Everyone has their own favorite chicken soup recipe, but rarely have so few ingredients added up to so much comfort. This version has classic flavors and, thanks to a simplified method, cooks more quickly than traditional chicken soups (the dish is ready in a little over an hour). There's no need to make a separate stock; the vegetables and meat form their own satisfying broth.

Basic Chicken Soup

chicken

water

salt

medium onions, thinly sliced (4 cups)

celery stalks, sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick

garlic cloves, crushed

medium carrots, sliced 1/2 inch thick

Bring chicken, water, and 1 tablespoon salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Skim foam. Add onions, celery, and garlic. Reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.

Remove breast, and set aside. Add carrots. Simmer, partially covered, for 40 minutes.

Remove remaining chicken; discard back and wings. Let cool slightly. Remove meat from bones, and cut into bite-size pieces.

Stir in desired amount of chicken; reserve the rest for another use. Skim fat. Season with salt.

I followed  The recipe exactly. My chicken had been sooo defatted that it lacked the rich flavor my family likes but I remedied that with several spoonfuls of BETTER THAN BOUILLON which we prefer to cubes. It was delicious!

All basic ingredients are good but I don’t think one needs to be exact. I love the tip to take the chicken breasts out after half an hour. I had the Amazing soup and afterwards chicken breast on rice with carrots! Oh, and with Chala bread! Really good!

This was a great recipe.  I added a sprig of thyme and rosemary.

Soup was very good and so simple to make. I used a half a chicken and a chicken carcass. i only used 1.5 onions, 2 cloves of garlic, and 1.5 teas of salt. I like soup with less salt. Saving this to my "meals to give" board on pinterest.

It was delicious! I used the 2 bone in chicken breasts I had and a 1 less onion and 1/2 the garlic as my patient had gerd issues. It really was delicious.  Martha Rules Always.

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

Easy soup to make, however I added a few fresh herbs from my garden that I felt complemented this soup. You can't beat how easy the recipe is and it leaves the door open to do whatever you want with it.

I made this soup, and the end result was very good. However, I had to make the following changes:
1) 16 cups of water instead of 8 (the water was bottled water: 8 bottles of 500 ML each)
2) About 3/4 cup of diced tomatoes, for color
3) I used 8 drumsticks instead of a whole chicken
4) added about 1/4 teaspoon of  pepper
At serving time, spread permesan cheese over the soup (in the bowl) to make up for the 
lack of salt.

I have made this recipe nearly a dozen times since discovering it last fall.  It is so easy and basic and not salty like so many recipes are.  It's my go to when it's cold out or if anyone in the household is not feeling well.  Very comforting and delicious:D
Easy to add onto, but I usually only add a cheesecloth ball of favorite herbs(oregano and thyme usually) and peppercorns for added flavor, otherwise I like it simple like this is.

It’s so cold today and a bowl of this soup would be fantastic right about now. Have a cozy day.. This recipe of Soup looking so healthy and best suitable for these day. This recipe is also best for having a healthy diet..

I've never made my chicken soup without store bought broth and was looking for a recipe that would show me how to do it without. This basic soup is super easy to make, and really could be spiced up with your favorite seasonings/vegetables. TRUST the salt amount. It doesn't need any more salt than the tablespoon (and I like my food well salted and not bland). An amazing bowl of soup made COMPLETELY from scratch... it tastes way healthier than any soup I've made with pre-made broth.

Tried it today. It's incredible what flavours such an easy recipe gave out. 
I realise i have been crowding out my soups, this recipe is a keeper. Thanks!

Definitely my favorite soup to make when someone is sick or when I'm just not feeling well. Very simple, clean-tasting, and I save all the extras to make stock. Awesome recipe!

I cannot recommend this soup enough. It's a great staple soup recipe that I will surely use over and over again!

I made this soup and it looked just like the picture... it was good but a little tasteless... i guess cuz it's got a whole lot less sodium than the canned chicken soup :) It's great to eat something so healthy though.  Next time i might leave out the parsnips too because i'm just not very familiar with them.. might put in some sweet potato instead.

I was under 500 characters, not sure why my comments are short?

8 oz of what?  What kind of water are you using?  How do you submerge 4 lbs chicken, 6 carrots, 4 garlic cloves, 3 medium onions, 2 celery stalks in 8 oz of water?  Lol, what am I missing here? 

Not to mention, my family is Polish

I have always made chicken soup this way.  I was never taught to cook, so I thought this was the way to make it..  But I always was unsure of how to get rid of the fat.  Still this video does not show the best way to remove fat.  Paper is still not my thing, I use it for drying meat off if I do not braise, which is usual for me.

I've made this a couple of times since it first aired on TV. I made it again today and I just had to comment on how EXCELLENT this soup is! This is a recipe to keep forever!!

I wish I had come across this recipe 20 years ago. It's simple perfection--easy, supremely nutritious, satisfying to both kids and adults. I added a handful of fresh dill and my husband looked at me with the luv eyes: "Sweetie! You made my grandmother's chicken soup!"

Made this and it was delicious. I made it with chicken thighs that were on sale and used about 3 thighs and 4 drumsticks. Also tossed in a variety of noodles. I willl keep this recipe as a staple.

I made this today. It was SO good! This was the first time I cut up a chicken myself. It wasn't a pretty sight LOL but I did it. My 12yo niece was here and she ate two bowls of it! Also it's the first time I made chicken soup without using bouillon cubes and I thought it was delicious. I was pleased that I didn't have to use the cubes that usually have too much salt and msg in them.

When I saw this on the show today, I knew I had to make it since I had a whole chicken thawed in the fridge. I followed the directions to a T, except that I left the garlic whole (I thought that's what they did on the show). I am just reheating it now and am going to be adding Amish dumplings (farina based). It tastes wonderful, I did not season with any extra salt. The 1 Tbs. called for in the recipe seems to be just right!

This recipe really simplifies making the much loved Chicken Soup. Thank you so much. I will make it this week.

Sarah Carey shows how to make an easy chicken soup.

basic chicken soup

Author : Martha Stewart

Ingredients

Instructions

Top Similar Recipes from Across the Web

Basic Green Soup

Basic leek & potato soup

Basic Roasted Chicken

Basic Chicken Stock

Basic Chicken Salad

Basic Chicken Salad

Basic Chicken Salad

Basic Ham and Bean Soup

Basic + Awesome Creamy Potato Soup

Instant Pot Basic Bean Soup

Basic + Awesome Broccoli Cheese Sou...

Basic Chicken Stock Recipe

Basic Broiled Chicken Breasts

BASIC CHICKEN BABY PUREE

Basic chicken liver pate

Basic Chicken Stock Recipe

Basic Baked Chicken Breasts

Basic Thai Chicken Stock

Basic Whole Roast Chicken