Soups are great any time of year but they are particularly our “go-to” meal on cold winter nights. They warm us up, and give us that much needed sense of coziness and comfort. They are a great communal meal that can be stretched to suit a flexible number of people or they can be served up for one.
The best part about soups is that they can be hearty and healthy for us. They can make us feel full and satisfied without a whole lot of calories. This means they can help us lose weight and manage our weight. The ingredients we can put in soups also help us stay healthy by boosting our immune system, decreasing inflammation, and upping our antioxidants. This means they help us fight disease.
We all know that chicken soup is good for the soul and nurtures our bodies. And now we know it isn’t an urban myth…because of all the healthy ingredients in homemade chicken soup we know it really does help us cure what ails us. Whenever someone comes down with the cold or flu in our family the first thing I do is make my own chicken soup with bone broth.
Soups can be one of the easiest meals to make. They are great to make in crock pots to cook slowly through out the day and be ready when you come home from work or from a day of winter play. My homemade chicken soup is a great example of a soup you can make in a stockpot or crockpot…you choose what is easiest for you. And it is a favorite regardless of whether you need some extra TLC or not!
Chicken Soup for the Soul
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- 4 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 parsnip, chopped
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon instant chicken bouillon granules
- 1 (3-4 pound) whole chicken, neck, liver and gizzards removed
- ½ cup parsley, chopped (optional)
Directions
- Place all ingredients in a large stockpot or crockpot. Place on high and bring to a boil for 10 minutes, then lower heat to simmer and cook for 6 to 7 hours.
- Remove the chicken and all bones. Separate the chicken from the bones.
- Shred the chicken and place it back into the soup.
- Select 3 to 4 large chicken bones and place them back into the pot. Throw the rest of the bones away.
- Soup is ready to serve. It is great to serve as is or add egg noodles (2 cups) to make chicken noodle soup. Want to make a heartier meal? Prepare rice and serve up ½ cup rice and pour 1 cup of chicken soup over it. Top with a sprinkle of parsley, if desired.
Leftover soup can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for a future meal.
Serves: 12
Serving size: 1 cup
Calories: 105
Looking for more health-filled and yummy soups? Check out our other soup recipes on the blog.
Want to make it a meal? Add one of our delicious homemade muffins and make a simple tossed green salad with one or our homemade salad dressings.
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