Chicken soup

Clear chicken soup is the Friday night soup of the Israeli home: chicken, root vegetables and dill simmered slowly until the broth turns golden. Here every ingredient is in grams, and every step comes with the reason behind it.

Pot calculatorOrder Chicken soup

Gluten freeDairy freeMeatAllergens:Celery

Updated

Chicken soupIllustration
Time2 h 50 minCook 2 h 30 min
Pot8 bowls3.2 litres
Per bowl303 kcal20.8 g protein · a 400 ml bowl
Cost of the pot₪60for the pot, about ₪7.5 a bowl

The story of Chicken soup

Chicken soup is cooked in almost every Jewish kitchen, but the clear version with root vegetables came to Israel mainly from the homes of Eastern European Jews. In Yiddish it was called goldene yoich, golden broth, for the colour the chicken fat gives it. It also earned the joking nickname Jewish penicillin, and in Israel it is still the first pot on the stove on Friday morning.

Every community brought its own chicken soup: Yemenite Jews with hawaij and potatoes, Moroccan Jews with turmeric and coriander. The Ashkenazi version relies on very little: a good chicken, sweet roots, dill and, above all, patience. It is served with thin noodles, rice or kneidlach, and at Passover it is the soup of the Seder night.

What makes Chicken soup itself

What makes this soup is its clarity and gentle sweetness: no strong spices, no tomatoes, no turmeric. The golden colour comes from chicken fat and carrots, the sweetness from parsley root and parsnip, and the body from the collagen in wings and necks. A good clear chicken soup sets lightly in the fridge, the sign you got it right.

Chicken soup for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

Bowl size
Units
3.2litres in the pot
4Pot to use, litres
₪60Cost of the pot
₪7.5per bowl
303kcal per bowl
20.8g protein per bowl
IngredientAmountCost
Chicken and water
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs800 g · 4 pcs₪28
Chicken wings400 g · 5 pcs₪6.0
Chicken necks300 g₪4.5
Cold water3.5 l
The vegetables
Carrots300 g · 3 pcs₪1.5
Small celery root250 g · 1 pcs₪3.7
Parsley root150 g · 2 pcs₪5.9
Parsnip150 g · 1 pcs₪3.0
Large onion200 g · 1 pcs₪1.2
Zucchini300 g · 2 pcs₪3.9
Herbs and seasoning
Dill20 g₪1.2
Parsley20 g₪1.0
Salt18 g₪0.0
Black pepper2 g₪0.3
Send on WhatsApp

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Chicken soup? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Chicken soup has 76 calories per 100 ml. A 400 ml bowl made with our recipe has 303 calories: 20.8 g protein, 17.2 g fat and 13.1 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 189 calories.

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 4 pcs155 kcal per serving
  • 5 pcs52 kcal per serving
  • 300 g24 kcal per serving
  • 3 pcs15 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs14 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs10 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs14 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs10 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs6 kcal per serving
  • 20 g1 kcal per serving
  • 20 g1 kcal per serving
  • 18 g0 kcal per serving
  • 2 g1 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Chicken soup

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
A slice of white bread792.50.5
A slice of challah12641.1
A side cup of cooked rice, about1823.50.3
Chicken breast, 100 g raw12022.52.6
Chicken thigh, 100 g raw12119.74.1

How to make Chicken soup

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Rinse the chicken, trim excess fat and loose skin, and leave some skin on for flavour and colour. Put it in a 6 litre pot and cover with 3.5 litres of cold water.
  2. Bring slowly to the boil over medium heat, 20 to 25 minutes. Skim the grey foam that rises until it stops, about 10 minutes.
  3. Lower to a gentle simmer, with small bubbles only at the edge. Add the whole onion, the carrots in large pieces, the celery root, parsley root, parsnip and 2 teaspoons of salt.
  4. Simmer for an hour and a half with the lid ajar, without stirring and without a hard boil.
  5. Add the zucchini in large chunks and the dill and parsley tied with string, and cook 25 to 30 minutes more.
  6. Taste, add the rest of the salt and the pepper, and lift out the herbs and the onion.
  7. For an extra clear soup, strain the broth through a fine sieve and return the vegetables and chicken to it.
  8. For a leaner soup, chill overnight and spoon off the fat that sets on top.
  9. Reheat and serve with noodles, rice or kneidlach cooked separately.

The science of Chicken soup

Kitchen science

Why you start in cold water

As the water warms slowly, soluble proteins leave the meat and set gradually, above 60 to 70 °C, into large flakes that float up as foam and are easy to skim. Put chicken into boiling water and the proteins set fast into tiny particles that scatter through the liquid and stay there.

Kitchen science

Clear versus cloudy

A hard boil churns the pot and breaks the fat into tiny droplets, which proteins and gelatin coat and keep suspended. That is an emulsion, and it is what makes the soup cloudy and milky. At a gentle simmer, around 90 °C, the fat stays on top and the particles settle.

Kitchen science

Collagen turning into gelatin

Skin, joints, necks and wings are rich in collagen. Long cooking above 70 °C breaks it down into gelatin, which dissolves into the broth and gives it body. That is why a good chicken soup sets into a soft jelly in the fridge and melts again when heated.

Kitchen science

When to add salt

Salt does not affect clarity, but it decides the final taste. Over two and a half hours a good part of the liquid evaporates, so a pot fully salted at the start ends up too salty. Add some salt after skimming to season the meat and vegetables, and the rest after tasting at the end.

Kitchen science

Why the zucchini goes in last

Carrot and parsnip are rich in sugars and have firm cell walls, so they need time to release their sweetness. Zucchini is mostly water with little fibre, and the pectin holding its cells together softens fast. After an hour in the pot it falls apart.

Chicken soup in every kitchen

Ashkenazi golden

The clear classic: chicken, carrot, celery root, parsley root, parsnip and dill, strained and served with noodles, rice or kneidlach.

Yemenite

An orange-gold soup with hawaij for soup, potatoes and coriander, the chicken eaten in big pieces with schug and lahoh on the side. It has its own page.

Moroccan

Turmeric turns the broth deep yellow, coriander replaces the dill, and chickpeas or celery stalks often go into the pot too.

With noodles (lokshen)

Thin egg noodles cooked separately in salted water and added to the bowl, so their starch does not cloud the pot.

With rice

A few spoons of cooked rice in each bowl. Rice cooked inside the pot thickens the soup a little but makes it cloudy.

With kneidlach

Matzo balls cooked in salted water and moved into the hot soup before serving. This is the Seder night soup.

Common Chicken soup problems and how to fix them

Cloudy chicken soup

Almost always a hard boil, unskimmed foam, or noodles and potatoes cooked in the pot. Simmer gently and cook starches separately. To rescue it, strain and cool the soup, whisk in one egg white and heat slowly without stirring: the white sets and traps the particles. Strain again through a cloth.

Bland, watery chicken soup

Too much water for the amount of chicken, or not enough time. The ratio here is 1.5 kg of chicken to 3.5 litres of water. If the soup is already watery, cook it uncovered for another 20 to 30 minutes, then adjust the salt.

Chicken soup too greasy

Skin and fat were left on the chicken. Chill overnight and lift off the set fat, or skim the hot surface with a wide ladle.

The vegetables fell apart

The zucchini or potatoes went in at the start. Add them only in the last half hour, and cut all the vegetables into large pieces.

Chicken soup too salty

A potato in the pot does not pull salt out; it only soaks up a little liquid. Dilute with water or unsalted stock, and cook a handful of extra vegetables to bring the flavour back.

Chicken soup went sour in the fridge

A big pot left to cool on the counter overnight cools far too slowly. Divide the soup into shallow containers, cool it within two hours and refrigerate.

Storing, freezing and reheating

3 to 4 days

In the fridge

3 months

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Heat over medium heat to a gentle simmer, never a hard boil, so the soup stays clear. Add noodles and kneidlach only to the bowl.

Nutrition of Chicken soup

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 400 ml bowl30320.817.213.14.4
Our recipe, 100 ml765.24.33.31.1
Typical Chicken soup, 100 g505.52.41.20.4
Typical Chicken soup, 100 g (2)350.52.62.20.5
Typical Chicken soup, 100 g (3)393.71.51.80.9

What the ingredients of Chicken soup cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs₪35 per kg₪28Supermarket
Chicken wings₪15 per kg₪6Supermarket
Parsley root₪7.9 each₪5.9Greengrocer
Chicken necks₪15 per kg₪4.5Butcher
Zucchini₪13 per kg₪3.9Greengrocer
Small celery root₪15 per kg₪3.7Greengrocer
Parsnip₪20 per kg₪3Greengrocer
Carrots₪4.9 per kg₪1.5Greengrocer
Dill₪4.9 each₪1.2Greengrocer
Large onion₪5.9 per kg₪1.2Greengrocer
Parsley₪4.9 each₪1Greengrocer
Black pepper₪139 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Salt₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Make Chicken soup a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Chicken soup

In a deep bowl with a carrot, a piece of chicken and a sprig of dill, with thin noodles, rice or kneidlach. Fresh challah for dipping is part of it.

Chicken soup in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 400 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

GuestsLitres30 l potsCost of ingredients
25101₪188
50201₪375
100402₪750
200803₪1,500
5002008₪3,750

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Chicken soup

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Chicken soup

Order Chicken soup for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

How long do you cook chicken soup?

Two to two and a half hours on low heat. Under an hour and a half the broth is still thin, and after three hours the vegetables start to fall apart.

How do you make clear chicken soup?

Start in cold water, skim the foam and keep it at a gentle simmer without stirring. Strain through a fine sieve at the end and cook the noodles separately.

Which chicken parts are best for soup?

A mix of bone-in thighs, wings and necks. The thighs give meat, and the wings and necks give gelatin and body.

Should I remove the skin for chicken soup?

You do not have to. The skin adds flavour and golden colour. For less fat, chill the soup and remove the layer that sets on top.

When do you salt chicken soup?

Some after skimming and the rest at the end, after tasting. The liquid reduces as it cooks, so a soup fully salted at the start ends up salty.

Can you freeze chicken soup?

Yes, for up to three months. Freeze the broth without the noodles and zucchini, which turn too soft when thawed.

Is chicken soup kosher for Passover?

The basic soup works for Passover as it is: chicken, vegetables, herbs and water. Skip stock powder and noodles, and serve it with kneidlach made from matzo meal.

How many calories are in Chicken soup?

A 400 ml bowl of Chicken soup made with our recipe has about 303 calories and 20.8 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 76 calories.

How much does it cost to make Chicken soup at home?

A pot of 8 bowls costs about ₪60 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪7.5 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

Every soup in Israel

75 soups, each with a pot calculator, a price list and the science. Search by community, time, calories or cost.

All the soups

More soups

KneidlachIllustration
Ashkenazi

Kneidlach

Kneidlach are balls of matzo meal, eggs and fat that swell as they cook in water and are served in chicken…

Yemenite chicken soupIllustration
Yemenite

Yemenite chicken soup

Yemenite chicken soup is a golden soup of chicken pieces, potatoes, tomato, garlic and coriander, seasoned…

Barley soupIllustration
Ashkenazi, Polish

Barley soup

Barley soup is the thick winter soup of Ashkenazi and Israeli kitchens: pearl barley, carrot, celery,…

BorschtIllustration
Ukrainian, Russian

Borscht

Borscht is a sour beet soup from Eastern Europe, and here it is in its hot Ukrainian form: beef broth, beets,…