Chicken soup, Hühnersuppe, is a classic in German cuisine. It’s a comfort food, not just when we’re sick. It warms both the soul and the stomach when it’s cold outside, or simply when a delicious soup is needed. With this simple yet classic recipe, you can make a tasty chicken noodle soup just like my German Grandma used to.
The main secret of this soup is its long cooking time for the characteristic flavor. A stewing chicken (whole) is done when the meat falls off the bone. Stewing chickens typically weigh between 2 to 4 pounds and should cook for 1.5 to 2 hours. While they don’t have an excessive amount of meat, they provide plenty of flavor.
Also, for some extra color, you can brown half an onion upfront and let it cook.
Chicken Soup with Chicken Thighs
You can also make this classic chicken soup with chicken thighs. They are the juiciest and most tender part of the chicken. You can cook them with or without the skin; the broth will be more flavorful with the skin on. An added advantage of using chicken thighs is that they contain more meat than a stewing chicken.
Wash the chicken thighs well and cook them according to the instructions for the same amount of time. The meat should fall off the bone; then, carefully remove it, shred the meat, and add it back into the soup.
Delicious Soup Add-Ins
Spice up your homemade chicken soup with various add-ins. The most popular is noodles, but other ingredients work wonderfully too. Here are a few ideas:
- Noodles: Try egg noodles, thin noodles, spaetzle, or other small pasta shapes.
- Rice: White or brown rice is also a popular addition. Cook it separately first; if you cook it in the chicken soup, it will make the broth cloudy.
- Vegetables: In addition to traditional soup vegetables like celery, carrots, and leeks, you can add various other veggies. Peas, corn, and green beans pair especially well.
- Potatoes: Diced, cooked potatoes are delicious and filling. Choose a waxy variety for the best texture.
- Dumplings: Various dumplings also fit well in chicken soup. Try it with semolina dumplings, bone marrow dumplings, egg custard, or pumpkin semolina dumplings.
- Herbs: Fresh herbs like parsley, chives, or dill are a great addition to round out the flavors.
Freezing Chicken Soup
If you cook a large batch of chicken soup, you can easily freeze leftovers. Before freezing, make sure the soup has cooled completely. Then, transfer it to suitable containers or freezer bags that seal well. This way, the soup can be stored in the freezer for several months. To thaw, simply place it in the refrigerator and let it defrost in the microwave. Alternatively, you can warm it up gently in a pot.
If you have a lot of leftover chicken, you can also make a delicious chicken salad with apple or chicken fricassee.
Equipment
- pot*
- Frying pan *
Ingredients
- 1 whole stewing chicken about 3.3 lbs, or chicken thighs
- 9 cups water
- 1 large bunch soup vegetables Carrots, celery root, leeks, parsley
- 1 onion
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 carrots for add-in
- 1 handful parsley decoration
- 1 tsp peppercorns
- 2 tsp salt
- 3 ⅓ cups small pasta e.g. Fideo, Orzo, Vermicelli
Instructions
- Wash the stewing chicken or the thighs (if desired). If using a stewing chicken, also cut off the tail. This can be done easily with large scissors or a sharp knife. Place it in a large pot. Add enough water to cover everything well. Bring the pot to a boil.
- Cook the chicken for 5 minutes, then drain the water, wash the chicken briefly, and refill pot with fresh water. Add the chicken back in.
- Meanwhile, wash the soup vegetables. They should include carrots, celery root, leek, and parsley. Peel the celery and roughly chop everything. It doesn’t need to be in bite-sized pieces. Halve the onion and chop one half finely, leaving the other half intact, including the skin (which gives a golden color).
- Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium. Add the soup vegetables, bay leaves, halved onion, and peppercorns.
- Let everything simmer together for at least 90 minutes; 2 hours is better. The chicken should be fully cooked.
- In the meantime, cut the add-in carrots into small, bite-sized pieces. Heat a frying pan, add a little oil or butter, and sauté the carrot pieces until they turn slightly brown. Add the chopped onion and sauté it as well. Set the pan aside. Cook the small pasta according to the package instructions.
- After the cooking time, carefully remove the chicken from the soup; it should practically fall off the bone. Place it on a cutting board or plate until it cools slightly. Then, remove the meat from the bones and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the sautéed carrot cubes and onion and let everything simmer for about 10 more minutes until the carrots are tender. Return the chicken meat back into the soup.
- Season your chicken soup generously with salt and pepper. Now add the cooked soup noodles and let them warm up in the hot soup. Remove the bay leaves.
- Your chicken soup, just like Grandma’s, is now ready to enjoy. It gets even better if it can sit for a few hours or even overnight to let the flavors meld.
- Before serving, chop the remaining parsley finely and add it to the soup.
Notes
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