Chicken Soup

By Food & Wine
Updated May 10, 2017
These comforting recipes include classic chicken noodle soup and hearty chicken-and-sausage gumbo.
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Chicken Pho

Credit: © Con Poulos
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The Vietnamese chicken-and-noodle soup called pho is all about the layers of flavor in the rich-tasting broth. The technique here also produces meat that’s supremely tender and tasty.

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Chicken Soup with Jasmine Rice and Ginger

Credit: © Deirdre Rooney
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There may not be any clinical proof that ginger helps fight colds or the flu, but this supereasy, gingery chicken soup will undeniably make you feel better.

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Chicken-Chile Soup

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This Mexican-inspired chicken soup by F&W’s Justin Chapple is extremely easy to make. Justin likes serving it with diced avocado and hot sauce to stir in at the table.

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Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

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Spaghettini is a good stand-in for Asian noodles, but if you can find rice noodles, by all means use them here. Serve the soup in deep bowls with chopsticks or forks as well as spoons. Eat the noodles first then drink the soup in the Asian manner. Or, to use a spoon only and eat everything together, break the pasta into small pieces before cooking.

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Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup

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We’ve deviated slightly from the classic version of a popular Thai soup by adding rice to make it more substantial. Serve it with lime wedges—a squirt at the table does wonders.

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Classic Chicken Noodle Soup

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This classic chicken noodle soup gets its deeply flavorful broth from a whole chicken.

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Chicken-and-Garlic Chowder

Credit: © Tina Rupp
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The beauty of this recipe is that it takes advantage of an array of terrific prefab ingredients, from prepeeled garlic and precut butternut squash to rotisserie chicken and frozen sofrito (the Spanish green-pepper-and-onion seasoning paste). Poaching the prepeeled garlic cloves in milk helps bring out an extraordinary depth of flavor.

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Chicken-and-Avocado Soup with Fried Tortillas

Credit: SUSAN SPUNGEN
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Here’s a silky soup that doesn’t rely on cream for its creamy texture; pureed avocados do the job nicely. It doesn’t rely on long cooking for its full flavor, either—the soup’s in the pot for less than ten minutes.

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White Bean and Chicken Soup

Credit: © Dana Gallagher
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By using chicken thighs instead of breasts, F&W’s Melissa Rubel gives this hearty, jalapeño-spiked soup ultrarich flavor.

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Chinese Poached Chicken Breasts with Star Anise

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Chicken breasts poached in a broth flavored with star anise, cinnamon, ginger, scallions, and soy sauce is a Chinese classic. Traditionally you would save, not serve, the broth—it improves each time you use it—but we can never resist serving it with the chicken as a light sauce. If you like, boil noodles separately and add them to the broth for a meal in a dish.

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Chicken Avgolemono

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The traditional Greek avgolemono soup is just chicken broth (thickened with egg and flavored with lemon) and rice. We add juicy bites of chicken breast and green peas to make the soup a meal.

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Chicken Soup with Rosemary Matzo Balls

Credit: © Quentin Bacon
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Chef Dan Barber prepares this soup with seasonal chicken (raised in late spring, summer and fall), using wings, backs, necks and feet. His recipe yields almost eight quarts of broth, so there's plenty to freeze. He likes serving the soup with fluffy matzo balls laced with rosemary.

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Moroccan Chicken-and-Couscous Soup

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A mainstay in Morocco, steamed couscous topped with a very liquid stew is undeniably delectable, but not exactly quick. We’ve found, though, that combining all the ingredients in a soup yields similarly sumptuous results in a much shorter time. The dish is decidedly spicy; if you prefer less heat, just reduce the amount of cayenne.

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Cambodian Chicken-and-Rice Soup with Shrimp

Credit: © Kana Okada
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For this spicy, soothing and restorative chicken-and-rice soup, Ratha Chau prepares his own delectable chicken stock and roasts a chicken, which is then cut into large pieces and added to it. For an easier version, use prepared stock and preroasted chicken.

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Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup with Noodles

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With its seductive flavors of coconut, lime, ginger, and cilantro, this Thai soup is quickly becoming a favorite. Our version includes enough chicken and noodles to make it a main course. If you like, turn up the heat with more cayenne.

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Mexican Chicken Pozole Verde

Credit: © Dana Gallagher
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There are many variations on pozole, a traditional hominy-based Mexican stew closely associated with the Pacific-coast state of Guerrero. Anya von Bremzen’s version, a green pozole, derives much of its flavor from tangy ingredients like tomatillos, cilantro and green chiles.

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Chicken and Noodles in Spiced Broth

Credit: © Joseph de Leo
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Alternative healers use star anise to fight cold and flu symptoms. Melissa Rubel Jacobson combines the licorice-scented spice with cinnamon and ginger—both stomach soothers—to flavor a restorative chicken-noodle soup.

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Chicken Meatball-and-Orzo Soup

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Melissa Rubel Jacobson cleverly uses chicken sausage here: removing the casings, shaping the meat into balls, browning them and simmering them in chicken broth. If you have leftover cooked rice on hand, feel free to substitute it for the orzo.

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Chicken-and-Sausage Gumbo

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This isn’t authentic gumbo, but it's a delicious example of how Creole flavors have crept up to Kentucky.

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Asian Chicken Noodle Soup

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The Chinese have considered the shiitake a symbol of longevity for thousands of years; recent research shows that it’s a great source of iron and antioxidants.

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Chicken Hot Pot with Mushrooms and Tofu

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Cooks in Asia serve hot pots communally, setting a big pot of bubbling broth on the table alongside a platter of raw ingredients (like vegetables and thinly sliced chicken) for dipping. It's a fun way for guests to feel like they have a hand in making their own meal. In his version, Ethan Stowell gives each person at the table an individual bowl of sliced mushrooms, tofu and scallions, then adds piping hot chicken broth loaded with chunks of tender cooked chicken.

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West African Chicken Soup

Credit: © Stephanie Foley
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This West African chicken soup gets its extraordinary richness from coconut milk.

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Chicken Bouillabaisse with Rouille

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Jacques Pépin’s chicken stew is fast and easy to assemble, and it cooks in about 30 minutes.

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Chicken Chorba with Walnuts

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The chicken in this saffron-and-ginger-scented chorba (the North African name for soup) is an excellent source of protein, while the walnuts are packed with antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, superheroes for the heart.

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Ukrainian Chicken Soup

Credit: © Stephanie Foley
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Stracciatella with Spinach

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This comforting Italian chicken soup is loaded with spinach and ribbons of beaten egg.

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Korean Chicken Soup

Credit: © Stephanie Foley
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Italian Ramen

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This easy Italian riff on Japanese ramen uses an herb-infused chicken broth and angel hair pasta.

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Chicken and Potato Soup with Lemongrass

Credit: © Tina Rupp
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Chicken and Barley Stew with Dill and Lemon

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This one-pot dinner from F&W’s Gail Simmons is an enriched take on classic chicken soup with rice; at once flavorful, hearty and comforting.

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Creamy Piquillo Pepper and Chickpea Soup with Chicken

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The secret to this speedy soup is buying ingredients with lots of built-in flavor, like hummus, jarred piquillo peppers and rotisserie chicken.

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Barley Chupe with Queso Fresco

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In many South American countries, thick soups or stews are called chupes. This comforting chupe is made with barley, potatoes and lima beans in a savory chicken broth.

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Chicken and Sweet-Potato Chowder

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Chicken Soup with Whole-Wheat Dumplings