Ultimate Chicken Soup Recipe (Simple, Healthy, and Nourishing)
The humble chicken soup - probably the most comforting meal I can think of! But there is nothing humble about this ultimate chicken soup recipe. It is so delicious, comforting, and simple to make! It's my go-to soup when a family member is fighting off a case of the sniffles, or if I just want an easy, nourishing, tasty soup for a cold winter's night.
Here are a few reasons why you'll love this ultimate chicken soup recipe:
Takes Less Than 60 Minutes
One of the best things about this soup is that it comes together so quickly. It'll be on the table within an hour! No need for hours of simmering on the stove.
Simple to Make
All you need is a few basic vegetables, some chicken, a few herbs, and your choice of stock, or bone broth and water. Everything goes in one pot, and just like that you've got a delicious soup on the table.
Healthy and Nourishing
I like to use chicken bone broth when I can, for this soup. But stock is also just fine! I prefer bone broth because it is more nutrient-dense, and has a tonne of collagen (cooking turns it to gelatin). Fantastic for skin! Plus, you get all the vitamins and minerals from the chickens bones that have been simmered for a long time. You also get several amino acids (the building blocks of protein), calcium, magnesium, potassium, and so much more!
Beautiful, Clean Flavours
The broth itself is quite thin, but packed with comforting flavours from the vegetable base, thyme, chicken and parsley. You really can taste each ingredient in each bowl - often less is more!
Ingredients in this Ultimate Chicken Soup Recipe
Vegetable Base and Chicken
Like all good soups, this recipe calls for a basic vegetable base. Mine includes onion, carrot, celery, and a whole head of garlic. Yep you read that correctly - a whole head of garlic! Trust me, it does not overpower the soup at all. By the time it caramelises and then simmers with the other ingredients, it mellows down a lot. I did tell you I use this soup to help fight off colds!!! Maybe it can fight off vampires too!
I like to use chicken drumsticks instead of breast. The reason I don't use breast is because I want the bones and cartilage in the soup for their nutrients. But chicken thigh would be a great alternative to drumsticks - just make sure they are skin-on and bone-in.
The Chicken Broth and Parsley
The base for the broth is largely where this ultimate chicken soup becomes really nourishing. I use chicken bone broth (you can make your own from chicken bones. Or, you can buy some from the supermarket - this one is pretty good). Bone broth is made by simmering bones for over 12-24 hours (some even longer) to extract all the nutrients and minerals from the bones.
Because the bones release so much collagen (which becomes gelatin), I like to thin it down with water for this soup. You can also use chicken stock for this soup too, in which case just use stock for the whole liquid base! The dash of apple cider vinegar is there for a hint of acidity. But it also to help extract the minerals from the chicken drumstick bones too!
This chicken soup is perfect for when you buy a bunch of parsley, use up all the leaves, and are then stuck with a bunch of parsley stalks. Do not throw out your parsley stalks!!! I absolutely love the crisp texture they give the soup, and the bright pops of green are beautiful. They give the soup a lovely fresh finish.
I often slice up leftover parsley stalks and freeze them for this soup. Or, just throw in the whole bunch - leaves and stalks!
How to Make this Ultimate Chicken Soup
Sauté the Vegetables
I love this soup because it's such a simple one-pot meal. Firstly, you sauté onion, carrot and celery in some olive oil. This is called a mirepoix in French cuisine. The standard ratio is 2:1:1 of onion, carrot and celery by weight! Don't be shy with the olive oil! It gives a rich mouth-feel to the soup along with the bone broth.
I also throw in a whole head of garlic, with bay leaves, and a pinch of salt to help the vegetables break down. You want them to begin to caramelise - don't just heat them through! The caramelisation is what brings out the natural sugars, and adds sweetness and flavour to the soup.
Simmer the Chicken, Shred, and Adjust Soup Seasonings
Next, place your chicken drumsticks into the pot, with a good pinch of pepper, the thyme, and bay leaves. Then pour all the liquid over this, and simmer!
Along with making sure the vegetables are caramelised, the key to developing flavour in the soup in a short amount of time is to use chicken bone broth, or chicken stock. It's possible to use just water, but you won't have as much flavour in the soup. After the chicken is cooked and shredded, you return it to the pot.
Adjust for salt and pepper at this stage! You'd be surprised just how much difference an extra half teaspoon of salt makes to the soup. There have been times I've made this, and wondered why the flavours aren't quite there, and a bit more salt was all it took. Salt enhances the flavours of ingredients - so don't be shy with it!
Stir in Fresh Parsley Stalks (and Leaves!)
And then my favourite part of this soup - the parsley at the end. Finely slice your parsley stalks (and leaves, if you're not just using leftover stalks) and stir through the soup. You don't want them to cook through - you want them to be fresh and crisp! The crunch of the parsley stalk give a whole new textural element to the soup, and give a wonderful, clean, bright parsley flavour. Delicious!
Whenever I serve this chicken soup, I like to keep it simple. Serve with freshly ground cracked pepper, and a thick slice of sourdough bread!
I hope you love this ultimate chicken soup recipe! xxx
This ultimate chicken soup recipe is simple, healthy, and nourishes you with chicken bone broth! With tender chicken, fresh parsley, thyme, garlic, and more, this soup is delicious, light, and warming.
- 1 kg chicken drumsticks (or skin-on and bone-in chicken thighs. See Note 1)
- 2 brown onions (diced)
- 2 carrots (diced)
- 2 celery stalks (diced)
- 1 whole head of garlic (finely chopped)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 500 ml chicken bone broth (or use chicken stock instead of bone broth+water. See note 2)
- 1 litre water (can adjust for more or less, depending on how thin you like your soup)
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried thyme)
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Small bunch of parsley (stalks finely chopped, leaves can be whole. See note 3)
- 1
Heat the olive oil in a pot on medium-high heat. Throw in your onion, carrot, celery, garlic and bay leaves with a small pinch of salt. Sauté for 4-5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft and beginning to caramelise (see note 4).
- 2
Place the chicken drumsticks in the pot, along with the thyme, a good pinch of pepper, the apple cider vinegar, bone broth, and water. You want the chicken to almost be covered with liquid.- 3
Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and tender (see note 5).
- 4
Remove the bay leaves and the chicken drumsticks from the soup. When cool enough to handle, shred the meat with your hands, or with two forks. You can keep the skin and the bone to make your own chicken bone broth!
- 5
Return the shredded chicken meat into the soup, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat, and add in your parsley stalks (and parsley leaves, if using). Stir through and enjoy!
Note- Any skin-on and bone-in cut would work nicely in this soup, so you get the extra nutrients from the bones and connective tissue. Chicken feet would work well, as would chicken carcasses.
- If using bone broth, thin it down with water otherwise it can be a bit too rich. You can also thin it down with stock (just be mindful of the saltiness if using store-bought bone broth and stock). Or, you can just use stock for the whole liquid base, if you can't find bone broth.
- The parsley stalks give the soup a beautiful fresh crisp texture. If you ever buy a bunch of parsley and just use the leaves, keep the stalks for this soup! I thinly sliced mine and freeze until I'm ready to use for this soup. Or, you can just get a whole bunch of parsley, and use the stalks and the leaves. It really just depends what you have on hand!
- You want the vegetables to begin to caramelise and become browned. This is what brings out the natural sugars and gives the soup more sweetness and flavour. You are not just heating them through (way less flavour this way!)
- You'll know the chicken is ready when you poke it with a fork or knife and the meat easily parts from the bone.
ultimate, chicken, soup, winter, one-pot mealThank you for supporting NurtureNosh - I hope you love this recipe!
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