The secret ingredient in the best chicken soup recipe

I know I’m not the only one who isn’t the biggest fan of it.

creamy chicken soup

The weather is finally starting to cool down, which only means one thing in my household: soup season! While I could very easily devour a bowl all year round, a nourishing chicken soup to help ease colds and flu in the winter months always makes me feel instantly soothed.

But when a friend recommended me this creamy chicken soup recipe I was hesitant to try it. Why? Celery.

Celery: a divisive ingredient

I’ve never been a celery fan. Hate’s a strong word, but where celery’s concerned, I think it’s appropriate. Even as a kid I despised it, and now as an adult I’m quick to replace it or omit it from recipes altogether. Something about the grassy flavour, the bitter taste and the smell makes me want to run for the hills.

I know I’m not the only one who thinks this way. We asked our Facebook community whether they’re fans of celery and we were met with decidedly mixed reviews. While some loved the taste, there were many who were very vocal about their opinions. Here is what they said:

• “🤢 That’s a no from me.” – Keryn
• “Ohhh no no no…yuck.” – Lesley
• “No, not a fan. It tastes horrible raw 🤣.” – Melanie
• “Not even covered in chocolate!” – Kylie

In defence of celery in chicken soup

Despite my celery concerns, the chicken soup recipe looked so hearty and delicious that I still thought it was worth a try. Plus the 4.8 star rating across over 70 reviews was pretty convincing:

• “This one is a WINNER ! Chicken dinner 😍 …. so nice. It’s going to become a regular monthly meal.” – Vittoriasecrets
• “Beautiful soup! Hubby is a soup fanatic and looooves this.” – doodooyang
• “Really delicious recipe. First time making chicken soup and it turned out really well.” – GinaB

But it was Amira, our Digital Food Director, who reassured me that not only will celery mellow when cooked in this recipe, but it’s the celery that actually helps make the recipe taste as good as it does.

She says: “Celery is often used to make stocks and broths as it adds a mellow herbaceousness and helps balance flavours.”

“It’s also always used in mirepoix (a mixture of onion, carrot and celery) as a flavour base for stews, sauces and soups.”

So I put my celery fears aside, listened to Amira, and made the recipe exactly. And you know what? She was right! Because this is without question my new go-to chicken soup recipe. And, once the celery has done its job of adding flavour, all the lumps of used celery get discarded, and all you’re left with is smooth, velvety, creamy chicken soup. Instant comfort!

The recipe basically comes together in two steps: the flavouring of the stock and combining the cream.

Begin by creating the stock with chicken maryland pieces, liquid stock, onion, celery and leek. Simmer for about an hour to allow the flavours to develop and the chicken to cook. Once it’s ready, remove the chicken to shred the meat and strain out any solids.

The next and final step is creating the cream base with butter, flour and pure cream. The two components are combined and the shredded chicken is returned to the pot to create a luscious creamy, rich and hearty soup.

Originally published as The secret ingredient in the best chicken soup recipe