By G. Daniela Galarza

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Do you know Justin Case?

I probably shouldn’t put this in writing, but I did not get sick with a respiratory illness in 2024. I got close, though. One day in November, after a night spent near a drafty window, my head felt heavy and my throat scratchy. “I’m going to have some tea and take a nap,” I told my partner, Joe. “Could you get me some chicken soup?”

What I really wanted was more specific than that: tender, bite-size pieces of chicken, onions, carrots, potatoes and celery floating in a hot bowl of homemade chicken broth, golden and glowing, rich with chicken fat and so much garlic, fragrant with fresh lemon juice and finely chopped tender herbs.

Joe knows me well enough to know that I didn’t want a can of Campbell’s; he brought home a jar of Rao’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup. That did the trick. But it also got me thinking of what I’d want to be eating in bed when I do succumb to the next common cold.

The next day, with barely a tickle in my throat, I picked up a rotisserie chicken from a nearby shop. We ate half of it for lunch. As dusk approached, I picked the remaining meat off the bones, gathered the carcass, skin and scraps, and started on this recipe for Leftover Roast Chicken Soup.

Though you could use store-bought chicken broth or stock, this recipe is designed around a quick homemade stock made from the leftover roast chicken’s bones and scraps. Here’s how it goes: In a big pot, combine the bones and scraps from a partially eaten roast or rotisserie chicken with a lot of water and bring it to a boil. Sometimes I add a spoonful of chicken stock concentrate, such as Penzeys Chicken Soup Base, to enhance the flavor, but it’s not necessary.

While the quick chicken stock simmers, I chop the vegetables. 

Onions are the primary flavor in my ideal chicken soup, though garlic and carrots are similarly important. Celery, if I have it, is a really nice savory counterpoint to the sweetness of the carrots. Although I love chicken soups with rice, saltines, bread or noodles, potatoes are the carbohydrate co-star in this recipe. 

After 40 minutes at a lively simmer, the stock gets strained and returned to the same pot over high heat. The chopped vegetables go in, along with some salt and pepper to taste. I love how the sharpness of the onions and garlic mellows as they cook. The potatoes, meanwhile, absorb those stronger flavors while their neat edges soften and tiny bits of potato slough off, gently thickening the soup.

The last step is to add the picked and pulled chicken meat. It’s already well-cooked, so it only needs to be heated through. 

After dinner, I ladled leftover soup into quart containers for freezing. “Do you know Justin Case?” I asked Joe. He cracked a smile. “This soup is for Justin Case. Just in case I catch a cold in the future and want some chicken soup!”

This basic chicken soup is satisfying on its own, especially for young children, someone with a very sore throat or anyone with an aversion to strong flavors. If you want more oomph, make the optional gremolata. It’s just chopped fresh herbs, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and seasonings, but it makes this simple soup into something special.

Photos by Rey Lopez; food styling by Carolyn Robb, both for The Washington Post

Leftover Roast Chicken Soup

Find substitution suggestions and other tips below.

This recipe is designed for efficiency. You can prep all of the vegetables in advance, as is generally recommended. But if you are making the quick stock, get that started before chopping anything to save yourself some time.

Make ahead: The chicken stock can be made up to 3 days in advance.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Servings: 4 (makes 10 cups)
Active time: 25 mins
Total time: 1 hour, if making stock from scratch

Ingredients

For the stock and soup

• 10 to 16 ounces chicken bones and scraps left over from a roast or rotisserie chicken
• 8 cups water, plus more as needed
• 2 teaspoons chicken stock concentrate, such as Penzeys Chicken Soup Base (optional)
• 2 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (14 ounces total), peeled (if desired) and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 2 medium carrots (6 ounces total), scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 small yellow onion (6 ounces), cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 rib celery, cut into 1/2-inch dice (optional)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
• Pinch fine salt, plus more to taste
• Pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
• 10 to 16 ounces leftover roast or rotisserie chicken meat, pulled or cut into bite-size pieces

For the gremolata (optional)

• 3/4 cup chopped fresh dill, parsley, chives, tarragon, marjoram or a mix 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or finely grated
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from the same lemon)
• Pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Fine salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Steps

1. Make the stock: In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, combine the chicken bones and scraps, water, and chicken stock concentrate, if using. Cover, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Uncover, give it a good stir, skim off and discard any surface scum, then reduce the heat to maintain a lively simmer. Re-cover and cook until fragrant and a few small pools of fat float to the surface, about 40 minutes. (If the steam makes your lid dance, leave it very slightly ajar.)

2. Make the gremolata, if desired: While the stock is simmering, in a small bowl, stir together the herbs, garlic, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, crushed red pepper flakes, if using, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. You should have about 1 cup of the gremolata.

3. Finish the soup: When the stock is done, remove the pot from the heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove any large bones, then strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. (Discard the bones and scraps.) If needed, add enough water to get to 8 cups of stock. Rinse out the pot and return it to the stovetop before pouring the stock back into the pot. 

4. Cover the pot, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the potatoes, carrots, onion, celery, if using, and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to maintain a lively simmer, re-cover and cook until the vegetables are fork-tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the chicken, return the soup to a boil and cook until warmed through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat. 

5. Divide the soup among individual bowls, top each serving with some of the gremolata, if desired, and serve.

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From staff writer G. Daniela Galarza. Tested by Hattie Ulan.

Nutrition information per serving (2 1/2 cups soup without gremolata): Calories: 424; Total Fat: 22 g; Saturated Fat: 7 g; Carbohydrates: 26 g; Sodium: 1092 mg; Cholesterol: 150 mg; Protein: 34 g; Dietary Fiber: 3 g; Sugar: 8 g.

Substitution suggestions + other tips and ideas:

• Onion >> leeks, shallots or more garlic.
• Carrots >> celery or fennel.
• Potatoes >> sweet potatoes, winter squash or cooked beans.
• Instead of making the chicken stock >> use 8 cups of store-bought or homemade chicken broth.
• In place of gremolata >> try store-bought pesto.
• For a vegetarian version >> use vegetable broth and vegetable stock concentrate, and, instead of chicken, add 3 cups home-cooked or canned (drained and rinsed) chickpeas or white beans. You could also add diced tofu.