Nothing else beats a cozy, warm, and comforting bowl of homemade chicken noodle soup. It’s an easy way to use a whole rotisserie chicken or uncooked whole chicken. You can also use leftover turkey.
Soup is the ultimate comfort food. When we’re feeling under the weather or just need something warm and nourishing on a cold day, soup always seems to hit the spot. Two of the most popular ingredients for homemade soup are turkey and chicken. But can you combine both meats in the same pot of soup? I did some digging to find out.
Why Would You Want to Mix Turkey and Chicken?
There are a few good reasons you might want to use both turkey and chicken in a soup recipe
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Use up leftovers. After the holidays, many people have extra turkey in the fridge or freezer. Chicken is usually cheaper and easier to find year-round. Combining them allows you to stretch ingredients and reduce waste.
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Add depth of flavor. Turkey and chicken have slightly different tastes. Mixing them can create a more complex, layered broth flavor.
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Vary textures. Turkey meat tends to be leaner while chicken thighs add moisture. Using light and dark meat gives more textural interest.
So mixing the two meats can help reduce food waste, boost flavor complexity, and improve mouthfeel. But how do you do it safely?
Food Safety Tips for Combining Raw Turkey and Chicken
Proper handling of raw poultry is crucial to prevent foodborne illness. Here are some key food safety guidelines:
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Cook thoroughly. Poultry needs to reach 165°F internally to kill bacteria. Verify both meats are fully cooked.
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Prevent cross-contamination. Use separate boards and utensils for raw turkey vs. chicken. Always wash hands after touching raw meat.
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Refrigerate promptly. Keep raw poultry chilled in the fridge until ready to use. Don’t leave it out.
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Simmer soups. Bringing soup to a rolling boil helps destroy germs. Long simmering also melds flavors.
As long as you cook the poultry completely and follow good kitchen hygiene, mixing turkey and chicken carries minimal risk.
Tips for Complementary Turkey and Chicken Soup Flavors
When combining two meats in one soup, you’ll want to make sure the flavors complement each other. Here are some suggestions:
Aromatics: Start with classic soup aromatics like onions, carrots and celery. You can’t go wrong with the classic trio.
Herbs: Savory herbs like thyme, sage and bay leaves pair excellently with poultry.
Spices: A pinch of warm spices like cumin, paprika or cayenne can add depth.
Vegetables: Beyond aromatics, potatoes, peas, spinach and other veggies balance the meat.
Broth: Use chicken broth for full chicken flavor. Turkey or veggie broth lets the turkey shine.
Garnishes: Fresh herbs, a dollop of yogurt or crunchy toasted nuts finish it off.
Playing around with different herb and spice blends keeps mixed meat soups exciting.
Answering Common Questions about Turkey Chicken Soup
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about combining these two poultry meats:
Can you use leftover turkey and chicken?
Absolutely! This is a great way to use up holiday leftovers. Just dice or shred the cooked meat and add towards the end.
Should you cook the meat first?
Yes, for safety you’ll want to fully cook the poultry before adding to soup. You can roast, sauté, grill or poach it.
Can you mix white and dark meat?
Go ahead and mix it up! Dark meat offers juiciness while white meat gives a lean texture.
How long should you simmer the soup?
Aim for at least an hour of gentle simmering to meld flavors and tenderize meats. extended simmering builds even richer broth.
Can you add noodles, rice or veggies?
All make tasty additions! Just adjust cooking times so sensitive ingredients don’t overcook. Add tender veggies at the end.
Should you use chicken or turkey broth?
It depends if you want full chicken or turkey flavor prominence. There’s no wrong choice!
Can you freeze turkey chicken soup?
Freezing is a great way to preserve the soup for quick meals later. Let it cool fully before freezing.
The consensus is that thoughtfully combining turkey and chicken can lead to some incredibly tasty, budget-friendly soups!
My Favorite Turkey Chicken Soup Recipe
After researching mixing meats in soup, I couldn’t wait to try my own turkey chicken soup recipe! I came up with this simple version highlighting my favorite flavors:
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, sliced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked turkey, shredded
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 lb potatoes, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- Juice from 1 lemon
- Salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions:
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In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onion, carrots, celery and garlic until softened, about 5-7 minutes.
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Add the thyme, bay leaf and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add shredded turkey and chicken. Simmer for 20 minutes.
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Stir in potatoes, cooking 15 minutes until tender.
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Add peas, corn and lemon juice. Season generously with salt, pepper and hot sauce.
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Discard bay leaf. Serve soup garnished with fresh parsley. Enjoy!
The mix of turkey and chicken makes such a rich, protein-packed broth. Feel free to swap in your own favorite veggies too. This versatile soup makes great leftovers and freezes well.
I’m confident in safely mixing turkey and chicken in soup after doing this research. As long as you follow good food safety practices, you can create nourishing, budget-friendly soups that make good use of leftovers. Get creative with herbs, spices, vegetables and starches to craft a signature soup your whole family will request all season long. Stay cozy this fall with a steaming bowl of hearty turkey chicken soup!
Use leftover turkey or chicken bones
Because Thanksgiving is coming up soon, my husband has a big bird resting in a tasty brine right now. The kids can’t wait for their favorite kind of turkey feast with all the fixings… and for the four days off from school this weekend. I’m grateful for the chance to make a good mess in the kitchen with the people I love most in the world.
You should save the turkey carcass after the holiday meal, even if you don’t plan to do anything with it for a few days. It’s one of our favorite things to do with excess turkey or chicken. You can wrap it up and freeze it until you’re ready to use it. Then, when it’s cold and you want to stay home, get those chicken bones out and make the best broth you’ve ever had. Ever. Deliciously concentrated flavors of homemade chicken noodle soup.
With a long, slow simmer, the broth soaks up all the flavor from the bones and meat of the turkey or chicken. It does take time to get that deeply flavorful broth. Once the broth has reduced enough, your patience will be rewarded with the tastiest broth you’ve had. From there, it’s all game. Add your favorite veggies, favorite noodles, and throw in the leftover turkey or chicken meat.
This is one of those healthy meals my kids devour faster than french fries. They gobble this up with such comical speed that I have videotaped their noodle-soup-eating-frenzy for future viewing.
Comfort foods like this soup, my creamy wild rice chicken soup, and this best tortellini soup recipe are made from soups. Enjoy.
Video: Watch Us Make This Recipe
It gets easier to deal with the fact that the days are getting shorter and cooler every year during the holiday season. Despite being a cold weather wimp, I still love the holiday season. This is a really lovely time of year, with pretty lights hanging from trees and in stores and the smell of warm spices filling the air.
This Thanksgiving and Christmas is also the first year that our youngest child, who is now 3 years old, fully understands the meaning of the holidays and takes part in all the fun. He can join his older siblings in counting his own blessings this Thanksgiving, no prompts needed. In fact, he may try to present a lengthy monologue at the dinner table. In which case, some prompting will be needed. Cozy, comforting chicken noodle soup is so much better than anything store-bought.