Get Well Chicken Soup always makes me feel better when I’m sick. Homemade with tender chicken, flavorful broth, & vitamin packed veggies is always best.
Get Well Chicken Soup is pretty much liquid medicine that tastes good when you’re under the weather. I love to make homemade stock using a whole chicken in order to enjoy the benefits of real bone broth, but sometimes I don’t have enough time to do it that way. Instead, sometimes I make it with fresh chicken and store bought chicken broth like I did for this recipe.
The trick to get the most flavor out of the meat if you’re using cuts like boneless skinless thighs is to sear it before adding the rest of the vegetables. By allowing the meat to cook in oil for just a few minutes in order to allow it to turn golden brown, you lock in the flavor. I also like to give the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic a nice sear before I add the broth in order to maximize that amazing flavor. The secret ingredient, in my opinion, is a generous squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Not only does that add to the flavor, but hot broth and lemon feels amazing when you have a sore throat.
I prefer to make my Get Well Chicken Soup without pasta and without rice. I also like to sometimes double or triple the recipe and then freeze batches in quart sized containers. Nothing quite beats getting sick and having homemade soup stored in your freezer, just needing to be heated and served. If I want to add pasta, I cook it separately to the al dente stage and toss it into the finished soup. Same goes for rice. I usually just use the easy microwave rice, cook it, and add it to the finished soup before serving.
Maybe not in the mood for chicken soup but are looking for more great chicken recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Chicken and Brussel Sprouts with Mustard Sauce
- Perfect Chicken Parmesan
- Jalapeno Honey Lime Grilled Chicken
- Pressure Cooker Shoyu Chicken
- Chicken Marasala
And yes, you can absolutely enjoy this chicken soup without having to be sick. In fact, wholesome healthy ingredients like the ones used in this recipe might just help keep you healthy!
Tools Used in the making of this Get Well Chicken Soup:
Dutch Oven: I don’t take this one camping. It stays in the kitchen. I absolutely love the heavy bottom and lid. You can really get a nice sear on meat and it’s easy to transfer to the oven, if needed.
Stainless Steel Ladle: This one is easy to grip and light weight. Just a few ladles will fill your soup bowl.
Cutting Board: These are my go-to cutting boards. They are super easy to clean, never hold a smell (onion transferred to apple is gross), and because they are so thin, they are really easy to store.
Knives: There is nothing more frustrating than having to use a poor quality knife. I’ve been using this set for years. I found it to be affordable yet incredibly durable and versatile. Whether you’re filleting a salmon or slicing a super ripe tomato, these are great knives for the everyday chef.
Get Well Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs trimmed and cut into small pieces
- 1 large yellow onion minced
- 2 large celery stalks diced (include leaves)
- 2 large carrots peeled and diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 quarts chicken broth
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1/2 bunch purple kale stems removed and chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven over high heat, heat olive oil. Add chicken and spread out into a single layer. Allow to cook undisturbed for about 5 minutes or until it starts to brown.
- Add onion, celery and carrot; stir to combine. Once vegetables start to release moisture, use a wooden spoon to scrape any cooked food that has stuck to the bottom of the pot.
- Once all of the liquid has evaporated, add garlic, stir, and cook for several more minutes until the garlic gets fragrant.
- Add one quart of chicken broth and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot to release anything that may have stuck. Add second quart of chicken broth along with lemon juice. Add chopped kale, thyme, and oregano.
- Reduce heat to low and simmer for at least an hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. If freezing, allow soup to cool in refrigerator before transferring to freezer safe container.
- If desired, add cooked pasta or rice just before serving.
Mom raised us on Eastern European chicken soup! She was a Holocaust survivor…so the recipe was straight outta Poland. Your ideas are quite different….sorta Whole Foods spin-off. Just for another more authentic version, she used a whole frier, cut up into parts and gross fat removed….or skinned as she got older. Chicken was put in oversized soup pot and set to simmer/boil. Skim the foam from the top, until the water is sorta clear. Add: whole yellow onion chopped, 1 parsnip split, 1 large tomatoe chopped, kosher salt (1-2 tbsp….go slow), carrots ( handful/ slit lengthwise, celery/ same, blk pepper ( 1 tbspn.), 1 small piece of flanken, 1 med Turkey leg, place on medium boil 1.5 – 2 hrs. More cooking time….more flavor! Taste, Secret ingredient: 1-2 tsp of. White sugar. Yes sugar…go slow…but it adds a distinct homey flavor! This must be served when ready, with Maneshievitz fine egg noodles, AND….1-2 Manishievitz Matzo balls (ready make box in most store) – easy…serve with 1-2 pieces of carrot/ celery. Second course is the chicken! Alternatives she made Jewish ravioli…kreplach for the soup also! It was life saving!