Name: Easy Homemade Chicken Soup with Whole Chicken
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 0.5 chicken; 0.5 Tbsp salt; 4 garlic cloves (chopped); 1 liter water; 50 g butter; 1 red bell pepper (chopped); 150 g white button mushrooms (sliced); 1 Tbsp olive oil; 5 dl heavy cream; 2 Tbsp Aleppo chili flakes (adjust amount according to taste & spice level); 0.5 Tbsp chili powder (adjust amount according to taste & spice level)

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This simple creamy chicken soup is the best thing for cold winter days! Filled with spice (two types of chili!) and low in carbs – so perfect if you’re following the keto diet, or if you’re not. Made from scratch using a whole chicken, this easy homemade soup comes together in under one hour. Just follow the video to see how to make it!

Looking for another kind of soup? Try a classic cream of mushroom soup, a delicious vegan lentil soup or a yummy vegetarian ramen soup with the best miso mushrooms.

Some of the links below are Amazon affiliate links. If you buy something through one of them, I receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). These links are always marked with *.

Little did I know when I reluctlantly went on that Tinder date back in January that I would meet the Soup Master. You know, the guy who made me like lentil soup. And who then proceeded to make me the best goddamn chicken soup I ever had (spoiler alert: it’s this one). And this is saying a lot, because my Dad also makes a mean chicken soup. But this one was still, somehow, half a notch above (sorry Dad).

And best of all? He always uses so simple ingredients. And so few of them! I’m just amazed, because the flavor is still always 100%.

Anyway. Maybe you could say this chicken soup was how he stole my heart but I’m not that sappy so I won’t say it (and to be honest, we all know it was the Menemen anyway!). So use this recipe wisely, it’s potent!

Why this is the best recipe for Homemade Chicken Soup

It really is easy – to be honest I never thought it would be this easy to make a chicken soup with whole chicken. But now I will be cooking whole chicken all the time – it’s so easy, and so tasty!
And also, just in itself, whole chicken. So much more flavor, and so much cheaper than chicken breasts or thigh filets.
It fills you up – even without adding bread or rice. I usually have a hard time seeing a soup as a meal but for this one the high fat content combined with the chunks of chicken makes it completely satisfying and a meal in itself. It’s all about…
Texture, texture, texture… yes, you know I love textures. It’s what makes food interesting and what sets OK food apart from that dish you want to have every day for the rest of your life. Here, creamy soup meets tasty bite-size pieces of chicken, slightly chewy mushrooms, almost dissolved bell pepper and tiny, tiny, flakes of chili… multiple layers, the secret to not getting bored by a soup after three spoonfuls.
Simple, cheap ingredients and we can all need those recipes.
The flavor is on point – umami from the mushrooms, a distinct bell pepper flavor melted throughout the soup, chili taste more than chili heat (or both, if that’s your thing), a hint of garlic, and the richness from heavy cream and homemade chicken broth combined. Together it creates a flavor that’s just, well, on point. Balanced. Just right.

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How to make Easy Homemade Chicken Soup with Whole Chicken

As usual, we start with some prepping. This time around we chop garlic and red bell pepper and slice our mushrooms. Then we cut our chicken in half and we’re ready to get going.

Oh and don’t take the cooking times for this recipe too seriously. Well, make sure the chicken is done – and it will need 20-30 minutes to get there. But for the rest – if you let the sauce cook a bit longer, or a bit shorter, it’s gonna be fine.

seasoning whole chicken to be cooked with salt and garlic

Cooking the chicken is what takes the most time, so we start with that. It’s super easy! Just add the half chicken to a large pot, season with salt & chopped garlic and then add water. The water should cover or at least almost cover the chicken – if you’re far away from that, due to a very large pot or whatever, then do add a bit more water.

Cook the chicken for 30 minutes, and turn it once halfway if the water isn’t covering it completely.

frying red bell pepper and mushrooms in a pan

Now you can actually chill a while before starting with the rest. If you want to, you can even cook the chicken first and while it’s cooling down start with the cream sauce. But if you’re short on time, then let the chicken cook for 20 minutes and then get the cream sauce started.

Start by placing a pan over medium-high heat and adding in your butter. When melted, add in your red bell pepper and mushrooms, and mix. Fry for about 5 minutes.

addin olive oil and cream to a pan with red bell pepper and mushrooms and mixing

After 5 minutes, add in the olive oil. Mix, and then follow with the cream. Mix well.

seasoning chicken soup with chili flakes and chili powder, mixing and covering

Now it’s time for chili! Add chili flakes* and chili powder, and if you’re unsure how spicy your chili is just add half or even less of the amount stated at first. It does give more taste (and spice) if you add it already now, but it will also work to add more later. So rather safe than sorry!

Once the chili is added, mix well and cover. Then let simmer for 10 minutes.

collage showing mixing chicken soup and adding the chicken to it

Now when the chicken is done, you have two options. Either you let it cool down a bit and then peel of all the meat and add this to the soup, or you go the lazy route and just cut it up a bit and add it with bones and all. I do it the peel the meat off way (because I’m a food blogger & also get annoyed like h** * by bones) and previously mentioned Tinder dude & creator of this soup usually is too hungry so he just adds the bones. Both ways are delicious, so you do you!

Either way, it’s come time to add the chicken. So when the cream sauce has cooked for 10 minutes or so, take off the lid, mix, and then add the chicken. Mix again.

collage showing how to add chicken stock to chicken soup

Now we’re just letting it cook for another 5 minutes to let everything come together, and then we mix, do a final taste test – and we’re ready to serve. Enjoy!

Expert tips

Know your chilies! And if you don’t – be careful. I use two kinds for this recipe – and both are pretty mellow. So the amount stated might be far too much for your chili. If you’re curious the chili flakes I’m using is the currently so fashionable Aleppo Chili*. It’s not too spicy but full of flavor, so if you can find it then I’d definitely go for that. (Not just for this, but for everything). If not, then just be careful and rather add too little chili at the start than too much. You can always add more, but not take it back!
Let the chicken cool a bit before removing the meat – it’s just gonna be a more pleasent experience.
Adjust the ratio of cream to chicken stock to suit your taste. I like it super creamy, but some like it less so. Just add more of one or the other to adjust!
Use heavy cream as a lower fat cream runs the risk of curdling.

Frequently asked questions

Can chicken soup be reheated?

Yes, chicken soup reheats really well. Since this version has a lot of fat it might look a bit weird when you take it out of the fridge or freezer, but that’s just because the fat gathers on top. Heat it up, mix it, and it’s gonna look just as nice as before again.

Can you freeze chicken soup?

Yes, you can absolutely freeze chicken soup. For best results when reheating it, take it out well ahead of time and let it thaw in the fridge before heating.

How long will chicken soup last in the fridge?

If you’re lucky enough to have any leftovers, chicken soup will keep for at least 3 – 4 days in the fridge.

What you need to make Chicken Soup at home

You probably already have most of the things you need to make this chicken soup with whole chicken – but if you don’t, I put together a collection you can order straight from your couch. Hope you like them!

Now I’m off to enjoy a warm bowl of chicken soup. It’s all I want to have these days! Why don’t you do the same? Did you enjoy it? Then please leave a note below and let me know! And why not leave a rating as well while you’re there?

All the love & textures,

Emmeline