Chicken Soup Recipe

Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks simmer with onion, garlic, and bay leaf until the broth has real body, then carrots and celery go in for the last stretch so they stay firm.

Prep Time10

Cook Time45

Total Time55

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Main Dish, Soup

Cuisine: American, Chicken, Mediterranean

Keyword: chicken soup recipe, comfort food, one-pot, quick, Savory

Servings: people

Calories: 249kcal

Author: Vanjo Merano

Cost: $

Equipment

1 Wide cooking pot A wide pot gives the chicken room to sit in a single layer so it cooks evenly.
1 Slotted spoon For lifting the chicken out of the hot broth without carrying liquid with it.
1 Instant read thermometer Confirms the thickest part of the thigh has reached 165°F.
1 Ladle For skimming foam early and portioning the soup at the end.

Ingredients

2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks
1 1/2 cups rotini
2 pieces medium carrots sliced
2 stalks celery sliced
1 pieces medium yellow onion quartered
3 cloves garlic crushed
1 pieces dried bay leaf
7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Place the chicken, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and chicken broth in a wide cooking pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then skim off and discard any foam that rises to the surface.
2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, 1 pieces medium yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 pieces dried bay leaf, 7 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 20 minutes.
Add the carrots and celery. Cover and continue simmering for 10 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and registers at least 165°F in the thickest part.
2 pieces medium carrots, 2 stalks celery
Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool enough to handle. Discard the bay leaf. Pull the meat from the bones and shred it, then discard the bones.
2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, 1 pieces dried bay leaf
Season the broth with the ground black pepper. Taste it, then add salt as needed.
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, Salt
Bring the broth back to a gentle boil. Add the rotini and cook according to the package directions until al dente.
1 1/2 cups rotini
Return the shredded chicken to the pot during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Stir in the parsley once the pasta is done.
2 lbs bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley
Transfer the chicken soup to individual bowls and serve hot.

Notes

Cooking the pasta separately – If you are making this ahead, cook the rotini in a separate pot of salted water and keep it in its own container. Ladle the hot broth over it at serving time so the noodles stay al dente.

Freezing – Freeze the broth and shredded chicken together without the pasta, in a container with an inch of headspace, for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and cook fresh rotini in the reheated broth.

Noodle swaps – Wide egg noodles, elbow macaroni, or ditalini all work at the same 1 1/2 cups. Egg noodles cook faster, so start tasting at the 4-minute mark.

Keeping the broth clear – Hold the pot at a bare simmer with just a few bubbles breaking the surface. A hard boil emulsifies the rendered chicken fat into the liquid and turns it cloudy.

Rotisserie shortcut – Use the meat from one rotisserie chicken in place of the raw thighs and drumsticks. Simmer the stripped carcass in the broth for 20 minutes for body, lift it out, then continue from the carrot and celery step.

Nutrition