Homemade Chicken Soup

Making homemade chicken soup from scratch is easy. Place the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer. The longer you simmer, the richer the soup.

Once you’ve made homemade chicken soup from scratch, you will NOT go back to canned. There’s simply no comparison!

The ingredients you’ll need

You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this flavorful soup. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need:

1. Bone-in chicken pieces
2. Onion
3. Garlic cloves
4. Carrots
5. Celery
6. Parsley
7. Kosher salt
8. Whole black peppercorns

But isn’t it a lot of work?

No! It’s so easy to make homemade chicken soup from scratch. You literally dump a few ingredients in a large stockpot, then pretty much leave them alone for three hours.

The detailed instructions are listed in the recipe card below. Here are the basic steps:

1. Simply place everything in a large stockpot and cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 hours.
3. Strain the solids through a colander.

Can I eat the chicken and the vegetables?

That’s up to you. The longer you simmer the soup, the richer and tastier it will be, and the drier the chicken will end up.

I usually just throw the chicken out – you can safely assume that most of its goodness has gone into the rich broth anyway.

If you can’t bring yourself to throw it out, try using it in a recipe such as these chicken patties.

The same goes for the vegetables – at this point, they will be limp and lifeless, their goodness transferred to the soup.

If you want to eat vegetables with your soup (such as carrots, for example), it’s best to add them to the soup about 30 minutes before it’s done, to keep them tender-crisp.

Should I remove the fat layer?

I don’t. I think it’s delicious. But many people do remove it. If you want to remove it efficiently, it’s best to chill the soup, then you can easily remove the congealed fat layer from the top after a few hours, or the next day.

What to serve with homemade chicken soup?

My Israeli grandma used to serve it with egg noodles, similar to the ones pictured here (directions for making those are included in the recipe card below).

My Dutch grandma served it with tiny cooked meatballs. And my mother in law serves it with cooked white rice.

But you don’t have to add a starch to the soup. It’s wonderful just as it is. If you must, consider adding some plain cooked shirataki noodles (omit the butter and Parmesan).

Or do as my friend Irina does and cook a thin omelet, cut it into thin ribbons and add that to your soup.

You can also turn your homemade chicken soup into a very flavorful egg drop soup.

Is homemade chicken soup really healthy?

Known as the “Jewish Penicillin,” it turns out that there IS something truly healthy and healing about this soup. Apparently, it has proven health benefits.

So if the mediocre taste of the canned stuff was not enough to put you off it, consider that the canned stuff probably doesn’t have all these wonderful benefits.

How long does it keep?

It keeps well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for about 5 days. You can also divide some of it into individual portions and freeze them in 1-cup containers.

Never miss a recipe!

I typically publish a new healthy recipe once or twice per week. Want the new recipes in your inbox? Subscribe!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

4.96 from 46 votes

Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe

Making homemade chicken soup from scratch is easy. Place the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer. The longer you simmer, the richer the soup.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time3 hrs

Total Time3 hrs 10 mins

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Jewish

Keyword: chicken, soup

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 86kcal

Author: Vered DeLeeuw

INGREDIENTS

• 4 lb. chicken pieces, bone-in, skin-on
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 2 large carrots
• 2 stalks celery, cut into thirds
• 1 bunch parsley
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt (not table salt)
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 3 quarts water

INSTRUCTIONS

• Place all the ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed stockpot. Bring to a boil. 
• Skim the foam layer from the top, reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer for 3 hours.
• Strain the solids through a colander. If you can’t bring yourself to discard the meat, keep it and use it (without the skin) in these chicken patties. 
• Serve the chicken soup immediately. Or cool completely, refrigerate overnight, and the next day, remove the fat layer from the top before reheating.

NOTES

Nutrition info based on Calorie King.

To make the noodles pictured here, cook wide egg noodles such as these (or use a gluten-free brand if needed) separately in salted boiling water. Cook them 2 minutes less than the directions on the package call for. Add them to the soup just before serving, about 1/2 cup cooked noodles per person. You can keep the leftover noodles in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. 

NUTRITION INFO Nutrition info is approximate and may contain errors. It is calculated using the SparkPeople.com recipe calculator, and the carb count excludes sugar alcohols. Please feel free to make your own calculations. Please read the disclaimers in our Terms of Use carefully before using any of our recipes. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Please verify they are before using.

Nutrition Facts

Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 86 Calories from Fat 27

% Daily Value*

Fat 3g5%

Sodium 343mg15%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 6g12%

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

NEVER MISS A RECIPE! I typically publish a new healthy recipe once or twice per week. Want the new recipes in your inbox? Subscribe!