Mary Berry Chicken and Vegetable Soup Recipe

Mary Berry's chicken and vegetable soup is hearty, deeply flavoured, and packed with vegetables — the most nourishing soup you can make.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 2 30

Total Time 2 50

Servings: 6 Portions

Course: Soup

Cuisine: British

Calories: 220

Chicken Broth:
1 whole chicken about 1.5kg
2 carrots halved; 2 celery sticks, halved; 1 large onion halved skin on; 1 garlic head halved
1 tsp black peppercorns 3 bay leaves, 4 thyme sprigs, parsley stalks
2 litres cold water 2 tsp fine salt
Soup:
Strained broth approximately 1.5 litres
Shredded cooked chicken
3 carrots small dice; 3 celery sticks, finely sliced; 2 leeks, thin rounds; 1 parsnip, small dice
150 g green beans or peas
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
Juice of ½ lemon
Salt and pepper

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.

Leave onion skin on — it colours the broth golden.

Skim foam in the first 15 minutes for a clear broth.

Barely simmer — a rolling boil makes the broth cloudy.

Discard broth vegetables — add fresh vegetables to the finished broth.

Add lemon juice at the end to brighten all the flavours.

Freeze broth and chicken without vegetables for up to 6 months.