Chicken soup made from the chicken carcass, why not? All the flavors of wonderful homemade chicken stock come together in this comforting chicken carcass soup recipe. This may be the best chicken soup recipe yet!
The secret to this savory soup recipe is the chicken bones, where lots of flavor and nutrients hide. Along with chopped carrots, celery, onions, garlic, leeks, and dried herbs, the layers of flavor in this soup are rich and plentiful in a relatively short cooking time.
This soup is similar in flavor to the classic chicken noodle soup recipe but with a twist. The ingredients, including some of the chicken meat, are blended together in a food processor for a creamy soup that you can make with or without any cream!
This chicken soup recipe is inspired by my leftover turkey soup recipe, another comforting soup recipe made with leftover meat. This chicken carcass soup recipe goes great with a fresh loaf of my healthy chia seed bread or any other chunky bread for a filling and complete meal that the whole family will love.
There’s never a bad time for chicken soup, but this chicken carcass soup recipe is especially warm and satisfying when the weather cools down. Enjoy this soup when cold season is in full swing and a cup of plain chicken broth and chunky bread just won’t cut it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s healthy with lots of nutrients
- It’s delicious and kids love it
- It’s easy to make
- It’s creamy and irresistable
Equipment Needed to Make This Recipe
- Heavy-bottomed sauce pan – a large pot with a heavy bottom is ideal for cooking your chicken carcass soup. The heavy bottom helps to evenly distribute heat throughout the entire pan, resulting in a more efficient cooking time
- Tongs – use tongs to brown your chicken in batches, easily turning over the pieces to get browning on all sides
- Wooden spoon – a wooden spoon is ideal for scraping up browned bits that are left from the cooked chicken. Use the spoon to saute your aromatics and stir your soup once you’ve added the chicken back in at the end
- Fat skimmer – as your chicken and vegetables cook at barely a simmer in the water, check the surface for scum, or fat, and remove it easily with a handy fat skimmer
- Food processor – once your chicken and vegetables are all cooked, remove the meat from the bones and skin and place it in a food processor with the all the liquid to make a creamy blended soup. This step brings all the flavors together and makes the chicken carcass soup extra delicious!
Top Tip
Break down the whole chicken carcass on your own to save some money when making this recipe. The grocery or butcher charges extra money to break down the chicken carcass, so by learning the basic of butchering, you can save some change. In addition you don’t waste any part of the chicken carcass, as the whole bird can go into the pot.
How to Make This Recipe
Butcher a whole chicken. Reserve the breasts and chicken legs for other recipes. It works out cheaper!
In this recipe I used the carcass and wings.
Brown the chicken pieces. Remove from the pot.
Soften the vegetables with an extra bit of oil.
Add the browned chicken pieces.
Add herbs and seasoning.
Add stock.
Remove the chicken pieces from the soup.
Pick the meat off the bones and chuck the former back into the soup. Blitz the soup if you like your soups smooth.
Top Tip
You can use leftover roast chicken instead of starting from scratch with raw chicken as a shortcut to your chicken carcass soup. If you use leftover chicken you won’t get some of the extra flavor from browning the raw chicken in your pot.
Popular Substitutions for This Recipe
Chicken
You can make this chicken carcass recipe with leftover chicken instead of raw for a shortcut that will still taste good. Leftover chicken won’t produce the same layers of flavor as starting from scratch, but it is a great shortcut. If you can use leftover chicken that has been roasted, there will be richer flavor.
This recipe can also be made with leftover meat from a turkey after Thanksgiving for some variety away from turkey sandwiches
Vegetables
This soup can be made with any combination of vegetables. Instead of carrots, try parsnips, they have the same sweetness as a carrots when you cook them. You can add in fennel instead of celery in a pinch as well and the cooking time will stay the same.
Dried herbs
You can add or omit any combination of dried herbs for you chicken carcass soup, just keep the ratios the same and adjust for flavor as you go. Try rosemary or marjoram for even more flavor, or one or two more bay leaves.
Variations to This Recipe
- Add egg noodles to your chicken carcass soup. Who wouldn’t love some cooked noodles in this super good soup?
- Make this recipe in a slow cooker instead of on the stove. I suggest browning your meat on both sides before placing it in the slow cooker for the extra flavor.
What to Serve With Your Chicken carcass soup
This healthy and very delicious chicken carcass soup is a complete meal in and of itself, but it goes great as an appetizer or course in a meal. Here are some recipes that will go with this hearty soup.
Sides
Accompany your chicken carcass soup with some delicious sides for a smorgasbord of flavors and textures
- Pesto stuffed bread – bread and soup go perfectly together, and this extra tasty pesto stuffed bread is no exception. Instead of going for a plain loaf, this recipe incorporates pesto and cheese into this hot baked loaf of goodness
- Roasted artichoke hearts – looking for an easy vegetable side to serve with your chicken caracass soup? Try these roasted artichoke hearts for a light addition to your meal
- Curried cauliflower with yogurt – full of unique flavors, this curried cauliflower and yogurt side dish is another great option to accompany your chicken carcass soup
- Roast marrow – light and easy, roasted marrow is a perfect compliment to a hot bowl of chicken soup
Salads
A nice crisp and cold salad goes great before or after enjoying a hot bowl of chicken carcass soup
- Cherry tomato salad – try this simple cherry tomato salad as a starter
- Mediterranean salad – full of lots of vegetables, this Mediterranean salad is a must try for some crunch
- 4 bean salad – if you love beans, you’ll welcome this bean salad to the table as a protein packed dish
- Rainbow quinoa salad – taste the rainbow with this quinoa salad rich in veggies and nutritious quinoa
How Do I Store Leftovers?
Store this recipe in an airtight container in the refrigerator once it is cooled down.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Yes, you can freeze this chicken carcass soup recipe. In an airtight container, store in the freezer once completely cool for four to six months.
How Long Will This Food Last in The Refrigerator?
This recipe will last for five days in the refrigerator when stored correctly.
Other Soup Recipes You’ll Love
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Chicken Carcass Soup Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
The secret to this chicken carcass is the chicken bones, where lots of the flavour comes from, along with vegetables and spices this is a tasty recipe!
Ingredients
- 15ml (1 tbsp) vegetable oil
- 900g (2lbs) raw chicken carcasses, including 4 wings
- 15ml (1 tbsp) butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 leeks, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1g (1 tsp) dried oregano
- 1g (1 tsp) dried thyme
- 1g (1 tsp) dried basil
- 6g (1 tsp) salt
- 2 litres (8 cups) water
- 125ml (½ cup) double [heavy] cream (optional)
- salt and pepper
- parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan. Brown the chicken pieces on all sides, in batches. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Melt the butter in the same pan and gently fry the onion for 3 minutes, or until translucent.
- Add the garlic, leeks, celery and carrots and stir fry for 10 minutes until softened and reduced in size.
- Place the chicken back in the pan, along with the bay leaf, oregano, thyme, basil, salt and water.
- Bring to the boil over a low heat, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface.
- Cover and simmer over a low heat for 60 minutes.
- Lift out the chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. When it’s cool enough, pick the meat off the bones and throw away the skin and bones. Leave some shredded chicken on the side to add to the soup when it is done.
- Place the remaining meat plus the soup in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. This may have to be done in batches.
- Return the soup to the pan. If it is too thick, thin is down with a little more stock and water. If you are using cream, stir it in and heat through, but do not let the soup boil.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the reserved chicken. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with your favourite crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- This is a versatile recipe you can chop and change according to what’s at hand. If using fewer ingredients, add less water. Just ensure water covers all contents though. You can experiment with other vegetables as well, e.g. peppers and fennel, which will lend a different flavour to the soup.
- If you want to save money, it’s best to buy whole chickens and butcher them yourself, which leaves you with raw carcasses and a great excuse to make this soup.
- If you prefer to have a clear soup with even some noodles in it, follow this Turkey Soup recipe (https://www.greedygourmet.com/recipes-by-dish/soups/leftover-turkey-soup/) and replace the turkey with chicken.
- This recipe can easily be prepared in a slow cooker.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Soup
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: chicken carcass soup recipe, chicken carcass recipe, easy chicken soup from carcass, overnight chicken carcass soup, what to do with chicken carcass, creamy chicken soup from carcass, slow cooker chicken carcass soup
Ben
There’s nothing better than a steamy bowl of chicken soup. Great pictures!
The Duo Dishes
Pure and simple. Very delish.
CatsWithThumbs
love. love. love. nothing is better than a whole chicken and all the things you can do with it. I loved your article!!!
Herman
This is what kills a winter cold! Sticks to your ribs and makes the world a better place.
Jeanne
There is something about making chicken stock that makes me feel more like a domestic goddess than any other dish… And the best thing is that the end result is so super-satisfying! Yours looks fabulous 🙂
Michelle
You’re right, Ben. And it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
Thanks, The Due Dishes.
I’m glad you found the post useful, CatsWithThumbs.
Herman: Viva Chicken Soup!
Jeanne: I think part of the satisfaction is that you made it from complete scratch instead of taking the easy way out with a stupid stock cube.
Michelle
You’re right, Ben. And it doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
Thanks, The Due Dishes.
I’m glad you found the post useful, CatsWithThumbs.
Herman: Viva Chicken Soup!
Jeanne: I think part of the satisfaction is that you made it from complete scratch instead of taking the easy way out with a stupid stock cube.
Jenna
Disjointing a chicken is pretty darn satisfying. Don’t forget the innards! When there’s a good sale, I like to buy 6-10 birds and have frozen chicken parts for several months. That many livers = a tasty bacon-wrapped liver starter or chopped liver sandwiches for lunch. & “dirty rice” from the gizzards. I was recently educated that the proper name is “rice dressing” and only the tourist trade says dirty rice in New Orleans. Doesn’t matter what you call it; it’s delish! btw, wings are my favorite part: I parboil just until cooked,–beginning of stock–but then I spice rub them and roast until tender & crisp skinned. Much more delectable than other parts! I have julienned the neck and back skin to make cracklings; not often of course, but it augments polenta in particular, when having an otherwise veg meal in cold weather. Thanks for the post & as always, the terrific pix. Here’s to frugal cooking!
Jen
Watch out—once you taste your own stock, you will not want to return to the those store-bought versions…It’s raining here today and I’d love a bowl of this soup! Delightful photos!
Paula
i love Chicken Soup it is so yummy.
Renil M. George
Corn & Chicken soups are my most favorites.
★★★★★