Description
A comforting and hearty chicken soup made from fresh ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3–4 pound whole fresh chicken (giblets removed)
- 2 large yellow onions (peeled and halved)
- 1 head garlic (cut in half horizontally)
- ½ small jalapeno (seeded and ribs removed)
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (+ more to taste)
- ½ tablespoon peppercorns (or 1 teaspoon ground black pepper)
- 12 cups water
- 2 large Yukon Gold potatoes (scrubbed and cut into ½-inch cubes)
- 2 large sweet potatoes (scrubbed, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes)
- 3 large carrots (peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes)
- 1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 large lemon (juiced)
Instructions
- Remove any giblets, gravy packet, thermometer, or plastic ties for a whole chicken and discard. Place the chicken into a large stock pot or Dutch Oven. Add onions, garlic, jalapeño, bay leaves, kosher salt, and peppercorns. Cover with water.
- Bring the stock to a simmer over medium heat. As the soup comes to a simmer, remove any cloudy material that rises to the top of the broth with a fine-mesh strainer and discard.
- Once the soup is simmering (small bubbles around the edges of the pan), turn the heat to medium-low and cover the pan with a lid. Simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender and falling apart.
- Remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board or large bowl/casserole dish. Strain the broth using a colander over a large bowl or simply use a spoon to fish out the onions, garlic, jalapeño, bay leaves, and peppercorns from the broth.
- Optional: Refrigerate broth for a few hours or overnight to let fat consolidate and harden on the surface of the soup. Once the fat rises to the surface, scoop it out and discard.
- If needed, return the broth to the soup pan and bring back to a simmer over medium heat. Once simmering, add the potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, and reduced sodium soy sauce and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
- While the vegetables are simmering, prepare the chicken. Remove the skin and discard. Remove the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Shred or dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Measure out 2-3 cups of the chicken and save the rest to use in another recipe.
- Once the vegetables are tender, add 2-3 cups of the shredded chicken to the soup and simmer for 2-5 minutes, just to warm through.
- Remove the soup from the heat and add the juice of the lemon to the soup. Stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
Notes
- Make sure to skim off any fat that rises to the top for a clearer broth.
- This soup is perfect for using up leftover vegetables.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl