Here are some easy homemade chicken and turkey soup recipes. These soups are super yummy for cold weather days and great comfort foods when you’re sick!
Homemade Chicken and Turkey Soup Recipes
With the onset of cooler weather, one of the best things to learn to make from scratch is a basic homemade chicken soup stock or soup base. Soup base is so easy to make and can be used for many different dishes. We’ll make the basic homemade chicken broth today. Once you have it made, you can mix and match and put your favorite things into it. You can add rice for chicken and rice soup, barley for barley soup, use it to boil noodles for chicken and noodles or make simple Bisquick dumplings for chicken and dumplings. I also like to use it to cook rice in place of water.
It is also helpful to keep some frozen soup base that you can quickly grab and use when you need it for things like broccoli soup or egg flower soup.
Easy Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe
This first version, which is similar to what many people use, is in the Dining on a Dime Cookbook, Volume 1. The second recipe is my own quicker version which I like just as well. It is a little easier and much faster. You choose which you have time for. They are both good.
Easy Chicken Soup
2-3 chicken necks
1 bay leaf
2-4 chicken wings
2 medium carrots, sliced
3 quarts water
2 medium onions, diced
4 chicken bouillon cubes
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp. salt
Bring first 6 ingredients just to boil in a large pot. Skim off foam and discard. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 2 1/2 hours or until the chicken is very tender. Strain the liquid. Cool and refrigerate so the fat can be removed easily.
Let the meat cool until it can be handled. Remove meat from bones. Discard bones. Skim fat. Bring to a boil and add last 3 ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes and serve. Makes about 12 cups broth or soup.
Half the broth may be removed before adding vegetables and frozen up to 6 months.
My Chicken Soup Recipe
4-5 chicken necks and wings
about 4 quarts of water
If I have a bay leaf or a couple of carrots, I will throw them in.
I sprinkle with all of the following to taste:
salt and pepper
onion powder (about 1 tsp.)
garlic powder (about 1 tsp)
2 chicken bouillon cubes
Cover and simmer for 2-5 hours, depending on when I remember it.
Take out the chicken pieces. Strain, cool and remove the fat. Add the meat from the chicken back in and toss the bones.
When I get ready to use it or reheat it I taste it to see if it needs more salt, onion powder, etc.
You can make turkey soup the same way. To me, turkey soup is one soup where less is best. The less of the seasonings you use, the more you can get the yummy flavor of the turkey.
Turkey Soup Recipe
turkey bones
water
garlic powder (to taste)
onion powder (to taste)
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)
Place turkey bones in a large pot and cover with water. Simmer, following directions for Basic Chicken Soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Here is one last turkey soup recipe, which is a big help if you want to cook your soup right after Thanksgiving because it helps you use many leftovers besides just the turkey.
Glorified Turkey Soup
You can not only use your leftover turkey with this recipe but vegetables like the carrots, celery and green pepper sticks from your leftover relish dish or leftover cooked carrots or green beans.
Leftover turkey bones
5-6 cups water
3 garlic cloves or garlic powder
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. rubbed sage
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup barley, uncooked*
Leftover cooked and uncooked veggies
Place turkey bones and spices in a large pot and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Remove bones from broth and pick off meat. Add barley and uncooked veggies and simmer for 45 minutes. Add in the cooked veggies 15 minutes before it’s done. Freezes well.
*You can also replace the barley with spaghetti noodles. Just add them in the last few minutes with the cooked veggies instead of cooking for 45 minutes.
-Jill
You can make EASY and delicious meals at home in less time than eating out! You’ll save a ton of money on food and your family will thank you!
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FAQs
It may sound a bit strange and unusual for some, but vinegar is a common ingredient in some soup recipes, and there is a good reason for it. If you think about it, vinegar is really a flavor-enhancer (umami). That's why it is so often used in cooking, sauces, and salad dressings. The same is true with soups.
Can you mix chicken and turkey broth? ›
Also, don't hesitate to use both turkey and chicken bones in one batch. The amount of bones and water will determine how much stock you end up with. Cooked or uncooked – Both.
What makes homemade soup taste better? ›
Use fresh, good quality ingredients like vegetables and herbs. Add a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice to your soup to make it taste better. Use a high-quality broth or stock as a base for your soup. Roast or caramelize your vegetables before adding them to your soup to bring out their natural sweetness.
What can I add to my chicken soup to give it flavor? ›
Thyme, Bay leaves and parsley: All three are classic flavors for chicken soup.
How to make chicken soup taste richer? ›
You might consider using more umami-forward vegetables, such as mushrooms, that also pair well with chicken to tie together the richer flavors in the dish. Alternatively, vegetables like corn, peas, and tomatoes will bring out some sweeter notes to the soup.
What not to do when making soup? ›
The 7 Biggest Mistakes You Make Cooking Soup
- Boiling instead of simmering. You want a small bubble or two to rise to the surface of the liquid every few seconds. ...
- Not using enough salt. ...
- Ignoring water. ...
- Overcooking the vegetables. ...
- Adding tomatoes at the beginning. ...
- Neglecting to garnish. ...
- Not trying a pressure cooker.
Take stock of your stock. When it comes to making clear, brothy soups, the stock that you use is the most important ingredient. Poorly flavoured stock will ruin the entire pot of soup. For clear soups, homemade broth is always the best choice.
What can I add to my soup to make it more flavorful? ›
You can also go with more heat and spices. "Ground paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, ground ginger, and other powdered spices add a touch of color and spiciness to broths," she says. As a general rule, use fresh herbs at or near the end of cooking and dried herbs and spices early on.
Can you cook raw chicken and turkey together? ›
Yes, if two raw foods touch that will be cooked to the recommended temperature, the foods will be safe. Any raw meat that is mixed with poultry should be cooked to 165 °F which is the minimum temperature to cook poultry.
Which is better chicken or turkey soup? ›
Chicken broth is slightly lower in calories and contains more sodium, whereas turkey broth is higher in protein. Since the nutritional components are similar, flavor preference is the main deciding factor between chicken or turkey broths.
Stick with salt and pepper, put herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage to work, or take spicy Cajun seasoning for a spin for some kick. Whatever blend you choose, spread it all over the turkey—on top, underneath, between the body and wings and legs, under the skin, and even in the cavity of the bird.
Is the longer you cook soup the better? ›
Originally Answered: Does simmering soup longer make it taste better? If you're simmering a thing for hours, you will intensify the flavor by cooking off some of the liquid. This might make it taste better, but if cooked too long, it may end up too salty or otherwise be over-seasoned.
Why do you put lemon juice in chicken soup? ›
Lemons are a chicken soup game changer. Why? They brighten up and balance the salty, rich flavors of the dish, and make all of the ingredients come into line. Like a vinaigrette on a salad, the pickle on a burger, and the sour cream in a coffee cake, a squeeze of lemon gives chicken soup a game-changing brightness.
Does chicken soup taste better the longer you cook it? ›
While broth and stock both get richer and richer the longer you cook them, the problem is that the chicken meat will dry out and get tough if you let it go too long.
What is the most significant ingredient of a soup? ›
Great broth — Most soups are anchored by a stock or broth, and one with depth of flavor (not just a lot of salt) is key. Buy a quality one, or simmer up a batch of your own.
What does adding vinegar to soup do? ›
Adding an acidic component (foods we'd consider to be sour) almost always enhances the flavors of a dish. A splash of vinegar or squeeze of lemon adds a brightness to foods that often doesn't occur on its own.
Why do you put cider vinegar in soup? ›
Add a splash or two of ACV when the soup is done cooking. The vinegar helps lift and highlight flavors.
What gives vegetable soup that depth of flavor? ›
A squeeze of citrus, a dollop of yogurt or a drizzle of cream, a dusting of cheese or a good chile powder, a sprinkling of some herbs or croutons — all can take a perfectly fine soup into the realm of the delectable. Even a spiral of good olive oil to finish and some coarse sea salt can do wonders.
