A steaming bowl of chicken soup is one of life’s simple pleasures. It’s warm and comforting when you’re feeling down, and eases the misery when you’re ill. It’s also surprisingly easy to make.
“Quick” versions usually call for store-bought broth, which are often high in sodium and seldom taste as good as homemade. Professional recipes start with a large vat of stock that is usually made a day or two ahead of time. This version takes the middle ground, coming together from scratch in just over two hours.
Start to Finish: 2 hours 15 minutes • Servings: 6 to 8 • Skill: Medium
Ingredients
The Broth Stage:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 medium onions
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 large cloves garlic
- 1 3-pound chicken
- 3 quarts water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
The Soup Stage:
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 medium onion
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 ribs celery
- 1 sprig thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon turmeric, or 1 pinch saffron (optional)
- ½ pound dry noodles
- 2 sprigs parsley
Stage 1: Preparing the Broth
Step 1
Warm a tablespoon of oil in the bottom of a heavy stock pot or deep Dutch oven. Chop the onion, carrots and celery coarsely, and add them to the pot.
Step 2
Stir the vegetables over gentle heat for 6 or 7 minutes, until the onions are soft and aromatic but not browned. Crush the garlic with the flat of your knife and add it to the vegetable mixture, stirring for 1 more minute.
Step 3
Cut the chicken in half, and remove the skin and any large pockets of visible fat. Put the chicken halves into the pot, and cover with the water. Add the salt and pepper.
Step 4
Bring the water to a gentle simmer – not a boil – and make note of the time. Simmer the chicken for 1 hour, skimming the pot frequently to remove any fat or pale froth that rises to the surface.
Step 5
Remove the chicken halves to a bowl or cutting board. Pour the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl, and discard the solids.
Stage 2: Finishing the Soup
Step 1
Wipe out the pot. Return it to the stove with a tablespoon of fresh oil.
Step 2
Mince the onion, and thinly slice the carrots and celery. Add to the pot and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
Step 3
Skim any remaining fat from the chicken broth, and pour it into the pot. Add the thyme and the bay leaf. Give the broth a golden hue by adding turmeric or saffron, if you wish. Simmer the soup until the vegetables are tender, roughly 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 4
Shred the chicken meat from the bones while the vegetables cook. Chop it into spoon-sized pieces, and set it aside.
Step 5
Boil the noodles in a separate saucepan for 2 to 3 minutes less than directed on the package instructions. Drain them immediately, and rinse them under cold water to stop any further cooking.
Step 6
Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprig from the pot. Add the cooked chicken and noodles to the broth, and simmer the soup for another 8 to 10 minutes until the noodles have fully softened.
Step 7
Pour soup into bowls. Chop the parsley, and sprinkle it over the top of the each bowl of soup. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
- Serving size: 10 oz
- Calories: 442
- Total Fat: 13 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 98 mg
- Sodium: 388 mg
- Total Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Source: USDA
Tips & Warnings
- It’s important not to boil the broth. Boiling emulsifies fat into the liquid, making the broth cloudy and increasing calories. It also toughens the chicken.
- To give your broth additional flavor, return the chicken’s bones to the pot after deboning and simmer for an additional 30 to 60 minutes. For a richer taste, brown the chicken before simmering it to make the broth.
- You can substitute an equal weight of cut chicken pieces, if you wish.
- The broth can be prepared and refrigerated a day or two ahead. Aside from the convenience, this allows the fat to harden and makes it easier to remove.
- Cook the noodles directly in the soup for a slightly thicker and heartier broth.
- Use any noodles you like. Broad egg noodles, broken spaghetti or linguine, rice-like orzo or kid-friendly shapes are all appropriate.
- If you plan to eat the soup over several days, don’t add noodles to the pot. They’ll soak up the broth, becoming oversized and mushy. Instead, cook them separately and add them to each portion before serving.
- The basic soup can be varied infinitely, so feel free to improvise. Replace the onions with leeks, or shred some of your favorite greens and add those to the broth.
- What are your favorite chicken soup add-ins?
By Fred Decker, Demand Media
About the Author
Fred Decker is a trained chef and certified food-safety trainer. Decker wrote for the Saint John, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal, and has been published in Canada’s Hospitality and Foodservice magazine. He’s held positions selling computers, insurance and mutual funds, and was educated at Memorial University of Newfoundland and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
References & Resources: Fine Cooking: Homemade Chicken Broth
Photo Credit: Pamela Follett/Demand Media
Clinical Review: Reviewed by Amy Magill, MA, RD, LDN on July 9, 2015.
