Best Celebrity Chicken Soup Recipes, Ranked

Last weekend I invited a group of friends (from three different families) to a chicken soup tasting party, which I called “The Great Chicken Soup Showdown” in my head. Armed with scorecards and spoons, we tried five celebrity chicken soup recipes next to each other, and the results were surprising. This was also the moment when I realized that I probably had more soup bowls than normal.

What started as a casual dinner party became a really funny event and the most delicious research project I have ever carried out, with spirited discussions about dumplings and pasta and whether ginger in chicken soup. In the end we came out two clear winners and a promise that we should do it again, except that this time we are spreading the work to expand the food!

What makes a great chicken soup

As a long -standing recipe developer and grocery author, I know that great chicken soup needs three important elements: a rich, aromatic broth that coated the spoon, delicate and juicy chicken pieces and a balanced mixture of vegetables/extras that make every bit interesting. It should comfort you when you are sick, warm you up when you are cold and like a cuddle in a bowl.

The soup recipes differed from each other, so I had to set up a few basic rules to keep the field level. First I used homemade chicken broth for all soups because a great broth is the basis for every fantastic soup. Ina’s recipe made so much existence that I could use a mixture of her and some from my freezer for the other recipes. The only exception was Martha’s that requires its own stock. Since the spices aim at personal preferences, we also agree that we did not take this into account, and salt and pepper were available at the table so that everyone if they wanted. Finally, I tried to follow every recipe as precisely as possible and have intentionally excluded optional ingredients. Giada made an unintentional detour when I realized that I accidentally bought the wrong ingredient too late in the game. But I’ll explain more about it later.

The recipes I tested

Here is the celebrity cast that made it to my stove:

Every recipe promised something else. Some concentrated on technology, others on surprising flavors, and a couple took the Comfort food path. I was excited to see which approach our group of open -minded foods, sophisticated (and hungry) judges would win.

Winner, winner: Bobby Flay’s chicken dumplings soup

The unanimous lack of public was Bobby Flay’s dumpling, and frankly I didn’t expect it. But the dumplings transformed it from a simple barley soup into a complete meal, in which people went back for seconds and even thirds. Most dumplings blown beautifully, while a couple fell apart in delicious little blobs – there were still no complaints. They are made from a choux dough in the pastry style of milk, butter, flour and eggs that inflate in the broth in the cook.

What all commented on was the variety of textures and flavors in every spoon. There are delicate, crushed chicken, perfectly cooked vegetables, tough barley for heart and these cloud -like dumplings that absorb the whole broth. It also uses cooked, crushed meat from a whole chicken, so it is easy to use a rotisserie chicken in the recipe. In particular, the children really went to this, with several commented on how good it was and asked for more.

My only criticism is that this recipe could use more broth, especially if you plan to have leftovers. The recipe requires 4 to 6 cups of broth, but the barley and the dumplings are such good liquid absorbers that I added at least 2 cups (maybe 3) and still had a thicker consistency than expected. Next time I start with 8 cups to keep it filling and have a couple at hand.

The runner -up: Ina Garten’s Chicken Noodle Soup

Ina’s recipe deserves an enormous amount of respect for the production of the most beautiful, crystal clear, not exciting broth that I have ever made at home. Your method of making three roasting chickens from scratch create liquid gold. It is rich, deeply seasoned and so beautiful that you don’t want to add anything. Several tasters mentioned that they could drink these broth directly from a cup.

The disadvantage is the time commitment and what feels like chicken waste. They use 15 pounds of chicken to make the shaft and then only add one chicken breast for the actual soup. Ina instructs us to “reject the solids” what would have been a lot of remaining cooked chicken (hello, chicken salad for days). The recipe produced about 6 liters of camps, which I used in the recipes and could freeze in the future to make the next soup faster. At some point I had two huge pots with camps that cooked on my stove, and I joked with my husband that I should set up a soup stand on the soup.

However, with food costs like you hesitate to use entire chickens for warehouse to reject them. In the future I would use the chicken in the soup, even if it would be spent a little. If you are someone who is happy to prepare supplies and meals, this recipe offers you the best possible basis and the most incredible stock. This is the soup that I would do if I really want to impress someone or if I can dedicate a weekend to the process.

The most surprising taste: Emily’s chicken noodle soup by Stanley Tuccis the Tucci table

This recipe comes from Tucci’s sister -in -law Emily Blunt. I had expected it to be an outsider. But it surprised everyone (in the best way) with the sharp addition of garlic and fresh ginger. These two ingredients that give warmth and complexity transformed a more traditional chicken soup into one that described a person as “immunity in a bowl”.

The step to roast the chicken pieces with onions before they are added to the soup also creates an incredible depth. The caramelized onions and pan drops are scraped off directly in the pot (together with the pan juices), and they add flavor layers that they cannot get from a simple cooking. This would be my point of contact if I feel under the weather. The ginger ensures a warmth with which you have the feeling that the soup actively heals it, and the extra wide egg noodles feel more textural.

Best for a week: Giada’s lemon chicken soup with spaghetti

If you need soup on the table quickly, Giada’s recipe is a good choice. By using a rotisserie chicken, the preparation time is cut dramatically, and the entire dish will meet in less than 45 minutes (including preparation and cooking time). The broken spaghetti may seem unconventional, but it turned out to be a surprising hit with the tasters and added an Italian turn that the soup feels fresh and bright. Giada says that little pasta works and I personally think that Ditalini or Fusilli would have been great here. The best thing about it? You probably already have most of these ingredients in your pantry. It is the type of recipe you save when you find at 5 p.m. that you do not have a dinner plan, but need something satisfactory on the table within an hour.

The lemon juice is the star in this pot. It is very pronounced and adds an incredible brightness that woses everything. The recipe called for Romano cheese, but I accidentally bought Grana Padano and didn’t notice until it was too late. I realize that this error could have influenced the total decision. (I’m sorry, Giada!) But the complexity and the subtle smettiness of the Grana Padano were still loved by everyone. A sharper, salty and sharp Romano would complement the acid well, and I look forward to trying it out as Giada is intended. In any case, the additional cheese was a component, which all tasters appreciated, and even our youngest tasters (4 to 9 years) asked for seconds. The broth finally picked up in the noodles, which she turned into more pasta than a soup that enjoyed my children for a few days as a meal for school lunches.

Most classic: Martha Stewart’s test kitchen soup

Martha’s recipe provides exactly what you would expect from a chicken soup. It is reliable, traditional and pleasant. The method of simmering an entire chicken with additional chicken wings and herbs gives the stock a lighter, botanical taste. This soup will not surprise anyone, fulfills the role of “exactly what I expected as perfect”. It is the soup you would like if you have a cold and need something gentle and familiar. The vegetables are ideal delicacy, and the egg noodles provide the classic texture that everyone connects with chicken noise soup. The addition of fresh dill at the end offers a beautiful herbote note that distinguishes it from basic versions. If you are looking for a reliable recipe without a surprise that satisfies traditionalists, this is your choice. It is the soup equivalent of a perfectly executed basic, but sometimes you need exactly that.

The end result

With full bellies and the reflection of our animation discussions about what makes up the perfect spoon, I came to the conclusion that great chicken soup is deeply personal. Bobby Flay’s dumpling version won our competition because it offered the most complete food experience. It was hearty and tasty and had this “still a bit” the quality that all wanted more. In addition, our children seemed to love it the most, which always feels like a parental victory.

But each of these soups fulfills a different purpose. Do Bobby’s if you want to impress and have a little more time for the dumplings. Choose Inas if you take it seriously with broth and don’t make up the investment. Tucci’s is a good option if you want something that feels like it is reviving them. Go for Giada on busy weekdays and choose Martha if you need something reliable. The real winner has five new soup recipes, of which I know that they work greatly and bring me through the soup season. I don’t know which I will do next, but I know that next time someone else will wash the soup pots!