This homemade chicken soup is a must to make during cold and flu season. My Grandma’s chicken soup from scratch is the ultimate comfort food, and it is absolutely delicious. All you need is one pot and some simple ingredients to make this incredible chicken soup recipe.

Do you love homemade chicken soup? You won’t believe how easy my chicken soup is to make from scratch!

This is the homemade chicken soup recipe I grew up enjoying. If you love chicken soup as much as we do, you will want to check out all of my delicious homemade Gluten Free Soup Recipes!

I remember my grandmother making this chicken soup from scratch every time we went to visit. The memories come back every time I make this soup. She would dump the ingredients into a big soup pot. Magic happened as it cooked.

This chicken soup recipe takes time to make…but I promise it is worth it! You can also make the Instant Pot Version of this Homemade Chicken Soup! Delicious flavor in a fraction of the time!!

My Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Soup is Comfort Food!

This soup is as close to comfort food as it gets. I remember my grandmother making this soup every time we went to visit. The memories come back every time I make this soup.

This easy chicken soup recipe is made from scratch with simple ingredients. This chicken soup takes time because the flavors slowly simmer, but I promise it is worth it!

Our whole family loves this soup, and I must make it more often. Fall is finally here, and soon, cold and flu season will be here.

Making a bowl of good chicken soup from scratch is so easy. You don’t need many ingredients. Add chicken, broth, carrots, onion, garlic, and celery to a pot. You can add noodles to make chicken noodle soup or add rice. We usually make chicken and rice soup because gluten free noodles tend to get pretty mushy. You can use brown or white rice in this soup recipe.

This soup is Whole 30, Paleo, Keto, Dairy-Free, and Gluten Free. Perfect for anyone who has food allergies. Pair this soup with these delicious gluten free bread for easy dipping: Gluten Free Light and Fluffy Cheddar Muffins or this Gluten Free Focaccia Bread.

The top view of two bowls of grandma's chicken soup.

You will need a whole chicken for my grandma’s old-fashioned chicken soup. (You can also use chicken bone-in chicken parts to make this recipe. My neighbor loves using bone-in chicken thighs.) You need to make sure your chicken pieces are with the bone, as the bone minerals are what make this soup so good!!

I prefer to use an organic whole chicken. Include the neck and organs…it all goes into the pot. You will want to cook this down for a couple of hours to infuse the chicken flavor into the broth.

If you love this soup, you will also want to try my Gluten Free Matzo Ball recipe. This soup is great with matzo balls! Fresh chicken soup is always better than canned!

The Vegetables:

Classic chicken soup has onion, carrot, and celery. I have added turnip and rutabaga to my chicken soup recipe over the years, but I wanted to keep it close to my grandma’s recipe for this post.

(If you decide to add other vegetables, you would want one small turnip and one small rutabaga chopped up.) You can also try this easy Instant Pot Vegetable Soup with Chicken for a soup with many extra vegetables.

We also love to add rutabagas to this soup.

Chicken Soup Seasoning:

This soup is full of flavor from these spices and herbs:

  • thyme
  • basil
  • parsley
  • garlic
  • salt and pepper

I used dried thyme and dried basil. I did use fresh garlic cloves because dried garlic powder just doesn’t add the same flavors to the soup broth. Fresh parsley is also better to use.

How To Make Homemade Chicken Soup:

A whole chicken cooking in a soup pot.

I love making my chicken soup with a whole chicken. The raw chicken cooks in the soup, adding incredible flavor! If you do not have a whole chicken on hand, you can easily use other chicken parts…it is best to use chicken with the bones as the bones add a lot of nutrients to the soup while cooking.

Step 1: Add your raw whole chicken to a large stockpot. Add in low-sodium chicken broth, seasonings, vegetables, and water.

Step 2: Cover the pot and bring the chicken soup to a boil. It should take about 10-15 minutes to boil, depending on the depth of the soup pot.

Step 3: Once the soup is boiling, let it boil for 15 minutes. Turn down the heat to low and allow the soup to simmer for two hours.

The chicken cooking in soup with parsley and carrots.

Step 4: After the chicken cooks in the soup for 1 ½ to 2 hours, remove the chicken to a separate pan so the bones don’t all fall apart in the soup.

Step 4: Serve the soup hot with rice or noodles. I recommend cooking them separately and then adding them to the bowl.

Two bowls of chicken soup next to carrots and a garlic bulb.

Chicken Soup FAQ:

Is chicken broth gluten free?

Most chicken broth is gluten free, but I highly encourage you to read the labels. Look for any artificial ingredients, and also make sure the broth wasn’t made on shared equipment!

Can you use gluten free noodles?

Gluten free noodles are tricky, and for this reason, I do not recommend cooking your noodles in this soup recipe. Gluten free chicken noodle soup has to be made with the noodles cooked separately and then added to your bowl just before adding your cooked soup.

What gluten free noodles are good for chicken soup?

Some brands of gluten free pasta definitely hold up better than others. I like Jovial and Barilla pasta brands for chicken soup. As I mentioned above, you do not want to cook these in your soup…but these noodles will hold up to sitting in a bowl of soup for a little while.

Do you have to use a whole chicken?

You do not have to use a whole chicken to make this soup recipe. You can also use chicken bone-in chicken parts to make this recipe. My neighbor loves using bone-in chicken thighs. You need to make sure your chicken pieces are with the bone, as the bone minerals are what make this soup so good!!

How do you spice up bland chicken soup?

If you want the flavors to be stronger, add more salt and seasonings to your soup.

Storage:

This soup will keep fresh in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. You will notice the chicken fat congeals on top of the soup. You can use a spoon to scrape the fat off if you like. You can reheat it on the stove or in your microwave oven.

You can also freeze the soup. I highly recommend freezing it in Souper Cubes. These are one-cup-sized cubes that are perfect for a single serving! Freeze in the Souper Cubes, then move the frozen cubes to a freezer-safe zip-style bag. The frozen soup will keep fresh for up to 5 months.

More Homemade Soup Recipes to Try:

If you love chicken as much as we do, you will want to check out ALL of my delicious easy Gluten Free Chicken Recipes!!

Tools:

  1. A big soup pot that is large enough to hold a whole chicken.
  2. A vegetable chopper to chop up your vegetables.
Two bowls of chicken soup next to carrots and a garlic bulb.

Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Soup

Sandi Gaertner
An easy homemade chicken soup made from scratch. Grandma's chicken soup recipe is easy to make using a whole chicken and vegetables.
4.75 from 394 votes
dairy free allergen icon
an egg free allergen icon
gluten free allergy icon
nut free allergen icon
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 10 minutes
Course Gluten Free Soup Recipes
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Calories 188 kcal

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken raw
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 large onion chopped
  • 5 carrots chopped
  • 3 celery stalks chopped
  • 2 teaspoons basil
  • 2 teaspoons thyme
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 quart chicken broth low sodium
  • 4 cups water
  • parsley is optional

Instructions
 

  • Add a whole raw chicken to a large stock pot.
  • Add all ingredients, cover and simmer on medium low until it boils.
  • Once the soup is boiling, turn down the temperature to low and simmer for 2 hours.
  • Remove the chicken to a pan. Do this carefully so the chicken doesn’t fall apart. Cut the chicken meat into pieces and add back to the soup. Garnish with fresh parsley if you like.
  • Serve hot. (My grandmother served it over rice, this is totally optional.)

Notes

  1. This recipe uses a whole raw chicken. The chicken cooks directly in the soup making the broth full of rich chicken flavors!
  2. If you do not have a whole chicken, you can use chicken parts. The soup will taste the best if you use bone-in chicken parts. The bone broth is what adds to the flavor.
  3. You can use fresh herbs or dried.
  4. I like to add a small rutabaga sometimes for a flavor boost. It is totally optional but if you try this, peel the rutabaga first.
  5. This chicken soup is even better the next day.
  6. This soup will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.

SPECIAL NOTE

Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, you may need to adjust your moisture levels in your baked goods.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 188kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 15gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 892mgPotassium: 337mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 5226IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg
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Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

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Recipe Rating




242 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This is so delicious. Neighbor’s Grandma, on the farm, used to make chicken noodle soup for him, and his response; “this is the best chicken noodle soup I ever had”. Well, I couldn’t agree more. Thanks so much

  2. Do you know a way to do this recipe in an instant pot instead? I don’t have a stock pit but I would like to try this!

  3. 5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight, I just wanted to say thank you for such an easy and precise recipe. I have been wanting chicken noodle soup for weeks but just now found the noodles and then your recipe popped up and I was wonderful! I just love when good things come together. Take care!

  4. 5 stars
    Best chicken soup I’ve ever had. Keeping it forever! I added pastina pasta and blended the veg/stock so my kids would enjoy it and it added a nice thickness to the soup. Everyone who tried it loved it! Thanks for sharing!

  5. 5 stars
    I stumbled across this recipe (can’t remember where) and it’s become our VERY FAVORITE chicken soup. I love how everything cooks right in the pot. I save the bones to make broth later.

  6. 5 stars
    I made this tonight for my husband who isn’t feeling well. We loved it!!! My teens loved it and so do their friends. Perfect recipe.

  7. I have been searching for a recipe for thin dumplings, not drop biscuits dumplings. The one I found was terrible. Others I have found had bad reviews saying the just disappeared when dropped in the hot broth. Chicken and dumplings were my grandson favorite and I would love to make gluten free ones for him! Any suggestions?

  8. 5 stars
    To add additional flavor try adding a diced parsnip. It give a beautiful sweetness to the broth.

  9. 5 stars
    Love it!!!! Both my kids are sick and I never even thought to put it over rice! Very satisfying.

  10. 5 stars
    I always ♥ this soup because it is very simple and delicious and not complicated. Thanks a lot all my friends ❤ it.when need soup it is grandma’s chicken soup. 🐔