken and place it on cutting board or large bowl/casserole dish. Strain the broth using a colander over a large bowl OR simply use a spoon to fish out the onions, garlic, jalapeño, bay leaves, and peppercorns from the broth.
- Optional: Refrigerate broth for a few hours or overnight to let fat consolidate and harden on the surface of the soup. Once the fat rises to the surface, scoop it out and discard.
- If needed, return the broth to the soup pan and bring back to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, add the potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and 1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
- While the vegetables are simmering, prepare the chicken. Remove the skin and discard. Remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Shred or dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Measure out 2-3 cups of the chicken and save the rest to use in another recipe.
- Once the vegetables are tender, add 2-3 cups of the shredded chicken to the soup and simmer for 2-5 minutes, just to warm through.
- Remove the soup from the heat and add the juice the lemon to the soup. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
Video
Notes
Chicken: Feel free to use chicken pieces versus a whole chicken. Just be sure they are bone-in and preferably skin on for the most flavor and nutrient-rich broth.
Add Noodles. If you would like to add noodles to your chicken soup, it is best to cook egg noodles in boiling, salted water according to package directions and add to the soup right before serving.
Gluten-Free: If you need this soup to be gluten-free, replace the soy sauce with tamari or coconut-aminos.
Storage: Store chicken soup in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer in a freezer-safe container, leaving 1-inch of space for expansion. Store any leftover shredded chicken in the an airtight, freezer-safe bag/container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 323mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5630IU | Vitamin C: 17.1mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 1.5mg
