Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

grandma's extra-special chicken soup

Recipe by
Darlene Dulewski
Deer Lodge, MT

THIS IS NOT YOUR ORDINARY CHICKEN SOUP -- It's creamy, tomatoey and chickeny. My grandmother used to make this soup when I was younger and I always loved it! Unfortunately, my grandmother passed on before I got her recipe. Although I knew the ingredients, I just didn't know the exact proportions. After about 15 years of attempting to get the proportions right, I finally got the soup to taste just like my grandmother used to make it. So... here it is. I hope you enjoy it as much as I and my family do.

yield serving(s)
prep time 1 Hr
cook time 3 Hr
method Stove Top

Ingredients For grandma's extra-special chicken soup

  • 1
    whole chicken
  • 2-3
    chicken breasts
  • 1
    bunch of carrots, thinly sliced
  • 1/2
    bunch of celery hearts, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 3
    cans tomato paste (6 oz. size)
  • 3
    cans cream of mushroop soup (10.5 oz. size)
  • 2
    tsp. ground allspice
  • 2
    tbsp. vinegar
  • 3
    cups half & half
  • 1
    container low-sodium chicken broth (32 oz. size)
  • 1
    package egg noodles

How To Make grandma's extra-special chicken soup

  • 1
    Cook egg noodles and put in refrigerator to cool.
  • 2
    Cut up RAW vegetables into small pieces.
  • 3
    Clean chicken and put in a very large pot with lid (at least 20 quarts) along with RAW vegetables only. Add water to pot until chicken is covered with at least 2 inches of water. Bring to boil, cover and then simmer for 1 hour, skimming occasionally. Remove chicken and set aside to cool. When cooled, tear chicken apart into bite-size pieces.
  • 4
    In a separate large pot (at least 5 quarts), combine cream of mushroom soup, tomato paste, chicken broth, ground allspice, vinegar and half & half, mixing thoroughly with a wire whisk. Bring to a light boil, stirring frequently until completely hot.
  • 5
    Add mixture to the very large HOT pot of soup broth (if the mixture and broth are not both hot, the half & half will curdle). Add torn up chicken pieces and any CANNED vegetables, and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour, skimming occasionally. Serve with noodles. NOTE: DO NOT add noodles to the pot of soup as they will absorb the liquid.
  • 6
    Once cooled, the soup can be put into containers and frozen for future use. This recipe makes a lot of soup -- I usually freeze two containers full after we have eaten our fill.
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