Anna Louise Chicken and vegetable soup is the soup that takes care of people. When someone is tired, under the weather, or simply needs feeding properly — this is the soup that does the job.
A rich, golden broth packed with tender chicken, soft vegetables, and enough body to be a meal in itself rather than a starter.
Mary Berry’s chicken and vegetable soup recipe makes a proper, substantial soup — not a thin broth with a few floating vegetables, but something genuinely filling and deeply flavoured.
The vegetables are generous, the chicken is abundant, and the broth is made from scratch with the bones and carcass providing a richness that stock cubes cannot replicate.
This is the soup I make in large batches on a Sunday afternoon and eat from for the rest of the week. It improves with time, reheats beautifully, and is one of the most genuinely nourishing things in the refrigerator.
The Key to a Great Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Make the broth from scratch. A whole chicken or chicken pieces on the bone simmered with aromatics for an hour produces a stock of extraordinary depth and richness. This broth is the backbone of the soup — everything else plays a supporting role.
Add the final vegetables in the last 20 minutes. The broth vegetables are discarded after making the stock. Fresh vegetables — carrots, celery, leeks, parsnip — added to the finished broth cook for twenty minutes and give distinct, properly cooked vegetables with good colour and texture.
Season generously at every stage. Chicken soup needs more salt than most dishes to bring out its full, clean flavour. Season the broth, season the vegetables, and taste again at the end.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Chicken and Vegetable Soup
For the Chicken Broth
- 1 whole chicken (approximately 1.5kg) or 1kg of bone-in chicken pieces
- 2 large carrots, halved
- 2 celery sticks with leaves, halved
- 1 large onion, halved, skin on
- 1 whole head of garlic, halved
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 bay leaves
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- Small bunch of fresh parsley stalks
- 2 litres cold water
- 2 tsp fine salt
For the Soup
- The strained broth (approximately 1.5 litres)
- The cooked chicken, shredded
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into small dice
- 3 celery sticks, finely sliced
- 2 medium leeks, washed and sliced into thin rounds
- 1 medium parsnip, peeled and cut into small dice
- 150g green beans or peas (added in the last 5 minutes)
- 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of ½ lemon
How to Make Mary Berry Chicken and Vegetable Soup — Step by Step
Step 1 — Make the Broth
Place the whole chicken or chicken pieces in a very large saucepan. Add the halved carrots, celery, onion (skin on for colour), garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, and parsley stalks. Pour over the cold water and add the salt.
Bring slowly to the boil, skimming off any grey foam that rises to the surface in the first ten to fifteen minutes. This keeps the broth clear.
Once at the boil, reduce to the gentlest simmer — the surface should barely tremble. Partially cover and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours until the chicken is completely cooked and very tender.
Step 2 — Strain and Shred
Lift the chicken carefully from the broth and leave to cool for ten minutes. Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a large, clean saucepan — discard all the vegetables and aromatics. Taste the broth — it should be clear and deeply flavoured. Adjust the seasoning.
Strip all the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin and bones. Shred the meat into generous pieces.
Step 3 — Cook the Fresh Vegetables
Bring the strained broth to a gentle simmer. Add the diced carrots, celery, leeks, and parsnip. Cook for fifteen to eighteen minutes until all the vegetables are completely tender.
Step 4 — Add the Chicken and Final Vegetables
Add the shredded chicken to the soup. Add the green beans or peas in the final five minutes of cooking. Warm through for two minutes.
Add the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning — be generous with salt.
Step 5 — Serve
Ladle into warm bowls. Scatter with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread or warm rolls.
My Top Tips For Mary Berry Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Leave the onion skin on when making the broth. The skin colours the broth a beautiful golden yellow that is the visual hallmark of a properly made chicken soup. Peeled onions give a paler, less attractive broth.
Skim the foam in the first fifteen minutes. Grey foam rises as the water first heats. Removing it with a ladle or spoon gives a clear, clean-tasting broth rather than a slightly muddy one.
Barely simmer the broth. The water should barely tremble at the surface. A rolling boil makes the broth cloudy and slightly greasy. Patience gives clarity.
Use the broth vegetables only for flavour — discard them. The vegetables that go into the broth are giving up all their flavour to the liquid. By the time the broth is ready, they have nothing left to offer. Discard them and add fresh vegetables to the finished broth.
Add lemon juice at the end. A squeeze of lemon brightens and lifts all the flavours of the soup, making it taste cleaner and more vibrant. Add it off the heat just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
In deep bowls with crusty bread for mopping — a complete meal. As the first course of a simple dinner. Made for someone who is unwell and needs something nourishing. In a thermos for a cold day out. Made in a large batch on Sunday and eaten through the week.
How to Store Mary Berry Chicken and Vegetable Soup
In the fridge: Store soup and any noodles or pasta separately for up to 4 days. The broth and chicken alone store for up to 5 days. Reheat gently on the hob.
In the freezer: Freeze the broth and chicken — without any added vegetables — for up to 6 months. The vegetables become soft and watery when frozen. Add fresh vegetables when reheating.
Mary Berry Chicken and Vegetable Soup Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Place whole chicken in large pan with broth vegetables and aromatics. Cover with cold water. Add salt. Bring to boil — skim foam. Reduce to bare simmer. Partially cover. Cook 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours.
- Remove chicken. Strain broth. Discard vegetables. Shred chicken meat — discard skin and bones.
- Return broth to gentle simmer. Add carrots, celery, leeks, and parsnip. Cook 15–18 minutes until tender.
- Add shredded chicken. Add beans or peas in final 5 minutes. Add lemon juice. Season generously.
- Ladle into bowls. Scatter parsley. Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use leftover roast chicken?
Yes — use the carcass and any remaining meat to make a quick broth (simmer the carcass with aromatics for one hour), then proceed with the soup from step three. A leftover roast chicken makes an excellent, deeply flavoured broth.
Can I add pasta, rice, or noodles?
Yes — small pasta shapes (orzo, ditalini), long-grain rice, or egg noodles cooked separately and added to the soup just before serving make it more substantial. Cook them separately to prevent them from absorbing all the broth.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes — place all the broth ingredients in a large slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours. Strain, shred, add fresh vegetables, and cook on HIGH for one more hour. The result is excellent.
Why is my chicken soup cloudy?
The broth was simmered too vigorously. A gentle, barely trembling simmer gives a clear broth. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat into the liquid and makes it cloudy. Taste is not affected but clarity suffers.
Can I add dumplings to this soup?
Yes — small suet dumplings placed on top of the simmering soup in the final 20 to 25 minutes steam beautifully and make the soup a genuinely substantial meal.
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