Homemade Chicken Soup
I make soup year-round, even when it’s not cold. Not everyone in my family always eats it, but I make it anyway because it’s delicious and packed with good ingredients. My husband isn’t a big fan of vegetables, so if I keep the pot plain chicken noodle style he’ll dig right in.
I have a large family and often cook for about nine people. Because we live close by, a huge pot of soup rarely goes to waste.
I don’t follow a strict recipe for my soup—I use whatever I have on hand, much like our grandmothers did. Even so, I do follow a simple technique that consistently produces a flavorful stock. Below I describe that approach and give ideas for variations.
How To Make Homemade Chicken Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 2–3 chicken breasts (bone-in or boneless)
- 1 small onion
- 4–5 large garlic cloves, or 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 bay leaves
- Sliced squash (optional)
- 2 carrots, cut as you like, or a handful of baby carrots
- Celery (optional)
- Canned or boxed chicken stock (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste — go easy on salt if you use bouillon
Good additions
- Chicken and/or vegetable bouillon cubes
- Frozen, fresh or canned mixed vegetables
- Corn
- Green beans
- Any other vegetables on hand
- Penne or other pasta
- White or brown rice
- Canned or fresh tomatoes
- Black beans or white beans (cannellini)
DIRECTIONS
- Place 2–3 chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. Bone-in breasts give more flavor, but boneless work fine.
- Add the onion, garlic, bay leaves, carrots and any optional vegetables you have. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is fully cooked and easily falls apart.
- When the chicken is done, remove it from the pot into a bowl. For boneless chicken, shred with a fork. For bone-in, remove the meat from the bones and check carefully for stray bones.
- Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer into another large pot or bowl to remove solids. Make sure the container you use is large enough for all the liquid.
- Return the strained stock to the cooking pot. Pick out the carrots (if you want them whole or in larger pieces) and add any other vegetables, beans, pasta or rice you like.
- If using bouillon, add it now. I usually start with about four large bouillon cubes (or the equivalent in small cubes) and taste, adding more if needed. Bouillon adds richness but is salty, so taste as you go.
- Simmer until all added ingredients are heated through and pasta or rice is cooked. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve the shredded chicken in bowls with the broth and vegetables. Enjoy.
Homemade Chicken Soup
Arlene Mobley – Flour On My Face
Ingredients
- 2–3 chicken breasts (with or without bone)
- 1 small onion
- 4–5 garlic cloves (or 2 tablespoons minced garlic)
- 4 bay leaves
- Sliced squash (optional)
- 2 carrots (cut any way you like)
- Celery (optional)
- Canned or boxed chicken stock (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste (go easy on salt with bouillon)
Good Stuff to add to your soup
- Chicken & vegetable bouillon cubes
- Frozen, fresh or canned mixed vegetables
- Corn
- Green beans
- Any other vegetables you have on hand
- Penne or other pasta
- White or brown rice
- Canned or fresh tomatoes
- Black beans or white beans (cannellini)
Instructions
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Place chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. Add onion, garlic, bay leaves and carrots (and any optional vegetables).
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Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through and begins to fall apart.
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Remove chicken to a bowl. Shred boneless meat with a fork or remove meat from bones and check carefully for stray bones.
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Strain the stock through a fine-mesh colander into a large pot or bowl, then return the strained stock to the cooking pot.
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Add back the carrots and any other vegetables, pasta, rice or beans. Simmer until everything is cooked and heated through.
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Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with shredded chicken in bowls.
Recipe Expert Tips
- I rarely keep celery on hand, so my stock usually omits it. The squash was an experiment — I had frozen slices I intended to fry and instead added them to a pot of vegetable soup and loved the extra flavor. If your family dislikes squash, simmer long enough and it mostly breaks down, making it an easy way to add another vegetable.
- Canned or boxed chicken stock adds richness, but it’s optional. I’ve made this soup with and without it and it’s good either way.
- Make the soup to suit your family’s tastes. Use the “Good Stuff” list above to customize with pasta, rice, beans or extra vegetables.
Nutrition
Those “good stuff” ingredients—veggies, beans, tomatoes, pasta and rice—are what turn a simple stock into a satisfying soup. In the photo I added canned corn, canned green beans and rinsed cannellini beans (white kidney beans).
I also added about a handful of penne pasta and a mix of roughly 1/4 cup white rice and 1/4 cup brown rice. The final pot often looks more like a stew, which makes a hearty meal.
I usually add frozen vegetables first and let the liquid come back to a simmer before adding remaining ingredients. Once the temperature returns to nearly boiling I add fresh vegetables, then rice and let it simmer gently until cooked.
When adding bouillon, start with a modest amount (I often begin with four large cubes or the equivalent) and dissolve, then taste and adjust. Bouillon can be salty, so add gradually until the flavor suits you.
I keep spices light because I like the natural, rustic flavor of the ingredients. If you enjoy herbs, a small sprig of rosemary or a pinch of your favorite spice can be nice—just add cautiously, because strong flavors are hard to remove once added.
If you accidentally over-salt the soup, dropping a peeled potato into the pot and simmering for a while can help absorb some of the excess salt.