A Hearty, Homely, Healthy Chicken Soup Recipe

This homemade chicken soup recipe is a family favorite of mine, and for good reason. It's quick, simple, and yummy. You could use a boxed chicken soup, but it's full of preservatives and sodium. Take a few extra minutes to whip this one and it'll sooth your soul all winter long.

What You'll Need:

2 containers of chicken broth or about 30 ounces of homemade broth

1 tablespoon of dried onion or onion powder

1 whole bag of frozen veggies, or 3 cups of freshly chopped ones

2.5 cups of cooked chicken breast, chopped (about 3 breasts)

2 cans of cream of chicken soup (I use the reduced sodium version!)

How to Make:

1. Bring the broth to a boil and then reduce heat to about medium.

2. Add in veggies, can soup, and onion powder. Cook for ten minutes.

3. Add in chopped chicken bits and cook for another ten minutes. 

4. Enjoy!

How to Use Chicken Stock

When we buckle down to make homemade soups, the first ingredient we require is stock. Chicken stock (or beef, vegetable, etc) is made from boiling down the flavors and nutrients from meat scraps, bones, veggies, and spices. Just strain the bits when you're done and you're left with this delicious broth to use in tons of recipes. But what exactly are those recipes? What are the many different ways you can use soup stock besides for soup? 

READ How to Cook Leftovers and Make Them Taste Great

Try These:

-Instead of using water to cook rice, use stock. It adds a yummy flavor!

-Casseroles. Add a bit of stock to amp up the flavoring in any casserole or deep dish.

-Homemade sauces. It's hard to really get a layered taste in homemade sauces. But using stock can help you do that.

-Low fat cream sauces. Things like Alfredo are delicious but really high in fat. You can reduce those fat levels by substituting half the sauce with broth. You still get the flavor but less calories. 

-Chicken dishes. I don't know about you, but chicken and dumplings is one of my favorite winter meals to cook. Having pre-made chicken stock on hand really puts the cherry on this dish.

-Mashed potatoes. My family are totally fine with regular mashed potatoes and butter. But when I add soup stock to them, they go nuts. It makes them creamier and more flavorful.

-Gravy. Everyone is looking for a good gravy recipe this time of year. Not only for Christmas dinner, but for other great comfort food dishes throughout the cold season. Having chicken stock on hand means you don't have to cook any meat to get your base.

-Where I'm from, there's a popular dish called fries, stuffing, and gravy. Having a great chicken stock on hand means that I can make this yummy dish anytime of year, not just when gravy is plentiful. I use the broth to make my stuffing, too!