I know this is a mighty lofty thing to say about a humble soup I came up with while sick, but sniffles or not, this is the best chicken soup recipe... ever! There, I said it, because if ever there was something to stake my reputation on, this here chicken soup would be it, and that's not the NyQuil talking.
Beyond its curative abilities, chicken soup isn't something I normally crave. If I'm lucky to have the time to make it from scratch, the meat often ends up dry and stringy by the time the broth is ready, and while I could find a butcher that will sell me chicken bones separately, I don't really have the will or the energy to look for chicken carcasses when I feel the plague setting in. I know there's always the canned variety, but eating that musty, watered-down chicken liquid is a bit like fighting Ebola with Echinacea.
I can't guarantee that this chicken soup will miraculously cure your cold, but it will soothe your inner foodie, with the kind of lingering umami that will have you smacking your lips long after you've slurped the last spoonful of the heavenly clear broth. The chicken, carrots, and avocado add a splash of colour to your dreary day, while the variety of flavours and textures they provide titillate your senses at a time when applesauce feels like all you can stomach.
What do you like to eat when you're sick?
When your home from work sick, you may lack energy, but I'm going to guess you make up for that in time. That's why this recipe is so perfect. It takes a bit of time to make, but beyond some minimal chopping and dumping, this chicken soup requires almost no effort; and for that, you're rewarded with a dreamy clear broth and chicken so moist you'd swear it was cooked separately.
The secret lies in the gentle poaching of the chicken, followed by the removal of the meat and simmering of the bones until the soup is full of flavour. I've given this a vaguely Latin American twist, but you could have fun with it and make it more Asian by adding ginger and ginseng, or more European with some fresh thyme and rosemary instead of cilantro.
So if you feel the dreaded flu coming on, get thee to the grocery store and find the best quality organic chicken you can, because getting sick sucks, but getting sick with a bowl of this chicken soup to awaken your taste buds and nourish your belly, will make it suck just a little bit less.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1500 grams whole chicken
- 1 medium onion (cut into wedges)
- 3 cloves garlic (smashed with flat side of knife)
- 2 ribs celery (leaves and stems, chopped)
- 1 small bunch cilantro (stems and roots)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 large carrots (cut into bite-size pieces)
- 1 avocado
- cilantro (for serving)
- lime (for serving)
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a stock pot just big enough to hold it. Scatter the onion, garlic, celery, cilantro, bay leaves and salt around the chicken. Cover the chicken with water, put a lid on the pot, and bring it to a boil over high heat. Continue boiling for 5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat, allowing the chicken to poach in the water for 45 minutes (don't open the lid during this time).
- When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the stock and allow it to cool off enough to touch. Remove and discard the skin, then strip the meat off the bones into bite size pieces. Cover the chicken and refrigerate until the soup is done.
- Return the bones back into the stock pot along with any collected juices from the chicken. Cover, and return the soup to a boil. When it boils, turn down the heat and simmer for 3 hours.
- Strain the stock through a fine mesh sieve and discard the solids. Skim off any excess oil then add the soup back to the pot along with the carrots. Cook the carrots until tender and salt the soup to taste.
- To serve, put down some chicken, carrots and avocado in a bowl. Pour the hot stock over everything and garnish with cilantro and a wedge of lime.
Mrs.Ratfire says
Hello- I have a question. The recipe says to put the cilantro roots and stems in the pot. Did you remove them before serving? I see the leaves as a garnish- but those were not cooked in the batch. Do you use the leaves for anything other than the garnish?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Mrs.Ratfire, when you strain the stock the stems and roots along with the bones and other herbs get removed from the soup. The leaves are just a garnish.
Yogicfoodie says
Hi Marc,
If I suppliment the stock by adding about 2 lbs. of chicken back, would it be too off balance-wise? I will also bump up the water a bit too. The pic. above looks like it's super clean, pure and mild tasting. I really like deep, rich chicken flavored stock, but would like to keep the color as clear as possible. Could I achieve this goal by simmering for longer time? Or does it require the pressure cooker?
Thank you again.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Yogicfoodie, I'm not sure what you mean by adding 2 lbs of chicken back? Do you mean after you've cooked the bones you want to add more fresh chicken? As for getting the clear stock, it's important to prevent chicken proteins from entering the soup (that's what clouds it). Normally this is done by skimming while the soup is boiling, which allows you to scoop off the excreted proteins in the form of the scum it forms as the water boils. The other way is to use cooked chicken (because the proteins have already coagulated), which is what's happening here since you poach the chicken first before boiling the bones to make the stock. As for making richer stock, it's not clear, but check out my rich chicken stock recipe. https://norecipes.com/recipe/rich-chicken-stock/
Yogicfoodie says
Hi again Marc,
thank you so much! Sorry about confusion. I meant to say 'from beginning, adding 2 lbs. of chicken bones....' My butcher sells 'chicken back bones' after debonning some chick. for ppl to purchase different cuts.
NOW I KNOW why some times my stocks are moro clear then others. I've followed the Zuni Cookbooks recipe for chicken stock so far and since I wanted to make larger quantity of stock at once, I often put in extra bones... Yes, I got more stock, but it also got cloudy. And sometimes, I found my stock super clear (retro spectively thinking, I just used one whole chicken, and didn't chop it up to pieces).
Again, thank you so mush for your insightful felp. It makes such a huge difference in my cooking!
SJ says
Hi Marc,
This sounds wonderful and I will be trying it but was wondering about freezing individual portions (as I live on my own)? Would I freeze the soup and chicken separately then just defrost, reheat and add the other things? Some recipes also just mulch / blend it all together to make a smooth soup. Does this change the flavour?
Thanks
SJ
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi SJ, there's a couple ways you could go about doing this. Usually I split up just the soup and freeze it, that way I can add fresh chicken and veggies separately since freezing the chicken and carrots will change their texture. As for the chicken from the soup, you can use it in sandwiches, and salads to use that up since freezing it will tend to dry it out negating any benefit you got from gently poaching it. As for pureeing, I don't think pureeing the chicken with the soup will make for a very pleasant texture (it will be like baby food), that said, pureeing vegetables into the stock could give you a nice carrot soup.
SJ says
Wonderful, that's lots of options. Thanks for all the info.
SJ
Love my noodles says
One word: Boring!
Henri Hakl says
Hallo Marc,
why/how can we follow this approach to cooking the chicken - doesn't scum develop on the initial boil of the chicken? Shouldn't that be handled somehow?
Thanks!
Henri
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Henri, that's a great question. If scum does float to the surface during the short boiling time, you should definitely remove it, but I haven't noticed this happening when I make this.
Henri Hakl says
Ah, thanks Marc. Since I follow your chicken stock recipe for the chicken ramen, I knew that scum definitely developed in that scenario. I'll try this version as well.
jasminerice says
Hi Marc. Just wanted to let you know that I have been using your technique numerous times for the same reason you stated. I absolutely love it. I am so glad that I came across this post sometime ago. As always, you describe it so well. Thank you so much.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Jasminerice, I'm so glad to hear you've been enjoying this. That's for taking the time to let me know!
Ashley Judd says
This is my absolute go to chicken soup especially when I am doing whole 30. I make the recipe exactly as it states and find that it needs no tinkering or adjustments and then I usually use the leftover chicken breast to put over a salad
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Ashley, thanks so much for dropping by to let me know!
Susan says
I’ve been making this soup for abt 5 years now and it’s still the best chicken soup ever. Everyone raids my freezer for a jar, especially when they are under the weather. I double the Cilantro for extra flavor. Thank you for this great recipe. It is the best!
Marc Matsumoto says
Wow, I'm so glad to hear it! Thanks so much for sharing! Have you ever tried my rich chicken stock?
Susan says
No ZI haven’t. Where is the recipe!
Marc Matsumoto says
Here you go: https://norecipes.com/rich-chicken-stock/
Yamamama says
If you want to eat clean and don't desire a heavy soup, this is the best! It is comfort food for the soul.
Marc Matsumoto says
Thanks, I'm happy to hear you enjoyed it!