Loaded Chicken Soup
Submitted by leoborn
Loaded chicken soup with two whole chickens simmered for rich stock, then bulked out with potatoes, cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, herbs, and broken spaghetti. A nearly stew-thick bowl that freezes well.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
4 hrsREADY
12 hrsLoaded Chicken Soup is a two-day affair, and that overnight rest is exactly why it tastes the way it does. Two whole chickens simmer low and slow for a few hours until the meat falls off the bones, the picked meat goes back into the broth, and the whole pot heads to the fridge overnight. The next morning, fat caps the surface in a clean disc you can lift right off, leaving a deeply gelatinous, clean-tasting stock to build on.
From there, it gets loaded. Onions, celery, carrots, two quarts of tomatoes, shredded cabbage, and seven potatoes pile in along with marjoram, basil, and thyme. Broken spaghetti finishes it off, soaking up so much liquid the soup tightens into something more like a stew. Bring crusty bread and skip the side dish.
Pro Tips
- Use whole bone-in chickens for proper stock body. Boneless breasts can’t build the same gelatin or flavor depth.
- The overnight chill is essential. Skipping it means a greasy soup with thinner flavor.
- Cook the spaghetti slightly past al dente if you plan to freeze leftovers, since it’ll firm back up on the reheat.
- If freezing, leave the spaghetti out and add fresh-cooked pasta when reheating to avoid mush.
Variations
- Use a rotisserie chicken and store-bought stock for a same-day shortcut.
- Swap the spaghetti for orzo or small shells for a more classic chicken-noodle look.
- Drop a Parmesan rind into the simmer for extra umami, or finish each bowl with a squeeze of lemon for brightness.
Ingredients
Directions
Wash chicken pieces and place in large stockpot.
Cover with water and bring to boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until chicken falls off the bones (approximately 2 to 3 hours).
Remove chicken with slotted spoon and let cool.
When cool enough to handle, remove bones and skin and cut all chicken up in small pieces, being careful not to leav any bones.
Add chicken to stock left in pan and refrigerate overnight.
When you remove pot from refrigerator, skim off the grease from the top of the stock ( the chicken will be very moist from having remained in the stock overnight).
Return pot to heat and slowly bring to boil.
Add onions, celery, carrots, tomatoes, cabbage and potatoes.
Add bouillon, bay leaf, salt and pepper, marjoram, basil, thyme and parsley and simmer until vegetables are done to your liking.
Then add broken pieces of spaghetti and cook until tender.
The soup will be very thick, almost stew-like. It freezes well.
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