how do you thicken homemade chicken soup

Made a soup thats not as thick as you would like? From blending to adding flour or cream, find out six of the best ways to get your perfect consistency.

Sometimes a finished recipe for soup doesn’t have the texture you think it will. There are a few things you can do if it tastes great but is still a little thin when the cooking time is up.

If your soup doesn’t taste strong enough, the first thing you should do is boil it to drive off some of the water. This will strengthen the flavour and thicken the soup. Depending on what kind of soup youve made, these are six of the easiest ways to make it thicker.

For more inspiration, see our list of the most popular soup recipes and also read our guide on how to thicken stew.

How To Thicken Homemade Chicken Soup: A Complete Guide

It’s fun to make chicken soup from scratch, but it can be hard to get the right consistency. If you want to sip your soup, brothy is great, but sometimes you want something thicker and heartier that sticks to your ribs. There are a few simple ways to make homemade chicken soup thicker so that it has the right consistency.

As a busy home cook, I’ve tried all the methods for thickening soup over the years. Through trial and error, I’ve learned what works best for different types of homemade chicken soups, whether it’s a creamy bisque or a chunky vegetable soup.

In this complete guide, I’ll share my top tips for thickening homemade chicken soup using simple ingredients you likely have on hand From stirring in a roux to blending the soup, these techniques allow you to avoid watery chicken soup and customize the thickness to your preferences

Put the soup on low heat for longer. This is one of the easiest ways to make homemade chicken soup thicker. So the broth has more time to thicken and lose its saltiness. Many times, cooking chicken soups with strong vegetables like celery, carrots, and potatoes for 30 to 60 minutes longer will do the trick. Just be careful not to overcook more delicate ingredients. As you go, taste the broth. When the flavor is strong and the texture is right, stop cooking.

Add a beurre manié. A beurre manié is a traditional French way to make soups and stews thicker. To make one, just use a fork to mix equal parts softened butter and all-purpose flour until a smooth paste-like consistency forms. When the soup is done cooking, take it off the heat and slowly stir in the beurre manié until you get the consistency you want. The starch from the flour acts as the thickening agent. This method works well for creamy bisques and chowders.

Add A Velouté
Similar to a beurre manié, a velouté starts with cooking equal parts butter and flour together. But a velouté is cooked longer, resulting in a pale roux that imparts a rich, nutty flavor. To use a velouté to thicken soup, cook the butter and flour for 2-3 minutes then whisk in chicken broth. Once smooth, stir the velouté into the soup until the desired thickness is reached. Veloutés are great for amplifying the creamy luxuriousness of chicken soups.

Add cooked potatoes: If your homemade chicken soup has potatoes in it, you can easily make it thicker with an immersion blender. After cooking the potatoes until they are very soft, blend some of them with an immersion blender right in the soup pot. When you blend the potatoes, the starch that comes out will slowly thicken and give the broth body. If you want a smoother texture, put some of the cooked potatoes in a blender instead. Just be careful not to blend the potatoes too much or they will lose their chunky texture.

Whisk In A Roux
For quick-thickening Cajun classics like gumbo, a browned roux is stirred in at the end. To make a basic flour roux, cook equal parts oil or butter and flour in a skillet for 2-5 minutes until lightly browned. The longer the roux cooks, the deeper the flavor and color. For homemade chicken soup, start with a roux on the lighter side to avoid overpowering flavor. Slowly whisk the roux into the simmering soup until it reaches the ideal thickness. The roux binds the liquids through its starch while adding signature richness.

Puree Some Of The Vegetables
Pureeing some of the cooked vegetables in a blender is an easy way to give your homemade chicken vegetable soup more body. For a chunkier texture, puree just 1-2 cups of the vegetables. For even thicker soup with tiny vegetable bits, puree up to 4 cups. Avoid pureeing starchy vegetables like potatoes – their starch can make the soup gluey. Focus on blending carrots, celery, onions, mushrooms and other aromatics. This allows their flavors to permeate the broth for a velvety texture.

Sprinkle In Instant Mashed Potatoes
Using instant mashed potatoes may seem unorthodox, but it’s a handy trick for thickening any homemade chicken soup quickly. Instant mashed potatoes are made by dehydrating real mashed potatoes into potato flakes or granules. When rehydrated in hot soup, they release modified potato starches that add body and richness. For each quart of soup, whisk in 1-2 tablespoons instant mashed potatoes. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes to thicken. Add more as needed in small amounts to prevent glueiness.

Add Cream Or Half-And-Half
For dairy lovers, stirring in some cream, half-and-half or even whole milk is an easy way to enrich homemade chicken soup. The fats and proteins in dairy thicken broth beautifully. For the smoothest results, temper the cream first by whisking in a ladleful of hot soup to prevent curdling. Add the tempered cream back to the pot and stir gently. Simmer briefly to allow the soup to thicken to the perfect creamy consistency without breaking. This works best at the very end once cooking is complete.

Whisk In A Cornstarch Slurry
A cornstarch slurry is a classic method restaurants use to thicken soups and sauces without altering flavors. To make one, first whisk 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch into 1/4 cup cold water until smooth. With the soup simmering, slowly drizzle in the slurry while whisking. Allow to simmer for 1-2 minutes as the cornstarch molecules hydrate and thicken the surrounding liquids. The slurry allows you to gently tweak the thickness as needed for the perfect consistency.

Stir In Cooked Rice Or Pasta
Adding cooked rice, small pasta or orzo is an easy way to bulk up homemade chicken soup and give it more body. The starch released from rice and pasta as they cook acts as a natural thickener. Cook them al dente separately, then add to the finished soup and simmer for 5-10 minutes before serving. The starch absorbs excess broth for a satisfying, stew-like texture while the noodles soak up flavor.

Blend In Silken Tofu
For a vegan way to thicken and add protein to homemade chicken soup, turn to silken tofu. Silken tofu is made by coagulating soy milk, resulting in a velvety smooth texture. Blend 1/2 pound silken tofu with 1 cup broth, then stir the creamy mixture into simmering soup. For even more body, puree some cooked vegetables along with the tofu. The soy proteins and starch gently thicken the broth for a comforting, hearty soup consistency.

There are many easy, convenient ways to tweak the thickness of homemade chicken soup using common kitchen staples. Accidentally made the broth too thin? No problem – stir in a beurre manié or quick roux to bind it. Want to keep the delicate vegetable texture intact? Puree a portion for a velvety backdrop. For richness, whisk in some cream at the end. With this handy guide, you’ll never have watery homemade chicken soup again.

how do you thicken homemade chicken soup

Blend in bread

Torn pieces of bread can be blended into soup to thicken it. Use a milder flavoured bread so as not to change the flavour of the soup, or use a sourdough if you want to add a stronger flavour. Soak the pieces of bread first to soften them and make the blending easier. Bread would add body to a fresh tasting tomato soup without changing the flavour.

6 ways to thicken soup:

If you’ve made a broth with chunks of vegetable in it, such as minestrone soup, then pour the soup through a sieve. Take a third of the whole ingredients and blend them with the broth, then stir the rest of the whole ingredients back in. You can also do this with a potato masher by mashing directly into the pan until the soup is as thick as you want.

This works best with soups with starchy ingredients such as potatoes, beans, rice or even pasta. You can blend soups with meat in them, such as this lamb & barley soup in the same way, but make sure there are no bones and use a powerful blender to break the fibres up.

For product advice, see our reviews of the best blenders and best soup makers on the market.

3 Ways to Thicken Any Soup To the Right Consistency | Tips from the Southern Living Test Kitchen

FAQ

What to do if my chicken soup is too watery?

Add flour or cornflour – Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.

How to make homemade chicken soup thicker?

Use equal parts of flour and water. About three to five tablespoons of each should do it, depending on how many quarts of soup you’re making. Blend the slurry thoroughly until the flour is completely dissolved (otherwise, you’ll wind up with unwanted ‘lumps’). A whisk or fork is helpful. Sep 20, 2022.

Is it better to thicken soup with flour or cornstarch?

It is possible to thicken soup with both flour and cornstarch, but cornstarch usually makes a smoother, clearer sauce and thickens more per spoonful.

What do restaurants use to thicken soup?

A slurry made of starch is a common way to thicken sauces and soups, and cornstarch is one of the most common ones.

How do you thicken chicken soup?

The answer is simple – use one or a combination of the following techniques to thicken your chicken soup: 1. **Simmer and Reduce**: One of the easiest ways to make chicken soup thicker is to let it cook for a long time. As the liquid reduces, it will naturally thicken, resulting in a more concentrated flavor. 2.

How can you thicken soup using flour?

To thicken soup with flour, you can create a slurry by whisking 2 tablespoons of flour with cold water and adding it gradually to the soup. Alternatively, you can make a roux on the stovetop by combining fat and flour, which is a common method for adding starch to sauces.

How do you thicken a soup with sour cream?

For a slightly tangy, creamy finish, sour cream and Greek yogurt are fantastic thickening options. How to do it: Stir in ½ cup of sour cream or yogurt at the end of cooking. Best soups for this method: Borscht, creamy chicken soup, or taco soup.

How do you thicken broth based soup?

If you’re looking for a way to gently thicken broth-based soups, gelatin (animal-based) or agar-agar (plant-based) can help add body without altering the flavor. How to do it: Dissolve a small amount of unflavored gelatin or agar-agar in warm water before stirring it into the soup.

How do you thicken vegetable soup?

This is a general guide on how to puree vegetables to thicken soup: Transfer 1 cup of the cooked vegetable soup to a blender. Blend until the vegetables reach a pureed consistency. Pour the vegetable puree into the soup and stir. Repeat as necessary to achieve the desired consistency. A blender is the easiest way to puree only a portion.

How do you thicken soup with dairy?

This is how to use dairy to thicken soup: Turn the heat off and remove the soup pot from the stove. Add a small amount of high-fat milk or cream. Stir well, then add more as needed. If you add the dairy too early, it will likely curdle. Instead, add it right at the end when the soup is no longer bubbling.

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