Here are some easy homemade chicken and turkey soup recipes. These soups are super yummy for cold weather days and great comfort foods when you’re sick!
As the cold weather approaches, many of us start craving warm, comforting soups and stews. And two of the most popular ingredients for these dishes are turkey and chicken. But can you safely mix turkey and chicken together in the same soup? I did some research on this question, and here is what I learned.
Why Combine Turkey and Chicken?
There are a few good reasons you may want to use both turkey and chicken in your soup recipes:
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Use up leftovers After the holidays, you may have extra turkey that needs using up. Chicken tends to be cheaper and easier to find year-round Combining the two allows you to stretch your ingredients.
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Add depth of flavor. Turkey and chicken each have their own distinct flavor profiles. By mixing them, you can create a more complex, layered broth.
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Vary textures Turkey meat tends to be leaner while chicken thighs provide extra moisture Using cuts of both light and dark meat gives your soup more textural interest.
So mixing turkey and chicken can help reduce food waste, boost the flavor, and improve the mouthfeel of soups But how do you do it safely?
food safety tips
Whenever you are working with raw poultry, there are some key food safety guidelines to keep in mind:
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Cook thoroughly. Poultry needs to reach an internal temperature of 165°F to eliminate any harmful bacteria. Make sure both meats are fully cooked.
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Prevent cross-contamination. Use separate cutting boards and utensils for the raw turkey and chicken. Always wash hands, surfaces, and tools that have touched raw meat.
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Refrigerate promptly. Store raw poultry in the fridge until ready to use. Don’t leave it sitting out at room temperature.
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Simmer soups. Bringing your soup to a boil helps destroy bacteria. A long simmer also helps the flavors blend.
As long as you follow good food safety practices, mixing turkey and chicken carries minimal risk. Just be diligent about cooking it fully before eating.
Complementary Flavors
One key to making a successful turkey and chicken soup is getting the flavors right. Here are some tips:
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Aromatics – Start your soup base with classic soup aromatics like onions, carrots, and celery. You can’t go wrong with the classic trio.
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Herbs – Savory herbs like thyme, sage, and rosemary pair excellently with poultry. Bay leaves add depth.
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Spices – Warm spices like paprika, cumin, and a pinch of cayenne can provide a flavor boost.
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Vegetables – Beyond aromatics, consider veggies like potatoes, peas, green beans, corn, and spinach.
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Broth – Use chicken stock for full-on chicken flavor. Go with turkey or veggie stock to let the turkey shine.
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Garnishes – Finish with fresh herbs, a swirl of yogurt, or a crunchy garnish like toasted nuts or croutons.
Playing around with different seasoning combinations can keep your chicken and turkey soup interesting.
Answering Common Questions
I did some digging to find out how real home cooks feel about mixing turkey and chicken. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions:
Can you use leftover turkey and chicken?
Absolutely! This is a great way to use up leftovers after the holidays. Just dice or shred the cooked meat and stir it in towards the end to heat through.
Should you cook the meat first?
Yes, for food safety you’ll want to ensure the poultry is fully cooked before adding it to the soup. You can roast, grill, sauté, or poach it first.
Can you mix white and dark meat?
Go ahead and mix it up! Dark meat will provide juiciness while white meat gives a lean texture. Using both creates nice variation.
How long should you simmer the soup?
Aim for at least an hour of gentle simmering to meld flavors and tenderize meats. You can go longer if you have time for a really rich broth.
Can you add noodles, rice or veggies?
All of these make tasty additions! Just be sure to adjust cooking times so starches and veggies don’t get overdone. Add tender veggies near the end.
Is it better to use chicken or turkey broth?
That depends on whether you want full-on chicken flavor or want the turkey to take center stage. There’s no wrong choice!
Can you freeze turkey chicken soup?
Freezing is a great way to preserve your soup and have easy meals ready to go. Let it cool completely before transferring to airtight containers.
So the consensus among home cooks is that mixing turkey and chicken can lead to some seriously delicious, budget-friendly soups!
My Favorite Turkey Chicken Soup Recipe
After doing all this research, I was excited to try making my own turkey chicken soup! I came up with a simple recipe highlighting my favorite flavors.
Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked turkey meat, shredded or diced
- 2 cups cooked chicken meat, shredded or diced
- 1 lb potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- Juice of 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. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic with a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes until softened.
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Add the thyme, bay leaf, chicken broth, turkey, and chicken. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer.
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Simmer for 30 minutes, then add the potatoes. Cook for 15 minutes more.
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Stir in the 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 flavorful, protein-packed broth. Feel free to swap in your own favorite veggies too. This versatile soup makes great leftovers and freezes beautifully.
I hope these tips give you the confidence to start mixing turkey and chicken in your favorite soup recipes. As long as you follow good food safety practices, you can create delicious, budget-friendly meals that make good use of leftovers. Get creative with herbs, spices, veggies and starches to craft a signature soup your whole family will love. Stay warm this season with a steaming bowl of hearty turkey chicken soup!
Homemade Chicken and Turkey Soup Recipes
With the onset of cooler weather, one of the best things to learn to make from scratch is a basic homemade chicken soup stock or soup base. Soup base is so easy to make and can be used for many different dishes. We’ll make the basic homemade chicken broth today. Once you have it made, you can mix and match and put your favorite things into it. You can add rice for chicken and rice soup, barley for barley soup, use it to boil noodles for chicken and noodles or make simple Bisquick dumplings for chicken and dumplings. I also like to use it to cook rice in place of water.
It is also helpful to keep some frozen soup base that you can quickly grab and use when you need it for things like broccoli soup or egg flower soup.
Easy Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe
This first version, which is similar to what many people use, is in the Dining on a Dime Cookbook, Volume 1. The second recipe is my own quicker version which I like just as well. It is a little easier and much faster. You choose which you have time for. They are both good.
2-3 chicken necks 1 bay leaf 2-4 chicken wings 2 medium carrots, sliced 3 quarts water 2 medium onions, diced
4 chicken bouillon cubes 2 stalks celery, chopped 1 tsp. salt
Bring first 6 ingredients just to boil in a large pot. Skim off foam and discard. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, 2 1/2 hours or until the chicken is very tender. Strain the liquid. Cool and refrigerate so the fat can be removed easily.
Let the meat cool until it can be handled. Remove meat from bones. Discard bones. Skim fat. Bring to a boil and add last 3 ingredients. Simmer 30 minutes and serve. Makes about 12 cups broth or soup.
Half the broth may be removed before adding vegetables and frozen up to 6 months.