Brodo di pollo is the most loved Italian chicken soup! Serve it on its own, use it to flavor up other recipes, or make brodo di pollo with pastina!
Brodo di pollo ( Italian chicken soup or broth) is the most comforting soup you can have on a winter day in Italy. But it's also the base of so many Italian dishes.
This tasty liquid is often used to make mushroom risotto (or any other kind of risotto really), classic bolognese ragu' sauce and duck ragu', chicken cacciatore, or is simply served with pastina (recipe below), or tortellini.
The best part is that making chicken broth from scratch is very simple, all you have to do is boil the chicken, veggies, and herbs together.
It tastes so much better than store-bought broth, and there are no extra unnecessary ingredients.
Once ready, store it in the freezer in handy portion-size containers, and use it whenever you need it.
And what can you do with the boiled chicken? Well, surely don't throw it away!
You can use it to make coronation chicken salad or chicken shepherd's pie, or a simple chicken salad.
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Brodo Di Pollo Ingredients
This classic Italian chicken soup calls for the most simple ingredients.
Here's an overview of the ingredients you'll need:
- Chicken: I use a whole raw chicken but you can use 4-5 pieces of bone-in, skin-on chicken breast, thighs, or drumsticks.
- Vegetables: The veggie base of most Italian recipes is made with onion, carrot and celery, so this is what we also use in our brodo di pollo.
- Herbs and spices: The aromatic mix of fresh parsley stems, bay leaves and peppercorns, and optionally, garlic or cloves, gives a delicious flavor to the chicken broth.
How To Make Italian Chicken Soup
This Italian chicken soup recipe is so easy!
Place the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil, then simmer, strain and serve.
Here's a recipe overview with step-by-step pictures. Scroll down until the end of the post for the full printable recipe.
STEP 1. Place all the ingredients in a large stockpot and cover it with cold water.
STEP 2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, partially cover, and simmer for 2 hours, skimming the top of your broth with a spoon or strainer, every now and then.
STEP 3. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer.
STEP 4. Let the chicken broth cool, then serve it on its own or with pastina.
Brodo di Pollo con Pastina
To make the famous chicken pastina soup, bring the chicken broth to a boil, add the pastina of your choice (stelline, risoni and farfalline are my fav pasta shapes) and cook according to package instructions.
Top with plenty of freshly-grated parmesan cheese and serve.
Cooking Tips
- Clean the chicken from any feathers that have remained attached, using the flame of a torch or the stove in our kitchen.
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken when making chicken broth, it will give the broth flavor and richness. Boneless skinless chicken breasts will not work well in this recipe.
- To enhance the aroma of the onion, you could also pan-roast it over high heat for a couple of minutes, then add it to the broth.
- Always start with cold water. This will make your broth clear and not cloudy.
- Skim the top of your broth with a large slotted spoon or a fine-mesh strainer, while it’s still simmering on low heat, this will help remove any excess fat before serving.
- To remove fat, you can also chill the broth overnight, the fat will solidify and you can easily scoop it off the top!
- Do not overcook your chicken broth. If you leave the carrots, celery, and onion simmering for too long, they can leave a strong, bitter flavor that takes over the broth.
Storage Tips
Fridge: Store homemade chicken broth in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Freezer: Freeze in single-portion freezer-friendly containers to always have the right dose ready for any dish.
You can also freeze your broth in ice molds: divided into cubes it will be perfect to flavor up any meat or veggie dish!
The chicken broth will keep well in the freezer for up to three months.
Recipe FAQs
They use mostly the same ingredients, but there is a difference between them.
Chicken stock is made with bones only, without any meat attached, while chicken broth is made with chicken meat (such as a whole chicken).
Homemade chicken broth is naturally gluten-free. Store-bought chicken broth might contain gluten-containing flavorings and preservatives.
How to Use Brodo di Pollo
As mentioned above, you can use this easy chicken broth on its own, with pasta or rice.
You can also use it to flavor up other dishes, here are a few of our readers' favorite dishes you can make:
- Pollo alla cacciatora
- Duck ragu' (ragu d'anatra)
- Creamy cannellini bean soup
- British Shepherd's pie
- Classic Cottage Pie
- Ossobuco Milanese
- Italian chickpea soup
- Pumpkin Risotto
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Recipe
Brodo Di Pollo - Italian Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken , (or 4-5 skin-on, bone-in chicken pieces)
- 2 large carrots, peeled
- 1 large onion, halved
- 2 celery stalks
- a small bunch of parsley
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Place the whole chicken in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot, followed by the carrots, onion, celery, parsley, bay leaves and black peppercorns. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
- Reduce the heat, partially cover with a lid, and simmer on low heat for 2 hours. Whilst the broth simmers, skim the top with a slotted spoon or fine-mesh strainer to remove the fat in excess.
- Once ready, remove the chicken from the stockpot, then strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer.
- Serve the prepared brodo di pollo immediately on its own, with pastina or tortellini, or use it to flavor other recipes. Alternatively, cool it completely, refrigerate overnight, and the next day, remove the fat layer from the top before reheating.
Notes
- Clean the chicken from any feathers that have remained attached, using the flame of a torch or the stove in our kitchen.
- Use bone-in, skin-on chicken when making chicken broth, it will give the broth flavor and richness. Boneless skinless chicken breasts will not work well in this recipe.
- To enhance the aroma of the onion, you could also pan-roast it over high heat for a couple of minutes, then add it to the broth.
- Always start with cold water. This will make your broth clear and not cloudy.
- Do not overcook your chicken broth. If you leave the carrots, celery, and onion simmering for too long, they can leave a strong, bitter flavor that takes over the broth.
- Use the boiled chicken meat to make coronation chicken or any other salad, fill tacos, or panini.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Robbi Gil says
How exactly do you mean roast the onion? Thanks Looking forward to Mary your recipe soon.
Andrea says
Hi Robbi, I simply put the halved onion on a skillet and let it brown (no need to add oil) gently, then add it to the stockpot with the other ingredients.