Nourishing and Budget Friendly Chicken Soup from Chicken Carcasses

An easy and flexible chicken soup to use every part of the chicken - for maximum nutrition and minimal waste!

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time3 hrs 40 mins

Servings: 8

2 Chicken Carcasses or 1 Full Chicken These are the organic ones that we get! https://tidd.ly/3vFFbD2
2 Medium/large Onion Or more smaller ones
1/4 Cup Butter or Oil for cooking
2 Cloves Garlic
2 Cups Carrots, finely diced You can use more if you have more you want to use up, or less if you don't have them on hand. You can also use a cup of celery instead I just don't tend to use it out of preference.
1 Can Chopped Tomatoes You can also use chopped tomatoes
3 Cups Beans or Lentils, pre cooked For the most budget friendly option soak them from dry then cook. You need one cup of dry beans to make about 3 cups cooked.
1 Cup Sweetcorn Or one can, or the corn of 2-3 cobs of corn, cooked. It's a flexible amount so don't waste any to stick to one cup.
3 Tbsp Cumin Or more or less to taste
2 Tbsp Smoked Paprika Or more or less to taste, make sure you taste!
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 150℃/375℉
Place the chicken carcasses (or a whole chicken) in a roasting dish and roast until the meat is cooked though, about 40 minutes. This will be a different time depending on how much meat is left on the carcass. If you're working with a whole bird - cook the the correct time for the size you're working with.
Once the meat has cooled enough to handle, pull the easy to remove parts off the bones and reserve it. You can add it back into the soup, or use it for a different dish.
Place the bones, skin, and any giblets into a stock pot or dutch oven skillet and add a roughly chopped onion, salt and pepper. You can also add any unwanted veggie scraps you have at this point to cook down and flavour the broth.
Fill the pot with water, enough to fully cover the chicken and anything you've added, about 2 litres.
Bring the pot to a simmer and leave it safely simmering for 2-3 hours. If the water gets low, top it up to just covering the bones.
When it's had a 2-4 hours to simmer, carefully strain and reserve the liquid. You'll have about 1.5 to 2 litres of broth. This is your broth for making the soup or using for anything you want.

Finely dice the remaining onion and add it to a stock pot with 2 tablespoons butter or oil over a medium heat. Stir the onion as it cooks until it's soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, spices and diced carrot and continue to stir and cook until everything has softened. (In a time pinch you can throw it all in together and let it simmer and cook together once everything is added.) Add more butter or a splash of broth if the pan gets dry.
Once the onion, garlic and carrot are cooked and soft, add in the broth and chopped tomatoes, beans or lentils, corn and any meat, and stir together.
Turn down the pot to a low simmer, add the lid, and let it simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper (it's going to need a lot of salt!) and add more cumin and smoked paprika as needed. The seasoning MAKES this soup, it's nothing without it and suddenly all comes together when it's seasoned right.
Serve with crusty bread or toasted tortilla strips, grated cheese or a dollop of yogurt.
Allow to cool and store in a glass container in the fridge for 2-3 days.