Oh so easy and oh so yummy!
Tuesday I shared one of the easiest and BEST Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipes around. In my opinion, the key to making it the best soup around starts with the broth. I know the idea of making your own homemade chicken broth might be scary, but trust me, it’s not!
The best part, you can make a big batch now, use the leftover chicken meat in the soup recipe, and then freeze the rest for later. I even saw this great idea on The Kitchn for using ice cube trays to freeze individuals portions.
Ok, back to the broth!
Easy Homemade Chicken Broth
- 3-4 pound chicken (organic preferred)
- 3-4 carrots, peeled and cut in half
- 2 turnips, quartered
- 2 celery stalks, cut in half
- 2 onions, quartered
- 1 head of garlic, halved
- 1 tsp. pepper corns (or cracked black pepper)
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- Place the chicken in a large pot, remove giblets.
- Put the rest of the stock ingredients in the pot along with the chicken.
- Put enough water in the pot to cover the chicken- approx. 12 cups. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-1 ½ hours or longer, until chicken is cooked.
- Remove chicken from stock and let cool.
- Finely strain the vegetables and herbs out of your stock. Discard skin and bones and hand shred chicken meat from chicken and set aside. Use stock immediately for The Best Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup, or refrigerate up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Here are some more soup recipes we love!
- Sausage Tortellini Soup
- Instant Pot Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- The Best Crockpot Minestrone Soup
- The Best Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Crockpot Lasagna Soup
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Easy Homemade Chicken Broth
Ingredients
- 3-4 pound chicken organic preferred
- 3-4 carrots peeled and cut in half
- 2 turnips quartered
- 2 celery stalks cut in half
- 2 onions quartered
- 1 head of garlic halved
- 1 tsp. pepper corns or cracked black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a large pot, remove giblets.
- Put the rest of the stock ingredients in the pot along with the chicken.
- Put enough water in the pot to cover the chicken- approx. 12 cups. Cover, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 1-1 ½ hours or longer, until chicken is cooked.
- Remove chicken from stock and let cool.
- Finely strain the vegetables and herbs out of your stock. Discard skin and bones and hand shred chicken meat from chicken and set aside. Use stock immediately, refrigerate up to one week or freeze for up to 3 months.
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Nutrition Information:
Nutrition Disclaimer
Family Fresh Meals is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Post updated September 2020
Susan says
May I ask what you do with the strained out carrots, garlic, onions, etc.? I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone offer directions for these. Are they just discarded? Thanks. BTW – love your blog – made it a favorite.
Corey says
Since you are making just the broth in this post, you need to strain them out. Depending on the veggies, I sometimes will reuse some to snack on 🙂
Toni says
You could always use them in the Chicken Noodle Soup
Laura says
could I do this with a bird that’s already cooked?
Corey says
No, you will start with a raw chicken 🙂
Rachel Lyn says
Yes!! Just take the meat off the bones first, then put the rest of the chicken (including fat and skin) in your pot. This is great to do if you buy lots of rotisserie chickens. Just use the chicken like you normally would, then use the bones to make stock.
lisa says
Another question – could you use several chicken breasts that are still on the bone? My family won’t eat the dark meat so I hate to waste it. Thanks!
Corey says
I haven’t tried that before, but it’s worth a shot. You will need to add an element of fat. So I would add a couple tablespoons of olive oil.
Taryn says
I do mine a bit differently……When I make a whole chicken for dinner I take the carcase and throw it in a freezer bag and freeze it. I also save and freeze peelings, ends and skin from carrots, onions and celery (washed and organic) and freeze those too. Once I have accumulated 4 or 5 frozen chicken carcasses I put them in a big pot that I line with cheesecloth (this makes straining a breeze). I add the frozen veg bits, water and a couple tablespoons Apple cider vinegar (helps release minerals). I let it simmer for 48 hours so that I get a mineral dense bone broth. I freeze a lot of the bone broth in ice cube trays so I always have some on hand. Making broth this way is practically free 🙂
Katy says
This is pretty much how I do it too. I also use apple cider vinegar or some people use lemon to release the minerals. I let it simmer for 48 hours and usually don’t add the veggies till the second day. I find that if I don’t let it come to a boil I am most likely to get the holy grail of bone broth- the gelatinous broth 🙂 after a day in the pot the veggies aren’t good for anything but pigs or gardens/compost but if I am using peelings who cares? Another trick for amazing taste and that gelatinous viscosity that lets you know that u got the best of the vitamins and minerals- gelatin etc is to add chicken feet or necks (I like feet). I can usually get five organic feet for a couple dollars. I know it sounds yucky but it’s next level yum.
Erin says
I’m so glad I read these 2 replies! I never knew that ACV released the minerals or that simmering for 48 hours ( no boil) makes it the holy grail of broth! I’m going to have to try this! I feel like my broth tastes different each time- sometimes has no flavor other times it’s flavorful. Not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Hesti says
Will it be OK to do in a slow cooker? I don’t like the idea of having my gas cooker on during the night.
Corey says
Yes, you can make this is the slow cooker.
Kelli says
I had a problem with the water boiling out and had to add more water before it had simmered 48 hrs, any ideas on how to prevent that?
Donna says
Do u keep adding more Water as the stock boils due to evaporation?
elleffe says
Ice cube trays!! What a great idea! I already make bone broth like this pretty frequently. I’ll get some of those Extra large silicone cube trays!
Thanks for the idea. 🙂
TeeKay says
How do you line the pot with cheesecloth and attach it so it doesnt move? Sink with teh ingredients…this is a bril idea if it works!
Cry’s white says
I also do this! Old fashioned, but that is the way of the war and post war years. Waste not want not.
Carolina says
I was just wondering could you use the chicken for another meal?
What if I use this recipe and included with the chicken noodle soup?
Starla says
When I’ve made it I find that they chicken is dry and flavorless. It might be okay in a chicken salad but otherwise not really good.
Tracy says
Just thought I’d note that when dogs have belly aches my vet recommends they eat bland boiled chicken for a few days. So if your pup ever gets into anything they shouldn’t, it’s a great time to make soup!
Martie says
I would like to add my vet’s recipe for a sick dog, specifically one with digestive issues (my dog has a very sensitive digestive system so I use this often) causing diarrhea, vomiting, etc. Add to the boiled white boneless, skinless chicken (1.5-2 lb.), white rice (1 boiling bag) and one 15 oz. can of pumpkin. Boil the chicken , tear into bite sized pieces, stir in the rice and pumpkin. Serve twice a day for 2 days (use a smaller proportion than you normally feed your dog, i.e. my dog normally gets 1 cup kibble twice a day so i serve about 3/4 cup of the mix). For the 2nd meal on day 2 serve 1/2 normal serving of the mix and add 1/2 normal serving of dog food. Just to be sure the digestive problem is resolved, give this same combo for 1st meal on day 3. If no issues recur, serve regular dog food meal at 2nd meal on day 3 and thereafter. If problem recurs go back to chicken/rice/pumpkin mix until problem is solved. The leftover mix can be frozen for future problems. I always keep some of the mix in the freezer for this use. NOTE: If your dog continues to experience vomiting, diarrhea, and/or lack of appetite, rush him/her to the vet for possible stomach/intestine obstruction which is life-threatening. Symptoms: Vomiting, Diarrhea, Abdominal tenderness or pain, Lack of appetite; anorexia, Straining to defecate; constipation,
Lethargy, Behavioral changes such as biting or growling when picked up.
Natalie says
Hi Corey,
Do you add salt to the broth?
Thanks!
Corey says
I like to add salt to taste at the end of cooking.
Jennifer says
Hi! Just checking that the “2 celery stalks” refer to the entire bunch of celery. Looking forward to making 🙂
Corey says
Not the entire bunch… just 2 stalks pulled from the bunch.
Viv says
I recall reading somewhere that “stalk” refers to the whole bunch of celery, and “rib” is that single piece that most of us think of as s stalk. Weird, huh?
Melinda Roberts says
I made this. It was the best chicken broth I’ve ever made! I also added freshly ground tumeric to the broth. Soooo good!
Sonny says
5 STARS! – Soup is soup, right? Nope, not by a long shot. You need the right balance of ingredients for Your particular taste. If you start with quality ingredients, you’ll get a quality product; which in this case is soup. There are as many recopies as there are loving Grandmothers out there and each soup is Loved and said to be the best by those they made it for. This one, to Me at least, tastes as close to my Grandma’s as I’ve made in a long time. There are some here that say it’s too bland or the chicken tough; well it’s up to You to tweak it to Your taste and know when to turn off the crock pot. If you don’t like the taste of bay, don’t put it in or replace it with, say Rosemary, if you prefer; which was the missing ingredient in this one from my Grandma’s I just found out. I accidentally grabbed the wrong spice jar for pinch of thyme and, Voila, I have Gram’s soup back. Now I used Swanson’s Low Sodium Homestyle Broth since I didn’t make it from scratch and that is a perfect substitution for homemade. Also, the chicken breasts I got were butcher trimmed from Jewel. Just 2 big and meaty breasts were all it took to make it perfect, heheh oops Sorry, and they just fell apart as I was trying to take them out so I just broke them up in the pot with salad tongs; hey it works so why not. You need to know your crock pot’s time for each setting. Mine on Low takes a little longer; it just gets to 165 degrees and stay there, so I knew to let it cook another hour before adding the NoYolk Noodles; which are my Favorite too. Here’s a tip for your kids that are heading off to college if their not too good at figuring out portions and their cutting skills border on manicures: Jewel has chopped onions, celery, carrots and other veggies cut and pkgd daily in their cooler. For a 6 qt crock you’ll need 1 small container of onion and 1 med container of carrots and celery (those are both in 1 container) so it will be easier for them and there won’t be any small leftover portions. The bonus for the Jewel veggies is that the celery they use is the hearts, so you won’t need to peel them. I guess that’s what it’s called. My Grandma used to let me peel the bis off so you didn’t get the stringy fibers caught in your teeth. Also, it was the Only way I could snack on the veggies without getting a whack to my behind…1 piece for the soup and i piece for me, 2 pieces for the soup and 1 piece for me. I think she didn’t mind. I guess it was because my mouth was full and I was quiet. Keep Crockin’ on!
Sonny says
Oops, that was for the soup and not the broth. I remember a little here and there when she started making the broth. She used “the bits” as she called them: necks, the little cheesecloth pkgs that used to be inside the whole chicken (my Gramps and I would walk up to the local butcher shop when the weather was nice with her list of “bits”), but she didn’t use the whole chicken for the stock, the skins and another cheesecloth thingy of more chicken bones and huge chunks of different veggies. The spices and time it took, I have no clue on, although she did have a second stove in the basement that she used for her boiled cabbage and that was on for hours so she might have also made the stock along side that to save time maybe. You could smell it outside from a couple of houses away. Does anybody know how I can be that kid again; I miss those days and Both of them.
Wendy says
I save my chicken carcasses from my meals and freeze them, then when I am planning on making broth, take them out thaw them, and put them in a pot with onion, carrots, celery and spices and bring everything to a boil, then simmer for a couple of hours, strain everything, put the vegies in the compost with the bones from the carcass and cool the stock, put it in the fridge overnight, next day skim fat off the top of the stock, and it is ready to use, or freeze for later use.
Sheri says
Delish broth recipe. The only one I use from now on thank you:)
TeeKay says
Turnips/swedes are not often at a good price….do you need to use these?
Jill says
So you can obviously eat the chicken because it will be cooked in the process, correct?
Corey says
Yep! Its a two for one. I usually use the broth and the chicken in my chicken noodle soup 🙂
Kimberly says
This is my absolute go to recipe for homemade chicken soup!
Emma says
I just made this broth and strained it, how do I get rid of the oily looking stuff on tip or do I just eave that when making the chicken noodle soup?
Corey says
I would leave it for some extra flavor. But if you really want to get rid of extra oil, you can refrigerate your broth. The oil will all harden at the top and you can scoop it out.