My Chicken Soup with Rotisserie Chicken is proof that comfort food doesn't have to take all day. I’ve made more versions of chicken soup than I can count, and this one is the easiest by far. A store-bought rotisserie chicken brings full flavor fast. You’ll have homemade soup on the table in 30 minutes.
What You'll Learn:
- How To Prepare and Cook Your Rotisserie Chicken for Soup
- Why a Rotisserie Chicken is easier for soup
- Ideas for Starch Add-In (Rice, Potatoes, or Noodles)
- How to chop carrots for chicken soup
Then & Now
It was in the 1990s that buying a rotisserie chicken became a thing. Before that, when I made chicken soup, it always started with a raw whole chicken simmered low and slow on the stove. That was the method for decades, and it made a fine pot of soup, but it also took time.
Using a rotisserie chicken is a lot easier because you don't have to handle raw chicken. The important thing is that you get a GOOD chicken. No offense to Wal-Mart, but their rotisserie chickens are scrawny and over-seasoned. I like the chicken at my Kroger store or Sam's Club. I hear Costco has some good ones too. We are getting a Costco here, finally!
Ingredients for Rotisserie Chicken Soup
- Rotisserie Chicken, still warm or chilled, skin and obvious fat removed
- Water
- Better Than Bouillon, Roasted Chicken Flavor
- Celery
- Carrots
- Green Onion, white and green parts
- Dried Thyme Leaves
- Choose a Starch: Potatoes, Rice, Noodles or Pasta
- *A dry bay leaf is optional if you have it.
How To Make Chicken Soup with a Rotisserie Chicken
1. This is a chicken I bought yesterday. It's cold. Removing the skin is easier if your chicken is still warm. If you have a refrigerated chicken, you can use a spoon to scrape off the skin.
2. Remove skin and pull the meat. I like to leave the dark meat pulled and chop the white meat into cubes. Discard skin, bones and any obvious chunks of fat.
3. Stir the Chicken Soup Base (Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Flavor) with 10 cups of water. Substitution: If you still have some of that Knorr Chicken Bouillon powder, you can use that instead but you will need less. About 2 teaspoons - adjust to taste.
4. Add the dried thyme leaf. If you have ground thyme, you would probably only need a pinch. You really want the leaves for this recipe.
5. Chop the green onion, celery, carrots and potatoes. Substitution: Exchange out or add an additional starch. For Chicken and Rice Soup, add ⅓ cup dry white rice. For Chicken Noodle Soup, add your favorite egg noodles - dry or frozen.
6. Optional*** dried bay leaf.
7. Cover and cook on Medium-High heat for 15-20 minutes. Stir. Reduce to Medium heat and cook another 15 minutes or until all ingredients are cooked through. Turn off heat and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes: Cutting Carrots
This is how I cut carrots for chicken soup. I also like to cut them this way for my Vegetable Beef Soup, Chicken Pot Pie or any other homestyle recipe. The fancy term for this style of cutting is called the roll cut or oblique cut. My version is a bit rougher so I call it the Rough Country Chop. 🙂 I don't do the roll until the 3rd step.
Benefits of the Rough Country Chop:
This gives the soup a rustic but intentional look. It feels hand-cut and homemade, but still polished. It also creates more surface area, which helps the carrots cook evenly and absorb more flavor from the broth. I just like it better than the straight cut sliced pennies. It gives the soup more texture.
- Start with a peeled carrot and make your first diagonal cut.
- Turn your knife the opposite 45 degree angle and cut an uneven triangle.
- Roll the carrot forward slightly, and cut again.
- Repeat this process until the carrot is fully chopped.
Chicken Soup For The Sick
I make this chicken soup for my family, and I always make extra for my future-sick-self, tucked away in the freezer. I always feel gratitude that my healthy self thought ahead.
When making chicken soup for a sore throat, I usually go lighter on the vegetables so there’s more broth, because that’s what you want when you’re not feeling your best. If the broth reduces too much while it simmers, just add water back in and keep going. Soup like this is forgiving and meant to take care of you.
My other favorite thing to make using Rotisserie Chicken is Chicken Salad!
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Ingredients
- 1 rotisserie chicken
- 10 cups water
- 2 level Tablespoons Better Than Bouillon, Roasted Chicken Flavor
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 3 green onions (scallions), white and green parts sliced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 medium red potatoes, scrubbed, eyes removed, then sliced with skin on
- 1 dried bay leaf *optional
Instructions
- Remove skin from cooked chicken. Remove meat from bones. Chop white meat into small squares and pull dark meat. (Discard bones and skin)
- In a large pot or 7-quart dutch oven, add water and BTB roasted chicken base. Stir.
- Add thyme, green onions, celery, carrots, and potatoes. *(or rice, noodles)
- Add a bay leaf if you have it.
- Turn burner on to Medium-High heat and cover with the lid. Let cook 15-20 minutes until rapidly boiling, and then turn down to Medium heat for another 15 minutes. Remove lid and stir. Make sure potatoes are cooked through and turn off heat. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 8.
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