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    Home » Soups

    Bone Broth Chicken Soup

    March 4, 2023 by Agnieszka Leave a Comment

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    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Bone Broth Chicken Soup is made with boneless skinless chicken meat, tender vegetables, garlic and healing chicken bone broth. It is nourishing, flavorful and perfect for a cold winter day and cold and flu season due to its warming and healing properties. Add cooked rice or noodles for a complete meal.

    bone broth chicken soup with carrots and brown rice in a white bowl on a white plate.

    If you’re a fan of chicken noodle soup (or any chicken soup) but can’t quite get the flavors right, I have an answer for you – use bone broth! Traditional chicken soup is made with chicken broth and water but for whatever reason, it often turns out bland. Sounds familiar? If yes, definitely try this homemade chicken soup made with bone broth. It is super healthy and nutritious and can be enjoyed on its own (great for paleo and keto diets) or with rice or noodles.

    Jump to:
    • Why you’ll love this recipe
    • Ingredient notes
    • Homemade Bone Broth
    • Best store-bought bone broth brands
    • How to make Chicken Soup with bone broth
    • Serving suggestions
    • Storage, freezing and meal prep
    • Variations and substitutions
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More soup recipes
    • Recipe
    • You may also like
    • Meet the Author

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    • This delicious soup is healthy, hearty, quick and easy to make
    • Using bone broth adds a ton of flavor – no need to simmer the soup for hours
    • This soup is filled with healthy fats and amino acids thanks to the use of bone broth
    • Perfect if you want the health benefits of chicken bone broth (known for its positive effects on your immune system and gut health) but don’t want to sip it in its own
    • Made with easily accessible pantry staples
    • Bone broth is a great source of protein, collagen, vitamins and minerals
    • Easily customizable – add whatever starches and veggies you like (see Variations and Substitutions section below)

    Ingredient notes

    ingredients for making bone broth chicken soup in containers oon white marble surface.
    • Chicken: use skinless boneless chicken breast or thighs
    • Bone Broth: homemade or store bought (see below for recommended brands)
    • Carrots and Celery: the quintessential chicken soup veggies
    • Onion: yellow onion or sweet onion will both work
    • Fresh Garlic: use as much or as little as you like
    • Olive Oil: to sauté the veggies – you can swap it for butter if you want
    • Water: bone broth tends to be very intense and adding water helps mellow out the flavors
    • Spices: I use the traditional salt and pepper, dried thyme and a tiny bit of cayenne (you can skip it if you don’t want any heat)
    • Rice or Noodles (optional): I used cooked brown rice but any rice or noodles will work

    Homemade Bone Broth

    My very favorite chicken broth is this Polish Chicken Soup (Authentic Rosół Recipe). It is basically slowly simmered homemade chicken bone broth made with a whole chicken (or pieces of chicken on the bone) veggies, herbs, bay leaves and allspice. It takes some time to make but the flavor of this broth is absolutely divine. If you have a few hours on a Sunday, I highly recommend you give it a try!

    You can also easily make bone broth using leftover chicken bones (after a roasted chicken dinner) or chicken carcass, veggies, spices and water. Simmer it on the stove or use your Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) to cut on the long cooking time. Slow cooker also works for making a delicious homemade broth. Here's a great slow cooker chicken bone broth recipe.

    Best store-bought bone broth brands

    If you have your own broth (like the one from my Polish Chicken Soup recipe) on hand, definitely use it in this shortcut recipe! If you don’t, good quality store-bought bone broth will do the trick!

    Here are some high quality store-bought broths to try:

    • Classic Chicken Bone Broth by Kettle & Fire
    • Pacific Foods Organic Chicken Bone Broth
    • Kitchen Basics Original Chicken Bone Broth (Keto friendly)
    • Imagine Organic Bone Borth, Chicken

    How to make Chicken Soup with bone broth

    STEP 1: Cook carrots and celery in a bit of olive oil. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven (or a large pot with a heavy bottom). Add the veggies and cook on medium-low heat, stirring often until softened. Then. Add garlic, thyme and cayenne and cook for another minute.

    cooking carrots, onions and celery in a red dutch oven.

    STEP 2: Add bone broth, chicken and water. Pour in your broth and water into the Dutch oven, then place the chicken breast (or thighs) in the liquid so it’s fully submerged. Bring to boil.

    STEP 3: Cook. Turn the heat to low, partially cover the pot and simmer the soup for about 30-40 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and tender.

    cooking bone broth chicken soup in a red dutch oven.

    STEP 4: Shred the chicken. Remove the cooked chicken meat from the soup and when it cools slightly, shred it with two forks or cut into small pieces with a knife. Return the meat to the soup.

    STEP 5: Taste and adjust seasoning. This step is important because the flavor of this soup depends greatly on the type of bone broth you use. Some brands are saltier than others which is why I recommend waiting with the salt until the end. If the soup is too intense for your liking, add more water, ½-1 cup. 

    bone broth chicken soup sprinkled with fresh parsley in a red dutch oven.

    STEP 6: Add cooked rice or noodles and sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs, if you want.

    Serving suggestions

    You can serve chicken bone broth soup on its own without any starches. Personally, I like it with cooked brown rice because its nutty flavor goes really well with the intense chicken flavor. White rice, egg noodles, Israeli couscous, orzo or broken up spaghetti will all work great.

    Fresh chopped parsley and dill will brighten up the flavor, color and add some vitamin C. You can also squeeze in some fresh lemon juice or add 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar for a bit of tang.

    bone broth chicken soup with carrots and brown rice in a white bowl on a white plate on gray surface with another bowl of soup and a spoon nearby.

    If you’re looking for sides to serve alongside this tasty soup, try these homemade Biscuits Without Milk. Or, you can’t go wrong with the soup and salad combo for an easy dinner or lunch. For non-boring salad ideas, check out this La Scala Chopped Salad (with chickpeas, salami and mozzarella) or this Strawberry Spinach Feta Salad.

    Storage, freezing and meal prep

    • To store, pour the soup into an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to days.
    • For meal prep, divide between mason jars or smaller airtight containers.
    • To freeze, place in a freezer-safe sealed container and store in the freezer for up to 4 months. You can also freeze the soup flat in Ziploc bags – it makes storing and thawing easy!
    • To reheat, thaw the soup completely in the fridge (if frozen), then transfer to a pot, bring to a simmer and serve. Don’t cook for too long, especially if there is rice or noodles in the soup.

    Variations and substitutions

    • Add more veggies! If you want to pack in more veggies, chopped up onions, parsnips, cabbage, sweet potatoes, green beans, green peas or corn will all work. If you’re adding peas or corn, do it at the end (frozen peas or corn are fine)
    • Cooked leftover chicken can be used in place of raw chicken – adding leftover meat makes the soup ready in under 30 minutes!
    • Add fresh greens – throw in a handful of baby spinach or kale towards the end
    • For a low-carb version, swap the rice or noodles for cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles
    • This recipe is naturally dairy-free and gluten-free as written (provided you don’t use wheat noodles)
    • Turn up the heat – to make it spicy, add a drizzle of hot sauce on top (I like it with Sriracha)
    bone broth chicken soup with carrots and brown rice in a white bowl on a white plate with a spoon inserted in the soup.

    Recipe FAQs

    What is the difference between bone broth and regular chicken broth?

    The biggest difference is that bone broth is always made with bones (or chicken on the bone) and it’s typically simmered for hours which makes it more concentrated more intense in terms of flavor. Good bone broth becomes thick and gelatinous when cooled. Regular chicken broth is thinner, paler in color and less intense.

    What to do if my soup’s flavor is too intense?

    Add more water but be careful not to dilute the flavor too much. I recommend no more than ½ cup at a time.

    Can I make it with leftover cooked chicken?

    Yes! This is a great solution if you’re short on time. After cooking the veggies, add the bone broth, spices and water and bring to boil. Cook for 15 minutes, then add chopped or shredded cooked meat, simmer for a few minutes, then rice or noodles (if using) and serve! Ready in under 30 minutes.

    More soup recipes

    • Polish Mushroom Soup
    • Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup
    • Spicy Lentil Potato Soup
    • Roasted Pumpkin Cauliflower Soup
    • Loaded Cauliflower Soup

    If you try my Bone Broth Chicken Soup be sure to leave me a comment and give this recipe a rating. I would love to hear from you and see how it turned out for you! You can also share and tag me on Instagram!

    This post includes affiliate links.

    Recipe

    Bone Broth Chicken Soup

    It is nourishing, flavorful and perfect for a cold winter day and cold and flu season due to its warming and healing properties. Add cooked rice or noodles for a complete meal.
    5 from 20 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: dinner, lunch, Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: bone broth chicken soup, chicken soup with bone broth
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 245kcal
    Author: Agnieszka

    Ingredients

    • 10 oz boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs
    • 1 cup diced carrots
    • 1 cup chopped celery
    • 1 small yellow onion or half of a large onion
    • 2 garlic cloves
    • 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
    • 4 cups chicken bone broth homemade or store-bought
    • 2 cups water
    • ½ teaspoon salt *see notes
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
    • 1 cup cooked brown rice, farro, orzo or egg noodles (optional)
    • chopped fresh parsley or dill for garnish

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in a medium Dutch oven or astockpot with a thick bottom.
    • Add carrots, celery and onions and cook on medium heatfor 5-6 minutes, stirring often until softened.
    • Add minced garlic cloves and all the spices.Stir and cook another minute until garlic is fragrant.
    • Pour in chicken bone broth and 2 cups of water.
    • Place the raw chicken breast (or thighs) in thepot and bring to boil.
    • Cook on low partially covered for 30-40 minutesuntil the chicken is tender.
    • Take the chicken out and cut into bite-sizedpieces or shred with 2 forks.
    • Place the chicken back in the soup.
    • Add cooked rice or noodles if desired.
    • Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
    • Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley leavesor dill.

    Notes

    If you use chicken thighs, you will need to increase cooking time a bit as it takes longer to cook.
    To speed up the cooking process, cut the raw chicken into 2-3 smaller pieces before cooking.
    You can also make this soup with leftover cooked chicken (for example rotisserie chicken). To do so, follow steps 1-4, cook vegetables in broth for about 15 minutes, then add cooked chicken and rice.
    The flavor of this soup will depend on the kind of bone broth you are using. Some bone broth kinds have more salt than others. Different brands also vary in intensity. If the finished soup tastes too rich, add a bit more water, ½ to 1 cup at the end.
    For a low carb version, swap rice or noodles with cauliflower rice.
    Nutritional value is caluclated for 1 bowl of soup with brown rice.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 245kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 512mg | Potassium: 519mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 5513IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 1mg

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    Meet the Author

    Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.

    Learn more about me →

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    About me

    Hello and welcome to Wholly Tasteful, a healthy food and lifestyle blog! My name is Agnieszka and I am a busy mom of 3 living in and renovating a 1852 farmhouse in Maine. My recipes use ingredients that are healthy, whole and family friendly. More about me

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