Chicken soup for kids
This page contains affiliate links, which means we may earn a small amount of money if a reader clicks through and makes a purchase. All our articles and reviews are written independently by the Netmums editorial team.
Recipe for good old fashioned chicken soup - nothing beats a homemade soup...
- Prep Time 10 mins
- Cook Time 30 mins
- Serves 4
- Difficulty Level Easy
Preparation
- Total Time 40 mins
- Preparation Time 10 mins
- Cooking Time 30 mins
Stock (if making your own)
- chicken carcass (leftover from a Sunday roast)
- 2 carrots
- 3 celery (sticks)
- 1 onion
- 1 bayleaf
- 2 peppercorns
- water
Soup
- 1l chicken stock (bought, homemade or a stock cube)
- 400g chicken (leftover)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- garlic (2x cloves), crushed
- 3 leeks, sliced
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 potatoes, diced
- 1 tsp herbs, dried
- 1 tsp black pepper (seasoning)
Stock
- Add enough cold water to cover the chicken and boil everything for 2-6 hours removing any scum that forms - the longer it boils, the more concentrated the flavour
- Once your stock has cooled, discard the bones and vegetables and make your soup as below
- Cold stock can be stored in the fridge for a few days or in the freezer
Soup
- To make a healthy warming soup just fry off the onions and garlic in olive oil until they start to soften
- Add the leeks and fry for a further 3 minutes
- Add in any leftover bits of chicken and vegetables from the Sunday roast, your chicken stock and finally the potatoes and carrots
- Season to taste and add a teaspoon of dried herbs
- Simmer for 15-20 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are cooked right through
- Blend (optional) and serve warm with a crusty bread roll
- This soup is suitable for making in the slow cooker for 4 hours
You will need
Large cooking pot - This handy, 12.5 litre cooking pot is ideal for your soup creations. You can get it at Amazon for £39.99.
Blender - We love this high-speed blender with eight different speeds and hardened blades. Find it at Amazon for £89.99.
Tips
It's not fancy, it's not expensive, but the kids love it (and they can help too).
Store a chicken carcass in your freezer so you are always ready to make stock - you can even make it in a slow cooker, pop it all in and leave it to cook!
Variations
- A warming chicken soup - add a sprinkle of dried chilli flakes on top just before serving
- For a creamier soup stir in a tablespoon of creme fraiche before you dish up
- This chicken soup recipe is a great way to use up left over Christmas turkey or chicken from the Sunday roast
Related Recipes
Related Collections
Most loved Netmums recipes
-
Slow cooked sausage and onion casserole for kids
-
Macaroni cheese for kids
-
Fakeaway slow cooker doner kebab
-
Tuna pasta bake for kids
-
Cheesy mash
-
Chocolate cornflake cakes for cooking with kids
-
Rice Krispie cakes made with golden syrup
-
Easy treacle syrup sponge pudding
-
Chocolate tiffin
-
Banana flapjacks
Reviews
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4 ratingsRate this recipe
Lavinia T(12)
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
Am cooking this right now, still on the stock stage but it smells absolutely divine
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
Never used a chicken carcass before but this was delicious... a big hit!
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
Perfect with ABC pasta for my children when they are under the weather. They ask for it all the time!
Guest
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5
I make this recipe regularly after a chicken Sunday roast. Even better when made with a turkey carcass after Christmas. As with some other posters I prefer to add plenty of celery rather than leeks to the soup.The recipe is very flexible and can be made with less meat for a good vegetable soup.
Guest
when i make a chicken soup with leftovers i add thyme as it really compliments the chicken. I just buy the dried stuff from the spice section in asda (asdas own brand) I always add extra chicken stock (cube) in addition to what you get from the chicken carcass too. I would also recommend using celery as opposed to leeks, or as well as if you like, as you get an awful lot of flavour from it :) hope you have better luck with your soup as mine is fab i really really enjoy and im not a massive soup fan!
Guest
I've been making my version of this for years every Monday after a roast chicken on Sunday, since my children were small. Now they are 8-18 years and still adore it with a warm bread roll. Instead of potatoes I use tiny pasta shapes - little flower shapes or tiny hoops or even alphabet shapes when I can find them (I always look out in supermarkets when on holiday in Europe). This makes it more creamy and thick, it adds body as the water goes a bit starchy. If the carcass doesn't make a flavoursome enough stock for the amount of mouths you're feeding, you may need to boost it by adding a stock cube or some bouillon.
Guest
I was given a tip from the best Jewish mother ever!!! she said when making Chicken soup use about 3 pounds of carrots - and she is right - makes the soup delicious
Guest
Just tried the new updated recipe and it was delicious. I had mine with some creme fraiche stirred in at the end and it was so creamy. This is a great soup if you're feeling a bit under the weather
Guest
made this last month and it was so gloupy and bland my oh said it was minging and wouldnt fed it to the animals let alone the kids. gna try again tomorrow but minus the potatoe and maybe add more stock then what was written in the method.
Guest
Made this today and was very disappointed found it extremly bland and uninteresting.
Guest
Did this last night, but instead of frying off veg before hand, I put everything into one big pot, and boiled for an hour. As my carcass was raw before I then lifted all the neat off it and put back into the soup. Then added some pasta and cooked them in the soup for the 12min it said on packet. It fills it up a bit more and makes a full meal! My little one loved it tonight!
Guest
going to try this tonight! will let you know how it goes. LPx
Guest
mmmmmm mmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmm ... well thats all i have to say :o)
Guest
Don't forget to add any gravy you have left over (if you make it with the meat juices) and it's OK to add a little cabbage and or swede (which is what I do) along with a bay leaf. Mine's in the slow cooker now and will be ready for the kids when they've finished school :)
Guest
and add some knaidloch (mazto dough balls) and you've got the most delicious Jewish medicine!!!
Guest
I quite often make chicken soup. My Jewish friend showed me how to make it. Very similar to this, but I do use a Kosher Boiling chicken plus (and yes it sounds gross) a turkey neck. I put them into a split boiler saucepan (the one that is very tall with a colinder looking insert). Put carrot an onion in the large saucepan part and the chicken and turkey neck in the colinder part. It allows me to drain off the chicken carcass etc but leaft some of the onion and carrot . I let mine simmer for 4-6 hours as the longer it cooks the more flavoursome it is. Defintiely add carrot and onions to it to strengthen the flavour.
Guest
THIS IS ALSO GOOD WITH A THAI TWIST, A QUICK WAY IS TO ADD EITHER RED OR GREEN THAI CURRY PASTE(ACCORDING TO YOUR TASTE)REDUCE THE STOCK AND ADD COCONUT MILK. DELICIOUS. ADD FRESH CHILLIES, GINGER, NOODLES IF YOU LIKE.
Guest
My Husband and i made this today and it was so easy to do,and it tastes delicious...
Guest
I made this soup y'day. Made stock overnight in slowcooker as previous post. I added salt and pepper when cooking as had read about lack of seasoning. I didn't blend it as like a chunky soup. Tasted delicious and will definately be making it again!
Georgina J(5)
Made this soup today (made stock in slow cooker overnight so that it was ready to make this morning). It was really easy to make and tasted great. My daughter and husband thought it tasted lovely and I must say I impressed myself aswell !
Guest
Hi. Sounds like you just needed to add a bit more water (hot from the kettle) to cover the chicken carcass again.
Guest
this is the first time iv tried makin the stock from scratch- iv only been boiling for half hour and already the stock has evapourated??? why?? now im gonna hav to use a stock cube! lol can anyone explain what i done wrong please????
Guest
my chicken veg soup consists of, chicken, carrots, peas , sweetcorn, celery, leeks , potatoes , parsnips and chilli flakes at the end for a little kick !!! YUM YUM x
Guest
i also add about 3 handfuls of rice and the start and a handful of frozen peas and sweetcorn 5 minutes from the end! delicious! xx
Guest
I added a tiny chilli (deseeded!) and substituted a red onion for the leek (as I didn't have any). It worked well! A great use up recipe for vegetables in the fridge.
Guest
After a morning jumping in muddy puddles this was just what was in order. I made the stock first but also agree with others that there was a lack of flavour - (I did boil the chicken carcass for 1 hour before straining and then making the soup)but again as with the others a couple of teaspoons of bouillon powder was added but I then found that too salty and put loads of ground pepper to balance it out, none the less very tasty. Will definitely be doing it again.
Guest
I haven't made this in ages......thanks for the reminder!!! Def. making this Sunday.... Thaaaaaank you .
Guest
Where have i been !! made this for my super fussy husband and munchkins and they loved it ! Thank you sooooo much whoever you are for putting this on .x. Mandi M
Guest
making this soup tonight, minus the leeks and garlic, cos i haven't got any in the house. I will let hubby try it when he comes home from work.
Guest
I found my stock to be a little lacking in flavour, but a good couple of tablespoons of vegetable bouillon sorted it right out. Very tasty!
Guest
i have made my stock with the carcass of chicken in my slow cooker! left the stock in the crock pot, added some chicken, onion and mushrooms to it and cooked it whilst at work today. going to blend it for tea :-)
Guest
Made this tonight, and loved it. Made the stock first then made the soup. It needed lots of seasoning but it will definately be a regular on our dinner table from now on.
Guest
really enjoyed the soup, it made lots as i had lots of chicken to use in it, and what a great way to use up any veg u have in, definetely tasty when u make ur own stock.
Jennie W(29)
I cooked this tonight but without adding leeks & potatoes. I did put some broccoli, cauliflower & sweetcorn in about 10 mins from the end! My LO loved it. Will make this again!
+ Show more