There is something so comforting about chicken soup. Instant chicken soup (aka the salt bomb in a bag) I grew up eating, is something I try to avoid these days, even though it brings back sweet memories.

Every hostess needs to have at least one good soup recipe in her toolbox. And chicken soup isn’t just for the sick anymore! It’s perfect on a cold, rainy day, or any time you’re craving a bowl of comfort. It’s also the perfect neutral flavor when you’re hosting a meal for guests with a soup course. Almost everyone eats chicken, so you can’t go wrong.

These days, I’ve experimented with different ways of making chicken noodle soup. Boiling the chicken with the vegetables, boiling and draining, using white meat, using dark meat, trying a hundred and one ways to perfect it. And I think I finally got it.

In this house, we prefer dark meat. Now if it’s bone-in and skin on or skinless and boneless, that’s debatable. My husband insists we buy bone-less and skin-less and I prefer bone-in, skin on. Which is why we always have both varieties on hand. For some recipes, you simply need the flavor and fat from the chicken skin! As with all things in marriage, compromise is essential.

In my chicken soup, I’ve found that using skinless chicken thighs was ok…..as long as you had at least one with skin on 🙂 In this recipe for 4 people, I use 3 medium chicken thighs (2 skinless and 1 bone-in, skin-on). This gives me the perfect flavor and just enough fat without being overly greasy. If you prefer to buy skinless chicken thighs, that’s ok too!

I don’t like to use ready-made chicken stock or broth in this recipe. Nothing beats fresh, and trust me, this recipe is so easy and so flavorful you won’t miss it. Are you ready to see how easy this is?

Chop up 1 onion, 2 celery sticks, 1 carrot. Add to pot. Add chicken. Cook on medium heat. That’s it. Literally, that’s it for the stock.

One thing I’d like to mention is I love to use tortellini in my chicken soup. At my local supermarket, I’ve come across tortellini stuffed with a chicken and herb mixture which is perfect. When I don’t have that on hand, nothing beats the traditional egg noodle.

Quick note: Vegeta, an Eastern European seasoning mix is required in this recipe. A lot of my dishes here use Vegeta, so you’ll see it mentioned a lot. You can find some on Amazon or in the Eastern European section of your grocery store.

I hope you give this recipe a try. Try different noodles or make your own (recipe coming soon!). Either way, I’d love to see your creations. Hashtag #thebalkanhostess on Facebook or Instagram or send me a DM!

Domaća Pileća Supa / Homemade Chicken Soup

Recipe by The Balkan HostessCourse: Soups and StewsCuisine: Serbian

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Ingredients

3 medium chicken thighs (2 skinless & boneless, 1 with skin preferred)
4 cups water
1 medium onion, cut into quarters
2 large carrots, peeled, 1 whole, 1 diced
1 medium potato, diced
1/2 cup (100 g) egg noodles (or any pasta)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 tbsp (17 g) Vegeta Seasoning (to taste)
Fresh or dried parsley for garnish
2 celery stalks, cut in half horizontally

Directions

Fill a large pot with 4 cups of water. Add the onion, 1 whole carrot, and both celery stalks. Cook on high heat until the liquid starts to boil, then reduce to low and cook for around 40 minutes, covered, until the meat is very tender and can be pulled apart with a fork. Remove from heat.
Using a sieve, strain the chicken stock into a heatproof bowl with a spout. Remove meat from the sieve and place in a small bowl, set aside.
Return strained liquid into pot and turn the heat to medium. Add diced carrot and potato. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken pieces and discard any chicken skin/bone if using bone-in thighs. Add the chicken to the pot.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in the Vegeta seasoning. Once the soup comes to a boil, add in pasta. Cook on medium heat until the pasta is cooked through. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
Garnish with parsley. Serve hot.

Notes

Vegeta is a required ingredient in this dish. It is a blend of spices used in almost all Balkan cooking, especially Serbian dishes. You can purchase some on Amazon!