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    Home » Main Meals » Soup

    Homemade Chicken Soup

    Last Updated: Jan 4, 2022 by Seanna Borrows · This post may contain affiliate links. · As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. · 5 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe
    Image of Pinterest Pin with Banner Title Text above a bowl of Instant Pot Chicken Soup with a spoonful raised.

    Homemade Chicken Soup - Best old family recipe for the ultimate comfort food. Made with fresh chicken, carrots, celery, and onions. So good!

    This traditional chicken soup recipe is made on the stovetop in a dutch oven or stock pot and takes some time. Need a fast and easy chicken soup recipe? Try our Instant Pot Chicken Soup Recipe. Have the same classic flavors of homemade chicken soup made in a fraction of the time.

    Image showing a bowl of homemade chicken soup placed on a light blue napkin with a white background.

    Why You'll Love This Recipe

    This Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe has been passed down through the generations in my family and it remains a family favorite today.  The original recipe came from my Oma (German for Grandmother), who I imagine got it from her Mom.  Oma taught my Mom how to make it and then they passed it down to me.

    If you're craving comfort food, this tasty soup recipe is sure to please. Full of flavor and a such a healthy dinner idea your whole family will love.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Equipment
    • Here's How To Make It
    • Tasty Tips
    • The Easiest Way to Debone Chicken
    • Topping Suggestion
    • More Serving Suggestions
    • Freezing Suggestion
    • Watch How To Make It
    • More Tasty Soup Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    Ingredients

    You just need a few fresh ingredients to make this tasty soup recipe.

    Image showing individual ingredients for Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe.
    • 1 Whole Chicken, Cut-up, (Giblets optional). You can usually find a whole chicken at the grocery store already packaged up with all you need, but really anything you find will work just fine. I have gone all out organic sometimes and other times I've just used a few random pieces that I've had on hand.

      Note on Giblets: If you can't deal with the giblets…forget them. Although, they really do add a depth of flavor that makes the soup taste incredibly good and I really do notice the difference when I don't use them. And besides, they're really easy to just pluck out and toss later.
    • 4 quarts Cold Water, enough to cover chicken in the pot. Cold water will make clear broth.
    • 1 Tablespoon Salt
    • Onions, 2 cups, diced.
    • Carrots, 2 cups diced.
    • Celery, 2 cups diced.

      Struggling with your knife skills? Buy prepared, diced vegetables from the local grocery store. Or do what my mom did and just toss them in whole. The soup will still taste great!
    • 5 Wyler's Chicken Bouillon Cubes- We always add Wyler's Chicken Bouillon Cubes to enhance the flavor. They make the soup taste so good!

      Substitution Suggestion: Substitute 1 Tablespoon of Salt for 5 Chicken Bouillon Cubes. We use Wyler's but feel free to substitute your favorite brand.
    • 0.5 Pound Cooked Pastina or Egg Noodles for serving.
    • Ground Pepper to taste when serving.

    Equipment

    • Dutch Oven or Stock Pot
    • Slotted Spoon
    • Cutting Board
    • Knife
    • Ladle

    Here's How To Make It

    1. Put Chicken in Pot.
    2. Add Cold Water.
    3. Bring to Boil.
    4. Reduce heat to simmer.
    5. Add Vegetables and Seasonings.
    6. Bring back up to Boil.
    7. Simmer.
    8. Remove Chicken.
    9. Debone.
    10. Cut Chicken into Pieces.
    11. Serve.
    Image of Homemade Chicken Soup simmering in a large cream colored Le Creuset Dutch Oven.

    Tasty Tips

    Choice of Pasta: We like to add some cooked Pastina (commonly called Acini de Pepe), which is a tiny little Italian pasta. As with the chicken, we prefer to keep the pasta in a bowl on the side and add it to the soup when it's served. If its added directly into the pot of soup, the pasta will become soggy and soak up all the broth!

    Substitution Suggestion: Swap out Pastina for Israeli Couscous, Orzo, Ditalini, or the more traditional Egg Noodles.

    Do Not Add Pepper: You may be tempted to add some ground pepper while you are adding the other seasonings, but don't. It will completely take over the flavor of the soup. So, add ground pepper to taste when the soup is served and not during the cooking process.

    Image showing cooked pasta and chicken ready for Homemade Chicken Soup.

    The Easiest Way to Debone Chicken

    Debone the chicken while it is still warm. If you wait until it's cold, it will be more difficult to do. Just take a piece of chicken in your hand and slide the skin off with your thumb and discard it. Then either with a fork or your fingers, take the chicken off the bones and set the pieces aside and discard the bones. It's that easy and it takes just a few minutes to do!

    Image showing a ladleful of Homemade Chicken Soup.

    Topping Suggestion

    Try adding a little Parmesan Cheese to the top of your soup just before you serve it. It's a super delicious flavor addition.

    Image showing parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of a cup of chicken soup.

    More Serving Suggestions

    What to serve with Chicken Soup?

    Breadsticks
    Garlic Bread
    Toast
    Crostini
    Biscuits
    Dumplings
    Saltine Crackers
    Grilled Cheese Sandwich

    Freezing Suggestion

    This delicious chicken soup recipe freezes easily in these handy food storage containers (Affiliate Link).

    Image showing Homemade Chicken Soup stored in handy food storage containers.

    Watch How To Make It

    More Tasty Soup Recipes

    • Pasta e Fagioli
    • Instant Pot Chicken Soup
    • The Best Potato Soup
    • Beef and Cabbage Soup

    Hungry for More? Subscribe to my Newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of the latest recipes.

    📖 Recipe

    Image showing a bowl of homemade chicken soup placed on a light blue napkin with a white background.

    Homemade Chicken Soup

    Homemade Chicken Soup - Best old family recipe for the ultimate comfort food. Made with fresh chicken, carrots, celery, and onions. So good!
    This traditional chicken soup recipe is made on the stovetop in a dutch oven or stock pot and takes some time.  Don't have all day? Try our Instant Pot Chicken Soup Recipe. Have the same classic flavors of homemade chicken soup made in a fraction of the time.
    |  www.SeannasKitchen.com
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate Add to Shopping ListGo to Shopping List
    Course: Soup and Chili
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 3 hours
    Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes
    Servings: 8 Servings
    Calories: 360kcal
    Author: Seanna | Seanna's Kitchen

    Equipment

    • Stock Pot
    • Chef's Knife

    Ingredients

    • 1 Whole Chicken Cut-up, (Giblets optional).
    • 4 Quarts Cold Water enough to cover chicken in the pot.
    • 1 Tablespoon Salt.
    • 2 Cups Onion Diced.
    • 2 Cups Carrot Diced.
    • 2 Cups Celery Diced.
    • 5 Wyler's Chicken Bouillon Cubes.
    • 0.5 Pounds Cooked Egg Noodles or Pastina for serving.
    • Ground Pepper to taste when serving.
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Put Chicken in Pot.
      Place clean pieces of chicken and giblets in an 8-quart stock pot.
    • Add Water.
      Add approximately 4 quarts of cold water to the pot. You need enough water to just cover the chicken.
    • Bring to a Low Boil.
      Set the pot on medium high heat until the water begins to boil. Once it begins to boil, you may notice a foam has appeared on the surface of the water.
    • Reduce heat to simmer.
      Turn the heat down to simmer (or low) and use a small strainer or slotted spoon to skim off and discard the foam or impurities.
    • Add Vegetables and Seasonings.
      Add the Onions, Carrots, Celery, Salt, and Chicken Bouillon Cubes.
    • Bring back up to Boil.
      Bring soup back up to a boil. When it begins to bubble, turn the heat down and reduce back to a simmer.
    • Simmer.
      Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 3 hours, until the chicken is beginning to fall off the bones.
    • Remove Chicken.
      Take the chicken and giblets, if used, out and set aside.
    • Debone.
      Take the meat out of the soup when it is just beginning to fall away from the bones. Debone chicken and discard bones and giblets.
    • Cut Chicken into Pieces.
      Cut the cooked chicken up into bite sized pieces and reserve for serving. In our house, we like to keep the chicken in a bowl on the side and add it to the soup when its served, so that it stays in nice pieces and doesn't shred throughout the soup.
    • Serve.
      Serve soup with reserved chicken and cooked pasta.

    Notes

    Use Cold Water.  Cold water will make clearer (not cloudy) soup.
    Seasoning Note: Do not add Pepper during cooking process. You may be tempted to add some ground pepper, but don't.  It will completely take over the flavor of the soup.  So, just add pepper to taste when the soup is served.
    Tasty Tip:  Simmer Uncovered.  A beautiful depth of flavor will come when you simmer the soup without a lid covering the pot.  This will allow for some evaporation to occur, thereby concentrating the flavors of the soup.
    Choice of Pasta: We like to add some cooked Pastina (commonly called Acini de Pepe), which is a tiny little Italian pasta. As with the chicken, we prefer to keep the pasta in a bowl on the side and add it to the soup when it's served. If its added directly into the pot of soup, the pasta will become soggy and soak up all the broth!
    Substitution Suggestion: Swap out Pastina for Israeli Couscous, Orzo, Ditalini, or the more traditional Egg Noodles.
    Struggling with your knife skills?  Buy prepared, diced vegetables from your local grocery store.  Or do what my mom did and just toss them in whole.  The soup will taste just as great!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 1602mg | Potassium: 409mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2558IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 2mg
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Mention @SeannasKitchen and tag #seannaskitchen!

    Did you love this recipe? If you make this recipe and love it, stop back and give it a 5-star rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment. THANK YOU!! Follow Seanna's Kitchen and share this recipe with your friends on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest and subscribe my Newsletter for ALL the latest recipes! We'd love to hear from you!

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Kathy

      October 18, 2022 at 10:34 am

      5 stars
      My family’s fav chicken noodle soup recipe!

      Reply
      • Seanna Borrows

        October 18, 2022 at 12:51 pm

        Thank you so much! I'm so happy to hear!

        Reply
    2. Russ B

      January 04, 2022 at 7:50 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect on a cold day!!

      Reply
      • Seanna

        January 05, 2022 at 9:24 am

        Thanks Russ!

        Reply
    3. Russ

      February 11, 2018 at 7:29 am

      5 stars
      Family favorite!! Grandpa B loves it!

      Reply

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    Seanna Borrows.

    Welcome to Seanna's Kitchen!

    Hi, I'm Seanna, a home cook and food blogger, sharing favorite recipes inspired by the people and places I love.
    Food is love. And here you can expect to find the recipes and stories that bring us together.
    Good food…made with love…for the people you love…Now, that's a great recipe!

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