Hey everyone! Ritika here. As a home cook, nothing feels quite as comforting or healing as a warm bowl of homemade chicken soup. While I love making all sorts of flavorful Indian dishes, sometimes simplicity is key—especially when you or your loved ones are feeling under the weather or just need something easy to digest.
Today, I want to share my go-to chicken soup recipe. This isn’t just any chicken soup; it’s a mildly flavored version with a touch of Indian spices that feels incredibly nourishing. It’s a recipe I turn to often, especially when someone in the family has a cold. I’ve found that making this soup often helps my kids heal naturally within a few days. It’s light enough to digest and always hits the spot. It even reminds me of chicken soup I’ve had elsewhere, but with lovely added flavors like ghee and spices. This is truly a simple chicken soup recipe that feels both familiar and uniquely Indian.
About Chicken Soup
This chicken soup recipe is designed to be healthy and comforting. It’s characterized by its mild flavor, allowing the natural goodness of the chicken and vegetables to shine through, enhanced by a touch of Indian spices.
What I love about this particular method is its flexibility– you can easily adjust it to suit your taste or what you have on hand. While I often prepare it simply, you can add various vegetables like potatoes, corn, carrots, peas, pumpkin, and mushrooms. Simmering different vegetables together can really add a unique aroma and taste. This recipe is particularly useful when seeking something light and easy to digest, perhaps served simply with a few spoons of rice.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this simple yet flavorful Indian-style chicken soup:
- 250 gms chicken (bone-in chicken is recommended as it adds more flavor to the stock)
- 1 carrot
- ½ cup Sweet corn
- 1 potato (optional)
- 1 cup any vegetables of your choice (optional) like cauliflower, celery, or cabbage
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice (added at the end, this helps in fighting flu and cold)
- 1 tbsp ginger, chopped finely (optional
- 1 tbsp garlic, chopped finely
- 1 tsp ghee or oil or butter
For the Spices
These add the unique, mild Indian touch
- 2 inch cinnamon piece
- 1 small bay leaf
- 4 peppercorns
Steps to Make Chicken Soup
Making this chicken soup is straightforward. Here’s how I make it, combining the initial cooking for stock and the final preparation for maximum flavor and nourishment:
Watch Video: How to Make Chicken Soup
1. Start the Stock
Add the chicken, potatoes, mixed vegetables (if you are using them at this initial stage), and 3 cups of water to a cooker or large pot. Tear the bay leaf and break the cinnamon piece before adding them along with the peppercorns.
Cook Until Tender: If using a pressure cooker, cook for 3 whistles. If using a regular pot, simply boil until the chicken is tender and easily falls off the bone.
Prepare the Chicken: Once cooked, set the chicken aside. Shred the meat from the cooked chicken, carefully discarding the bones.
2. Strain the Stock
Carefully strain the broth from the pot into a deep pan. You’ll notice that the vegetables cooked initially with the chicken will be left in the strainer. These vegetables often become very soft during the initial cooking process.
You have a Choice: You can discard them, or if you prefer a thicker soup with added fiber and nutrients, you can blend some of the cooked vegetables and stir them back into the strained stock later.
3. Sauté Aromatics and Veggies
Heat the ghee (or oil/butter) in the pan with the strained stock. Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic and sauté for about a minute until fragrant.
Add Carrots and Corn: Now, add the fresh carrots and sweet corn (if you didn’t add them in the initial step) to the pan. Fry them for about a minute alongside the aromatics.
Combine and Boil: Add the strained chicken stock back into the pan with the sautéed vegetables. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the fresh carrots and corn are tender.
Finish the Soup: Once the vegetables are tender, add salt to taste. Return the shredded chicken meat to the soup. Turn off the heat.
4. Add Lemon Juice
It’s best to add the lemon juice after the soup has finished cooking and has cooled slightly. Squeeze in the lemon juice at this stage. This is partly because the lemon juice is said to help in fighting flu and cold, and adding it off the heat helps preserve its fresh flavor and vitamin C. You can also add more pepper powder at this stage if you like.
Serve Warm: Serve this comforting chicken soup warm. Enjoy its nourishing and gentle flavors in a bowl.
Recipe Summary: Prep Time, Cook Time and Servings
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Servings: 5 people
Serving Suggestions & Expert Tips from My Kitchen
Tip 1 – Boost It Up: For a more complete and filling meal, you can easily add some boiled noodles directly to the soup before serving. This is a popular way to make it heartier.
Tip 2 – Add Grains for Nutrition: If you are serving this soup often, perhaps for someone recovering or just for extra substance, consider adding cooked grains like rice, barley, dalia, or steel-cut oats directly into the soup. This boosts the nutritional value.
Tip 3 – Handle Cooked Veggies from Stock: As mentioned in the steps, the vegetables initially cooked with the chicken for the stock become quite soft. While you can discard them, blending some back into the strained broth is a great, simple way to add more body, thickness, and fiber to your soup, minimizing waste.
Tip 4 – Adjust Spices to Your Liking: This recipe uses a few key spices (bay leaf, peppercorns, cinnamon) for a wonderfully mild, comforting flavor. Feel free to adjust the amount or type of spices based on your personal preference or dietary needs. You might omit some or add others like a pinch of turmeric or cumin if you like.
Tip 5 – Don’t Skip the Lemon Power: Adding the lemon juice at the very end, after cooking, is important. It not only brightens the flavor but is added partly because it’s traditionally believed to help in fighting flu and cold.
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimated for 5 Servings Average)
- Calories: 150–200 kcal
- Protein: 15–20 g
- Fat: 5–8 g
- Saturated Fat: 1–2 g
- Carbohydrates: 8–12 g
- Sugars: 2–4 g
- Fiber: 1–3 g
- Cholesterol: 40–60 mg
- Sodium: 500–800 mg (varies with broth & salt)
Happy cooking!
About the Author
Chicken Soup Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Pressure Cooker or Large Pot
- 1 Strainer or Sieve
- 1 Knife & Cutting Board
- 1 Deep Pan or Saucepan
- 1 Ladle or Large Spoon
- 1 Tongs or Forks
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 250 gms chicken bone-in chicken is recommended as it adds more flavor to the stock
- 1 carrot
- ½ cup Sweet corn
- 1 potato optional
- 1 cup any vegetables of your choice optional like cauliflower, celery, or cabbage
- 2 tbsp Lemon juice added at the end, this helps in fighting flu and cold
- 1 tbsp ginger chopped finely optional
- 1 tbsp garlic chopped finely
- 1 tsp ghee or oil or butter
- 2 inch cinnamon piece
- 1 small bay leaf
- 4 peppercorns
Instructions
- Start the Stock: Add the chicken, potatoes, mixed vegetables (if you are using them at this initial stage), and 3 cups of water to a cooker or large pot. Tear the bay leaf and break the cinnamon piece before adding them along with the peppercorns.
- Cook Until Tender: If using a pressure cooker, cook for 3 whistles. If using a regular pot, simply boil until the chicken is tender and easily falls off the bone.
- Prepare the Chicken: Once cooked, set the chicken aside. Shred the meat from the cooked chicken, carefully discarding the bones.
- Strain the Stock: Carefully strain the broth from the pot into a deep pan. You’ll notice that the vegetables cooked initially with the chicken will be left in the strainer. These vegetables often become very soft during the initial cooking process.
- You have a Choice: You can discard them, or if you prefer a thicker soup with added fiber and nutrients, you can blend some of the cooked vegetables and stir them back into the strained stock later.
- Sauté Aromatics and Veggies: Heat the ghee (or oil/butter) in the pan with the strained stock. Add the finely chopped ginger and garlic and sauté for about a minute until fragrant.
- Add Carrots and Corn: Now, add the fresh carrots and sweet corn (if you didn’t add them in the initial step) to the pan. Fry them for about a minute alongside the aromatics.
- Combine and Boil: Add the strained chicken stock back into the pan with the sautéed vegetables. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the fresh carrots and corn are tender.
- Finish the Soup: Once the vegetables are tender, add salt to taste. Return the shredded chicken meat to the soup. Turn off the heat.
- Add Lemon Juice: It’s best to add the lemon juice after the soup has finished cooking and has cooled slightly. Squeeze in the lemon juice at this stage. This is partly because the lemon juice is said to help in fighting flu and cold, and adding it off the heat helps preserve its fresh flavor and vitamin C. You can also add more pepper powder at this stage if you like.
- Serve Warm: Serve this comforting chicken soup warm. Enjoy its nourishing and gentle flavors in a bowl.
Video
Notes
- Boost It Up: For a more complete and filling meal, you can easily add some boiled noodles directly to the soup before serving. This is a popular way to make it heartier.
- Add Grains for Nutrition: If you are serving this soup often, perhaps for someone recovering or just for extra substance, consider adding cooked grains like rice, barley, dalia, or steel-cut oats directly into the soup. This boosts the nutritional value.
- Handle Cooked Veggies from Stock: As mentioned in the steps, the vegetables initially cooked with the chicken for the stock become quite soft. While you can discard them, blending some back into the strained broth is a great, simple way to add more body, thickness, and fiber to your soup, minimizing waste.
- Adjust Spices to Your Liking: This recipe uses a few key spices (bay leaf, peppercorns, cinnamon) for a wonderfully mild, comforting flavor. Feel free to adjust the amount or type of spices based on your personal preference or dietary needs. You might omit some or add others like a pinch of turmeric or cumin if you like.
- Don’t Skip the Lemon Power: Adding the lemon juice at the very end, after cooking, is important. It not only brightens the flavor but is added partly because it’s traditionally believed to help in fighting flu and cold.