Chicken Clear Soup Recipe That Is Light and Easy to Make at Home

Chicken clear soup is one of the simplest and most comforting things you can make at home. A good clear soup is built on patience and a well-made broth. Bone-in chicken is simmered slowly with aromatics until the liquid turns golden, deeply flavoured and wonderfully soothing. The broth is then strained to a clear, clean finish and served with shredded chicken, fresh vegetables and a seasoning of black pepper and lemon juice.

The secret to a clear broth is skimming the foam that rises to the surface in the first few minutes of cooking and keeping the heat at a gentle simmer throughout. A rolling boil makes the broth cloudy. Low and slow is what gives you a beautiful, clear golden soup that is light enough to drink and satisfying enough to be a meal on its own.

Chicken clear soup made with Zorabian Chicken Soup Pieces in a golden broth with shredded chicken, carrot rounds, French beans, mushrooms, spring onion and fresh coriander in a speckled ceramic bowl

Chicken Clear Soup Recipe

Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Total time: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the broth:

  • 500g Chicken Soup Pieces (bone-in, fresh)
  • 5 litres cold water
  • 1 medium onion, halved
  • 3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
  • 1 inch piece fresh ginger, sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 to 8 black peppercorns
  • 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme or parsley
  • 1 tsp salt

For the soup:

  • 1 medium carrot, cut into thin rounds or julienned
  • 1/2 cup French beans or snap peas, sliced
  • 2 to 3 mushrooms, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp white or black pepper
  • 1 tsp soy sauce (optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (to finish)

For garnish:

  • Spring onion greens, finely chopped
  • Fresh coriander leaves, chopped
  • Extra black pepper to taste

Steps

  1. Place the chicken pieces in a large pot and cover with 1.5 litres of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. As the water heats up, a grey foam will begin to rise to the surface. Skim this off continuously using a ladle or large spoon for the first 8 to 10 minutes until the foam stops appearing and the water looks relatively clear. This step is essential for a clean, clear broth.
  2. Once skimmed, reduce the heat to low. Add the halved onion, garlic, ginger, carrots, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns, thyme or parsley sprigs and salt. Stir gently once. The broth should be at a very gentle simmer with small bubbles occasionally breaking the surface. Do not let it boil. Cover partially with a lid and cook for 35 to 40 minutes.
  3. Remove the chicken pieces from the pot using a slotted spoon and set them aside to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a clean pot, discarding all the solids. The strained broth should be golden and clear. Taste and adjust the salt.
  4. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred it into neat pieces. Discard the bones. Set the shredded chicken aside.
  5. Bring the strained broth back to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add the sliced carrot, beans and mushrooms if using. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until the vegetables are just tender but still have a slight bite.
  6. Add the shredded chicken back into the soup. Season with pepper and soy sauce if using. Taste and adjust the salt. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and stir once.
  7. Ladle the hot soup into bowls and garnish with spring onion greens and fresh coriander. Add an extra pinch of black pepper if desired and serve immediately.

Tips for Best Results:

Always start with cold water. Placing the chicken in cold water and bringing it to a boil slowly draws out the flavour and impurities gradually, giving you a cleaner, more flavourful broth than if you start with boiling water.

Skim the foam thoroughly. The grey foam that rises in the first few minutes is what makes broth cloudy. Take the time to skim it all off before adding the vegetables. This single step is what gives you a beautifully clear golden soup.

Keep the heat at a gentle simmer throughout. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat into the broth and makes it murky. Low and slow is the only way to get a clear soup.

Use bone-in chicken pieces. The bones are what give the broth its body, depth and natural gelatin. Boneless chicken produces a thinner, less flavourful broth.

Add the fresh vegetables only after straining. The first set of vegetables used while making the broth are for flavour only and are discarded. The second set of fresh vegetables added after straining is what gives the soup its colour and texture.

This soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store the broth and shredded chicken separately and assemble when ready to serve. Reheat gently on the stovetop without boiling.

Chicken clear soup is the kind of recipe that rewards you for slowing down. The broth takes time but very little effort, and the result is a bowl that is genuinely restorative. Whether you are under the weather, looking for something light or simply want a warm and wholesome meal, this is a recipe worth keeping close.

Order Zorabian’s Chicken Soup Pieces from shop.zorabian.com and try this recipe at home.

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