Chicken Carcass Soup (Easy Homemade Recipe)

Chicken carcass soup is homemade chicken noodle soup made by simmering a leftover roasted or rotisserie chicken carcass into a rich golden broth — then finishing it with fresh vegetables, shredded chicken, and pasta. Gluten-free, deeply flavorful, and the best possible use of a leftover roast chicken.

Every time I make a roast chicken or pick up a rotisserie chicken from Costco I save the carcass for this soup — and I’ve been doing that long enough that it’s basically automatic now.

Chicken carcass soup is exactly what it sounds like: you simmer the leftover bones in water with onion, celery, and carrots for 2 hours until the water turns into a golden, properly flavored broth. Then you strain everything out and build a soup in that broth with fresh vegetables, shredded chicken, and pasta.

The result is so much better than anything from a can that it’s almost not the same category of food. The broth especially — there’s a richness and depth you only get from actual bones, and it fills the kitchen with a smell that makes everyone wander in asking what’s for dinner.

This is the recipe I make any time someone in my house isn’t feeling well, and also any time I just want something warm and genuinely satisfying on a cold evening.

If you love warming soup recipes you may also want to try my Low Carb Broccoli Cheese Soup and my Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup.

Ingredients

Everything is in the recipe card below — here’s what matters for each component.

• One chicken carcass — from a roasted or rotisserie chicken. The more chicken that’s been on it, the richer the broth. A rotisserie chicken from Costco makes excellent stock — the seasoning on the skin and any remaining meat adds flavor to the broth. If you have a small chicken, save two carcasses in the freezer and simmer them together for a richer result.
• 12 cups filtered cold water — start with cold water, not hot. Slowly heating the water draws flavor out of the bones more gradually and produces a clearer, better-flavored broth. If your tap water doesn’t taste good to drink, don’t use it here — it shows up in the final soup.
• First set of vegetables (for the stock): ½ onion, 2 celery ribs, 2 large carrots. These simmer with the carcass for 2 hours and get discarded — they’ll be completely mushy and flavorless by the time the broth is done. Their only job is to flavor the broth, which they do very well.
• Second set of vegetables (for the soup): ½ onion, 4 celery ribs, 4 large carrots, diced. These go into the finished strained broth and cook until tender — about 20 minutes. These are the vegetables you’ll actually eat.
• Bay leaf, dried basil, dried oregano — the herbs that season the finished soup.
• 2 cups dried pasta — egg noodles, gluten-free pasta, small shells, or rice. Cook separately and add to the finished soup. Don’t cook the pasta directly in the broth — it absorbs too much liquid and gets soggy.
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken — you’ll pick some meat off the carcass after straining, but adding extra shredded chicken gives every bowl a proper amount. Use leftover chicken breast, rotisserie chicken you’ve shredded, or anything you have on hand.
• Optional: a splash of apple cider vinegar added to the stock water — about 1 tablespoon. It helps extract minerals from the bones and adds a subtle brightness to the finished broth that’s hard to pin down but noticeable. You won’t taste vinegar in the soup.

How to Make Chicken Carcass Soup

Step 1 — Pick the carcass. Before anything else, pick off any remaining meat from the bones and set it aside. Get into the joints and the back — there’s usually more there than you think. You don’t need to get it all perfectly, just the pieces that come off easily. The rest will fall off during simmering and you can pick those out after straining.

Step 2 — Make the stock. Place the carcass in a large stockpot and cover with 12 cups of cold water. Add the first set of vegetables (½ onion, 2 celery ribs, 2 carrots), 1 tsp salt, and the apple cider vinegar if using. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, then reduce to a low simmer. You want the surface barely moving — a full rolling boil makes the broth cloudy and slightly bitter. Simmer for 2 hours, skimming any foam or grey impurities off the surface every 30 minutes or so with a slotted spoon.

Step 3 — Strain the broth. After 2 hours the broth should be golden and smell incredible. Set a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth over a large bowl or second pot and pour the broth through it. Discard all the solids — the carcass, the first set of vegetables — they’ve done their job and have nothing left to give. Pick any remaining meat off the carcass before discarding the bones.

Step 4 — Build the soup. Return the strained broth to the pot over medium heat. Add the second set of vegetables (½ onion, 4 celery ribs, 4 carrots, all diced), the bay leaf, basil, and oregano. Simmer for 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender but not mushy. Add the shredded chicken and taste for salt and pepper — the broth will likely need more salt than you think.

Step 5 — Cook the pasta separately. In a separate pot, cook the pasta according to package directions until just al dente. Drain and add to the finished soup. Cooking pasta separately prevents it from absorbing all the broth as the soup sits — especially important if you’re making this for leftovers.

Step 6 — Serve. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread or gluten-free bread on the side. This soup is better the next day.

Instant Pot Method

The pressure cooker cuts the stock simmer time from 2 hours down to about 45 minutes — everything else is the same.

Add the carcass, cold water, first set of vegetables, salt, and apple cider vinegar to the Instant Pot. Seal the lid, set to pressure cook (high) for 45 minutes, then allow natural release for 15 minutes before quick releasing any remaining pressure. Strain the broth exactly as in the stovetop method, then switch to sauté mode to build the soup with the second set of vegetables and chicken. Add the separately cooked pasta at the end.

The stovetop broth has a slightly deeper flavor from the longer simmer time — but the Instant Pot version is genuinely excellent and a lot faster.

Slow Cooker Method

The most hands-off version — set it up before bed and wake up to finished stock.

Add the carcass, cold water, first set of vegetables, salt, and apple cider vinegar to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 8–10 hours or high for 4–5 hours. Strain the broth and then either finish the soup in the slow cooker on high (add second set of vegetables and chicken, cook 1–2 hours until tender) or transfer to a stockpot on the stove to finish. Add separately cooked pasta at the end.

The slow cooker produces the clearest, most delicate broth of the three methods — worth it if you have the time and the patience to start it the night before.

Tips That Actually Matter

• Use two separate sets of vegetables. The first set simmers in the stock for 2 hours and then gets thrown out — they’re mushy and flavorless by the time the broth is done. The second set goes into the finished soup and is what you actually eat. This is the step most people skip and it’s the difference between a properly built soup and one where the vegetables taste like they’ve been cooked for 2 hours because they have been.
• Start with cold water. Hot water closes the pores in the bones and you don’t extract as much flavor. Cold water, slow heat, long simmer = the richest broth.
• Don’t rush the simmer. Two hours at a very gentle simmer is the move. A hard boil makes the broth cloudy and slightly bitter. You want the surface barely moving — a few lazy bubbles, not a rolling boil.
• Season at the end, not the beginning. The broth reduces slightly as it simmers and concentrates the salt. Add your final seasoning after straining and tasting the finished broth.
• Cook the pasta separately. Pasta cooked directly in the soup absorbs broth as it sits and turns to mush by day two. Cook it separately, add to individual bowls, and store the pasta and soup separately if you’re making this for leftovers.
• Freeze the broth. The strained broth (before adding the second vegetables and pasta) freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Freeze in 2-cup portions for easy use in future soups, sauces, or risotto. Label with the date.

Variations

• Rice instead of pasta — swap 2 cups of dried pasta for 1 cup of long-grain white rice or brown rice. Rice absorbs more liquid so add an extra cup of broth or water if needed.
• Extra vegetables — zucchini, peas, corn, green beans, or kale all work. Add heartier vegetables (green beans, zucchini) with the second set of carrots and celery. Add quick-cooking vegetables (peas, corn, spinach) in the last 5 minutes.
• Lemon — a squeeze of fresh lemon juice stirred in right before serving brightens the whole bowl. The Avgolemono (Greek lemon chicken soup) version adds lemon and egg to the broth — completely different and completely delicious.
• Turkey carcass — this method works identically with a turkey carcass after Thanksgiving. Double the recipe because the carcass is significantly larger.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The soup tastes better on day 2 than day 1 — the flavors meld overnight. If you stored the pasta separately, keep them in different containers so the pasta doesn’t absorb all the broth.

Freezes well for up to 3 months — freeze without the pasta (it doesn’t freeze well) and cook fresh pasta when you reheat. Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is chicken carcass soup? Chicken carcass soup is homemade chicken noodle soup made by simmering a leftover roasted or rotisserie chicken carcass in cold water with onion, celery, and carrots for 2 hours until the water becomes a rich, golden homemade broth. The broth is then strained and used as the base for a complete soup with fresh vegetables, shredded chicken, and pasta or rice. It’s the best possible use of a leftover chicken carcass — nothing goes to waste and the result is deeply flavorful in a way that store-bought broth can’t match.

Can I use a raw chicken carcass? Yes, but a roasted or rotisserie carcass makes a richer, more flavorful broth. The browning that happens during roasting (the Maillard reaction) develops compounds that give the broth its golden color and deeper flavor. If you’re using a raw carcass, roast it in a 400°F oven for 20–30 minutes before simmering — it makes a meaningful difference.

How long should I simmer the chicken carcass? Two hours at a gentle simmer is the sweet spot for a richly flavored broth. You can go up to 3 hours for a more concentrated result. Less than 90 minutes and you haven’t fully extracted the flavor from the bones. The Instant Pot achieves a similar result in 45 minutes of pressure cooking.

Can I freeze chicken carcass soup? Yes — freeze the broth and soup (without pasta) in airtight freezer-safe containers for up to 3 months. Leave the pasta out entirely when freezing because it gets mushy after thawing. Cook fresh pasta when you reheat the soup. Label each container with the date and portion size.

Other Warming Meals You’ll Love

• Vegan Thai Red Curry With Tofu
• Easy Low Carb Spaghetti Squash Recipe With Meat Sauce
• Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Recipe
• Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken
• Crockpot Butternut Squash Soup

If you make this chicken carcass soup, tag me on Instagram at @basicswithbails — soup photos in the winter are some of my favorites to see. And if you’ve been saving rotisserie chicken carcasses in your freezer for this very recipe, I’m proud of you.