Comforting Homemade Chicken Soup
There really is nothing better than chicken soup. We love it around here. I usually make this after we have had roast chicken. I save any left over chicken and chicken bones. You don’t have to have just roasted a chicken to make this! I have also made this with a frozen vegetable soup mix from the store and frozen chicken breast. It is also very flavorful that way. Today was a combination of chicken bones and frozen chicken breast (we kinda ate all the roast chicken so we only had the bones left). It is very versatile. Just use what you have. I use fresh carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, garlic and tomatoes. I try not to use vegetables that are too fancy because we usually discard them after (especially the frozen kind-they don’t hold up well). Although, sometimes I will strain the vegetables and puree them to add to back to the soup. I usually also keep the potatoes and mash them for future potato croquettes. It just depends how tired I am! Feel fee to try that. I usually buy my Parmesan cheese in the wedge and grate it as we need it. When we run out I save the cheese rind. I always have a baggies of cheese rinds in my fridge. I will just take the outer layer off with a vegetable peeler and toss that in as well. But it is not necessary.
I make this one in the Instant Pot. Do you have one yet? I like it because I can throw everything in and cook it under pressure. It releases all the goodness from the chicken and adds a really intense flavor. You can get one here: https://amzn.to/2pXhYGs
or here: https://amzn.to/2Gszmd9
It yields about 8 cups of broth. You can do this in a slow cooker too. You can also do this in big ‘ol pot.
After the broth has been strained, and the chicken has been shredded we toss in our favorite soup pasta and some grated Parmesan cheese. Best.Soup.Ever.
Instant Pot Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast frozen is fine (add your chicken bones if you have them)
- 2 medium carrots peeled and rough chopped
- 2-3 celery stalks rough chopped
- 1 medium onion quartered
- 2 medium tomatoes rough chopped
- 2-3 cloves galic peeled and smashed
- 2 medium potatoes quartered
- 2 quarts chicken broth/stock water is fine
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
- 1 pound favorite small pasta ditalini work well
- Parmesan cheese rind optional
Instructions
- Put your chicken in the bottom of your instant pot. Chop your veggies and add to the pot. Add the cheese rind if you have it
- Add your spices and broth to cover.
- Set the Instant Pot on manual for 120 minutes at high pressure. After 120 minutes you can release the pressure or let it release naturally.
- Pull the chicken out and place in a bowl to cool. Strain the broth over a large bowl and discard the vegetables (or save to puree). In the meantime, cook your pasta al dente and strain.
- When the chicken is cool, shred it with two forks.
- Add your pasta, broth and chicken to a large serving bowl and add the Parmesan cheese. Serve in bowls and sprinkle on some extra cheese if desired. Now slurp your way to happiness!
