Some call this soup Jewish penicillin, others just say this homemade chicken soup busts through cold and flu season. I just call it delicious. All you need is one pot and some simple ingredients to make this incredible chicken soup recipe.
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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.
For some reason, I only make this soup when someone is sick. I make a big pot full of and freeze the extras to have homemade soup on hand all of the time.
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 fresh simple ingredients. This chicken soup takes time to make because the flavors slowly simmer in...but I promise it is worth it!
Our whole family loves this soup, and I really need to make it more often. Fall is finally here and soon cold and flu season will be here. We also love this delicious Turmeric Chicken Vegetable Soup during cold and flu season!! (And this turmeric chicken soup is quick and easy to make!)
It is so easy to make a bowl of good chicken soup from scratch. You don't need many ingredients. Just 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.
For my grandma's old-fashioned chicken soup, you will need a whole chicken. (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 makes 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 so the chicken flavor is infused 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 for this post, I wanted to keep it close to my grandma's recipe.
(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 lots of extra vegetables.
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:
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.
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 then adding them to the bowl.
Chicken Soup FAQ:
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!
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.
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.
No, 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 makes this soup so good!!
If you would like the flavors to be stronger, add more salt and seasonings to your soup.
Storage:
This soup will store 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:
- One of my favorites, this Gluten Free Cream of Tomato Soup is thick and creamy.
- This recipe is made without a roux and tastes amazing! Gluten Free Oyster Chowder (works well with clams for clam chowder too!)
- Another great cold and flu busting soup filled with turmeric flavors: Turmeric Chicken Soup
- For my spice lovers, this Taco Chicken Soup is hard to resist.
If you love chicken as much as we do, you will want to check out ALL of my delicious easy Gluten Free Chicken Recipes!! Making chicken soup is so easy!! Don't forget to check out my chicken soup story!
Tools:
- A big soup pot that is large enough to hold a whole chicken.
- A vegetable chopper to chop up your vegetables.
Recipe
Grandma's Homemade Chicken Soup
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.)
Video
Notes
- This recipe uses a whole raw chicken. The chicken cooks directly in the soup making the broth full of rich chicken flavors!
- 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.
- You can use fresh herbs or dried.
- 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.
- This chicken soup is even better the next day.
- This soup will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Nutrition
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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pat melanson
This is a nice, quick soup. I have my own homemade soup, it’s the best of course!, but this is pretty darned good!
Erica
Close to what I make from scratch. I add a peeled turnip or two, peeled parsnips, and a peeled rutabaga or two.
Sandi Gaertner
Sounds delicious, thank you Erica!
Pat
I added turnip too!
Sofia Graf
I often cook homemade chicken soup, and it is a family favorite menu. I use pure cow ghee as the taste enhancer of the soup. It is an easy way to make the soup extra creamy, flavorful, and rich with ghee nutrition. It's ghee-licious.
I prefer using Milkio grass-fed ghee for all my recipes.
Sandi Gaertner
Your modifications sound really good. Thank you!
Rhonda
Exactly the way my mother & her mother made!! Easy but lots of love ❤️ And flavor! It’s on my stove as I write this on this gloomy, fall day. Thanks for sharing
Sandi Gaertner
I am so glad you loved the recipe!
N Collins
Rhonda those are the truest words every spoken.
Robbin Lamo
I’ve made this many times and use a large chicken and increase the amount of vegetables, it’s awesome!
Sandi Gaertner
Hi Robbin, I am so glad you loved the recipe!