Chicken Soup from Scratch: The Real-Deal Recipe
To make chicken soup from scratch, simmer a whole chicken or bone-in pieces with aromatics for 1 to 1.5 hours to build a flavorful homemade broth, then shred the meat and add vegetables to cook until tender. The whole process takes about 2 hours and produces a deeply flavored soup that no boxed broth can replicate.
I moved to a new city in October and got sick for the first time in November, which is the worst possible combination because I didn't know anyone well enough to ask for help and I was too sick to leave the apartment. I ordered soup from a delivery app. What arrived was correct in temperature and incorrect in every other way — thin, slightly salty, vaguely chicken-adjacent. I looked at it and thought about my choices and then decided to make actual soup.
I had never made chicken soup from a whole bird before. I'd made it from broth in a carton and considered that sufficient. The soup I made that afternoon from a whole chicken, an onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and nothing else changed my position on this entirely. The broth that came off a whole bird simmering for ninety minutes was something completely different — rich, gelatinous when it cooled, full of the kind of depth that stock from a carton approximates but does not achieve.
Skim the foam that rises during the first ten minutes of simmering. Add the vegetables early enough to soften but not dissolve. Pull the chicken when it's just cooked through, shred it, and return it to the pot. Season properly at the end, not during, because the broth reduces as it cooks and overseasoning early turns into a salt situation by the time you serve it.
I felt considerably better by the following day. The soup did not fix the being sick part. It fixed the being alone and eating delivery broth water part, which is a different and more correctable problem.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken (3.5 to 4.5 lbs), giblets removed
- 3 quarts cold water (12 cups), plus more as needed
- 3 medium carrots, divided —? 2 halved crosswise for the broth, 1 sliced into coins for the soup
- 3 stalks celery, divided —? 2 halved crosswise for the broth, 1 sliced for the soup
- 1 large yellow onion, quartered (skin on is fine)
- 1 whole head of garlic, halved crosswise
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins (for the soup)
- 2 stalks celery, sliced (for the soup)
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (for the soup)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (for the soup)
- 6 oz wide egg noodles (about 3 cups dry)
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped (optional but very good)
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1Place the whole chicken breast-side up in a large stockpot (at least 8 quarts). Pour in the cold water —? cold, not hot, this is not a shortcut that pays off. The chicken should be almost submerged. If it isn't, add more water.
- 2Add the halved carrots, halved celery stalks, quartered onion, halved garlic head, thyme, bay leaves, peppercorns, and 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Do not stir.
- 3Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As it heats up, gray foam will collect on the surface. Skim it off with a spoon or ladle every few minutes until the foam mostly stops appearing —? this takes about 10 to 15 minutes total. This step matters for a clear, clean-tasting broth.
- 4Once the broth is relatively clear and boiling, reduce heat to a low, steady simmer. You want small bubbles breaking the surface occasionally, not a rolling boil. Partially cover the pot. Simmer for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the leg joints move freely.
- 5Carefully remove the chicken from the pot and set it in a large bowl to cool for 15 to 20 minutes until it's cool enough to handle.
- 6Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl or second pot. Discard the spent vegetables —? they have given everything they had and deserve a dignified exit. Taste the broth and adjust salt. You should have about 8 to 10 cups of broth.
- 7Return the strained broth to the stockpot over medium heat. Add the fresh sliced carrots, sliced celery, and diced onion for the soup. Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the vegetables are just tender.
- 8While the vegetables simmer, shred the chicken meat, discarding the skin and bones. Pull it into bite-size pieces —? a mix of white and dark meat gives you the best flavor.
- 9Add the minced garlic to the pot and simmer 1 more minute.
- 10Add the egg noodles and cook according to package directions, usually 6 to 8 minutes, until tender.
- 11Add the shredded chicken back to the pot. Stir in the parsley and dill if using. Taste again for salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Pro Tips
- Start with cold water. This is not a suggestion. Cold water draws flavor and collagen out of the chicken gradually, producing a richer broth. Hot water shocks the chicken and you end up with murky, thin broth and a confused expression.
- Do not skip the skimming step in the first 15 minutes. That gray foam is coagulated protein and it will make your broth cloudy and slightly off-tasting if you leave it in. Set a timer and stay nearby —? this is not the moment to wander off to check your phone.
- If you want to make this ahead, cook the noodles separately and store them outside the soup. Noodles sitting in broth overnight absorb liquid and get soft in a way that is very sad and also ruins your leftovers. Store them in a container on the side and add to each bowl when serving.
- Dark meat —? thighs and drumsticks —? carries more fat and collagen than breast meat, which is why using a whole chicken makes the broth significantly richer than using only breasts. The breast meat shreds beautifully for the soup; the dark meat is what makes the broth taste like something.
Substitutions
Storage Instructions
Cool soup completely before storing. Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 4 days. The fat will solidify on the surface in the refrigerator —? you can skim it off or stir it back in, both are fine. Freeze broth and shredded chicken (without noodles) for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat gently on the stovetop.
Make Ahead
The broth and shredded chicken can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated separately. When ready to serve, bring the broth to a simmer, add fresh vegetables, cook until tender, then add the chicken and cook noodles fresh. The finished soup with noodles is best eaten the day it's made; store noodles separately if you know you'll have leftovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it matter if I use a whole chicken or just chicken parts?
It matters, but not in a dealbreaker way. A whole chicken gives you more bones and cartilage, which means more collagen and a richer, slightly more unctuous broth. Bone-in, skin-on thighs and drumsticks are the next best thing —? they have more fat and collagen than breasts alone. If you use only boneless, skinless breasts, you'll get cooked chicken in seasoned water, which is not the same experience at all.
Why does my homemade chicken soup taste bland?
Almost always one of three things: not enough salt, not enough simmering time, or skipping the skimming and then over-skimming the fat later (fat carries flavor). Salt the broth more aggressively than feels comfortable —? soup needs salt. If the broth tastes thin after straining, simmer it uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes to concentrate it before adding the vegetables.
Can I make chicken soup from scratch in a slow cooker?
Yes. Place the whole chicken and aromatics in a 6-quart or larger slow cooker, cover with 10 to 12 cups of cold water, and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours. Strain the broth, shred the chicken, then return both to the slow cooker with fresh vegetables and cook on HIGH for 30 to 45 minutes until tender. Add cooked noodles just before serving.
How do I make this soup gluten-free?
The base recipe is naturally gluten-free. Substitute gluten-free pasta or rice for the egg noodles. Cook whichever you choose separately and add directly to bowls when serving —? gluten-free pasta in particular breaks down quickly in hot broth and gets mushy faster than regular pasta if left sitting in the soup.
Why did my broth turn out cloudy?
Three common causes: boiling too hard instead of simmering gently, not skimming the foam in the early stages, or stirring the pot too much while it simmers. A gently simmered broth with skimmed foam will be clear and golden. Cloudiness doesn't ruin the flavor, but if you want a clear broth, keep the heat low and resist the urge to stir.
Can I use rotisserie chicken instead of making broth from scratch?
You can, but you won't be making chicken soup from scratch at that point —? you'll be making chicken noodle soup with store-bought shortcuts, which is a perfectly reasonable thing to do on a Tuesday. If you go that route, use good-quality store-bought low-sodium chicken broth, shred the rotisserie meat, and skip straight to the vegetable-simmering step. It takes about 30 minutes total.
How long should I actually simmer the chicken?
For a 3.5 to 4.5 lb whole chicken, plan on 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes at a gentle simmer. The chicken is done when the leg joint moves freely and the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F. Resist the urge to rush this —? pulling the chicken too early leaves flavor in the bird rather than in the broth.
What vegetables go in chicken soup from scratch?
The classic trio is carrots, celery, and onion —? also called mirepoix —? used twice in this recipe: once for the broth (discarded after straining) and once as the actual vegetables in the finished soup. Parsnip is a traditional addition that adds subtle sweetness. Leeks can replace or supplement onion. Potatoes work if you skip noodles. Avoid broccoli or cabbage in the broth —? they make it bitter.