Name: Healing Chicken Soup (With Bone Broth)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter; 1 tablespoon olive or avocado oil; 1 onion, thinly sliced; 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced; 3 celery stalks, sliced; 5-6 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger; 1 teaspoon ground turmeric; Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste; 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (1 teaspoon dried); 3 bay leaves; 6 cups bone broth; 1 pound raw chicken breast or thigh meat (or 3 cups shredded precooked chicken); 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice; 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped

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Made with immune-boosting ingredients like ginger, turmeric, garlic, and bone broth, this healing chicken soup will become your cold-weather or sick-day go-to recipe.

close up of chicken soup in pot with ladle

We all should have a favorite go-to recipe for cold, snowy days or times when we’re feeling under the weather.

Hands down, this one is mine.

This healing chicken soup is my version of medicine in a bowl.

The foundation for this soup starts with timeless staples like carrots, celery, and onions.

Then, it levels up with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich herbs and spices like garlic, turmeric, ginger, and thyme (which also add amazing depth of flavor).

To top it off, the chicken and bone broth provide tons of protein, amino acids, and electrolytes to fill your belly, support your immune system, and aid in healing.

It’s comforting, healing, and nutrient-dense. It’s everything and more you could ever want in a chicken soup recipe.

two jars of bone broth on cutting board with onion and herbs

What Are The Health Benefits of Bone Broth?

Bone broth is one of the most nourishing superfoods you can consume, especially during times of sickness. It contains a wide array of nutrients that have a holistic effect on our bodies, supporting and enhancing practically every square inch.

1. Bone broth is one of the best natural sources of collagen and gelatin.

During the cooking process of bone broth, collagen and gelatin are naturally broken down into a form that is easy for our bodies to digest, absorb, and utilize.
Collagen and gelatin are critical for maintaining the integrity of our gut lining and promoting better digestion and absorption of other foods and nutrients, especially in those with leaky gut syndrome.

2. Bone broth is packed full of amino acids.

Amino acids (the building blocks of all our proteins) are effective in strengthening our gut lining, lowering our blood pressure, and assisting in wound healing.
Consuming the amino acids in chicken soup has been proven to boost your immune system and reduce inflammation in your respiratory tract.

3. Bone broth is the ultimate electrolyte drink.

Essential electrolytes and minerals, such as potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus (major components of bones) are naturally abundant in bone broth.
These electrolytes and minerals are necessary for balancing hydration, supporting our immune system, and controlling the functioning of our nerves, heart, and muscles.

If you want to learn more in-depth about the health benefits of bone broth and how you can easily make it at home, check out my post on how to make bone broth.

bowl of chicken soul next to pot of soup

Why You’ll Love This Healing Chicken Soup

It’s packed full of veggies, herbs, and bone broth to support and comfort your body when you need it most.
If it doesn’t heal your sickness, it will most definitely heal your soul. It’s comforting, delicious, and flavorful – it’s everything you want when you’re feeling under the weather.
Make it your own. Add in your favorite veggies (spinach, kale, peas, broccoli, potatoes) and play around with different herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary). Add in a favorite starch at the end if you want to bulk it up (rice, pasta, quinoa, Israeli couscous).
Make it ahead (or make it for a friend). It’s the perfect recipe to make and gift to a friend who is sick. It tastes even better as leftovers and can be frozen for a quick, comforting meal in the future.

Ingredients For Healing Chicken Soup

Butter + Olive Oil – Butter for flavor and oil to prevent the butter from burning. You can use whatever cooking fat you like.
Onion – Rich in vitamin C and quercetin, both powerful antioxidants. White, yellow, or sweet onions will do here.
Carrots + Celery – The timeless twins for any good soup recipe (and for good reason). Both carrots and celery add great fiber and are rich sources of vitamin A.
Garlic – Truly the best for any sickness, garlic contains allicin, a well-known and potent antimicrobial.
Ginger – Adds a warming and invigorating flavor, and also contains gingerol, a natural antibacterial and digestive aide.
Ground Turmeric – With a long list of health benefits, turmeric is most known for its powerful anti-inflammatory properties contained within a compound called curcumin.
Sea Salt + Pepper – Yes, for flavor, but also, sea salt is rich in electrolytes and trace minerals, while black pepper drastically enhances your body’s absorption of curcumin in the turmeric.
Thyme – Known for combating coughs, thyme contains vitamins, antioxidants, and thymol, a natural expectorant and antiseptic.
Bay Leaves – Add a subtle depth of flavor but are also beneficial in supporting digestion and aiding tissue repair.
Bone Broth – You can buy it in stores, but I highly recommend making it at home. Although I always use chicken bone broth here, you can use any type of bone broth.
Chicken – Make it beforehand, use leftovers, or shred a store-bought rotisserie chicken. You can also cook your chicken right in the soup if you’d like.
Lemon Juice – Adds a fresh pop of flavor and acts as a digestive aid.
Parsley – Not “just a garnish”! Parsley is a highly medicinal herb, full of vitamins and minerals, and is very helpful in aiding digestion.

spices and cut up vegetables on cutting board next to jar of bone broth

Instructions

1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.

2. Once the oil and butter are hot, add in the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring them frequently until they start to soften and the onions become translucent.

vegetables and spices in pot on cutting board

3. Add in the garlic, ginger, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Sauté for 30 seconds, stirring continuously, just until the garlic and ginger begin to release their aromas.

close up of vegetables and spices cooking in a pot

4. Add in the bone broth, fresh thyme, and bay leaves (and raw chicken, if you have it). Cover the pot and bring the soup to a boil.

5. Once boiling, remove the lid and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes (or until the chicken is cooked).

6. Once the chicken is fully cooked (165° F), remove it with tongs or a slotted spoon. Shred or cut it up before transferring it back into the soup. (If you have precooked, shredded chicken, this is the time to add it).

shredded chicken falling into pot of soup

7. Finish with fresh lemon juice and season with more salt and pepper to your taste preference. Serve and garnish with parsley.

8. Store in an airtight container for up to five days in the fridge or up to three months in the freezer.

Substitutions + Variations

Make it your own. Pack in your favorite veggies (spinach, kale, peas, broccoli, potatoes) and play around with different herbs (oregano, basil, rosemary).
Use whatever chicken you have. I typically use my leftover spatchcock chicken in this soup, or on the days I don’t want to cook more than necessary, I’ll shred up a store-bought rotisserie chicken and throw it in. If you have raw chicken breasts or thighs on hand, throw them directly into the pot when you add the herbs and bone broth. The chicken will cook during the 20-25 minutes of simmering. Check to make sure it’s completely cooked (165° F) before removing it, shredding it, and throwing it back into the pot.
Bulk it up. Towards the end of cooking, toss in a cup of rice, pasta, or quinoa directly into the pot so that it absorbs all the bone broth goodness.