Garlic Chicken Soup (Whole Chicken, 50 Cloves)

Most chicken soup recipes call for two or three cloves of garlic. This one uses five whole heads, about 50 cloves, and it still tastes gentle, sweet and deeply savory rather than sharp. The trick is that the cloves go in whole and simmer slowly with the chicken for almost two hours. They turn soft and buttery, melt a little into the broth and lose all of their raw bite, so every spoonful tastes like garlic bread in soup form.

The idea comes from a viral “1,000 garlic clove soup”, which piles in far more garlic than any home cook could peel in an afternoon. This version keeps the spirit and makes it realistic: a whole chicken, five heads of garlic, carrots, onions, parsnip, a little turnip and a big bundle of dill and parsley. The result is a golden, comforting pot of soup for cold evenings and sick days.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 4 lb (1.8 kg) – the bones, skin and dark meat give the broth its body and golden color.
• 5 heads garlic (about 50 cloves), peeled – or about 2 cups of store-bought peeled cloves.
• 4 carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces.
• 2 large onions, peeled and quartered.
• 1 small parsnip, peeled, quartered lengthwise and cut into 3-inch pieces – adds a gentle sweetness.
• 1/2 medium turnip, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices – a slightly peppery, earthy note.
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley and 1/2 bunch dill, tied together with kitchen twine.
• About 12 cups (3 liters) cold water, enough to cover the chicken.
• 2 to 3 tsp kosher salt, to taste, and black pepper.

How to Make It

1. Start with cold water – 10 minutes

Place the chicken breast side up in a large stockpot and add enough cold water to cover it by about an inch. Bring it slowly to a boil over medium-high heat. Starting cold and heating gradually helps keep the broth clear.

2. Skim the foam – 5 minutes

As the water comes to a boil, gray foam will rise to the surface. Lower the heat and skim it off with a large spoon. Once the foam stops forming and the surface looks clear, you are ready for the vegetables.

3. Add the garlic and vegetables – 5 minutes

Add the peeled garlic cloves, onions, carrots, parsnip and turnip, pushing them down around the chicken. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Everything should be submerged; add a little more water if needed.

4. Simmer gently – 1 hour 30 minutes

Partially cover the pot and keep it at a gentle simmer, with small bubbles just breaking the surface. A hard boil makes the broth cloudy and the chicken stringy. The garlic is ready when a clove crushes easily against the side of the pot.

5. Add the herbs – 20 minutes

Lay the bundle of parsley and dill on top of the soup, press it under the surface and simmer 20 minutes more. The broth should smell fresh and herby, and the chicken should be very tender. An instant-read thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh should read at least 165°F (74°C).

6. Shred the chicken – 15 minutes

Lift out the herb bundle and discard it. Carefully transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let it cool for a few minutes. Remove the skin and bones and shred the meat into bite-size pieces. The meat should pull apart with a fork.

7. Season and serve

Return the chicken to the pot. Mash a handful of the soft garlic cloves against the side of the pot with a spoon and stir them into the broth to thicken it slightly. Taste and add salt and pepper. Ladle into bowls with plenty of vegetables and whole garlic cloves, and top with fresh chopped dill. The broth should taste rich, rounded and mildly sweet, with no harsh garlic edge.

Why 50 Cloves Doesn’t Taste Overpowering

The sharp, pungent flavor of garlic only develops when a clove is cut, crushed or chopped. That damage lets enzymes inside the clove react and form the strong-smelling sulfur compounds we think of as “garlicky”. Whole, unbroken cloves skip most of that reaction. As they simmer, the heat shuts down those enzymes, and the cloves cook through slowly, turning soft, nutty and slightly sweet, much like roasted garlic.

That is why this soup uses whole peeled cloves rather than minced garlic. Minced or crushed garlic in this quantity would taste harsh. Kept whole, the same amount gives the broth a deep, rounded flavor, and the cloves themselves become one of the best parts of each bowl.

How to Peel That Much Garlic

Peeling five heads by hand takes about 15 minutes. A few shortcuts help:

• The shake method: break the heads into cloves, put them in a large jar or two metal bowls clamped together and shake hard for 20 to 30 seconds. Most of the skins slip off.
• The warm water method: soak the separated cloves in warm water for 10 minutes. The skins soften and pull away more easily.
• Store-bought peeled garlic: about 2 cups of pre-peeled cloves is the same amount and saves all the work. Use them within a few days of opening.

Make Ahead and Storage

This soup tastes even better the next day, once the garlic has had time to mellow further into the broth. Because it makes a large pot, cool it quickly. NC State Extension recommends dividing large batches into smaller, shallow containers so they cool faster, refrigerating cooked food within two hours, and eating leftovers within three to four days.

The soup also freezes well for up to 3 months. Leave some space at the top of each container, since liquid expands as it freezes. If you plan to freeze it, keep the chicken and vegetables slightly firmer by shortening the simmer by 10 minutes. Reheat gently on the stove until steaming hot.

For an extra-clear broth, refrigerate the soup overnight and lift off the layer of fat that sets on top before reheating.

Ways to Serve It

• With noodles or rice: cook them separately and add to each bowl, so they don’t soak up all the broth in the pot.
• With crusty bread: spread a few of the soft garlic cloves on toasted bread like butter.
• With a squeeze of lemon: a little lemon juice just before serving brightens the broth.
• As a sipping broth: strain the broth into mugs and keep the chicken and vegetables for another meal.

If you love a classic bowl, try our classic chicken noodle soup, or switch up the flavors with an easy Thai chicken soup or a creamy healthy chicken pot pie soup. For more cozy bowls, a pot of restaurant-style French onion soup is always a good idea, and you can browse all of our soup recipes.

Garlic Chicken Soup

Garlic chicken soup made with a whole chicken, five heads of garlic and root vegetables. The whole cloves simmer until soft, sweet and mellow.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 25 minutes mins

Servings: 8 servings

Course: Dinner, Soup

Cuisine: Eastern European

Calories: 310

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 whole chicken about 4 lb (1.8 kg)
• 5 heads garlic about 50 cloves, peeled (or 2 cups pre-peeled cloves)
• 4 carrots peeled, halved lengthwise, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 large onions peeled and quartered
• 1 small parsnip peeled, quartered lengthwise, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 1/2 medium turnip peeled, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley tied with the dill
• 1/2 bunch fresh dill plus extra for serving
• 12 cups cold water about 3 liters, enough to cover
• 2 to 3 tsp kosher salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Place the chicken in a large stockpot, cover with cold water by about 1 inch and bring slowly to a boil over medium-high heat.
2. Lower the heat and skim off the foam until the surface looks clear.
3. Add the garlic cloves, onions, carrots, parsnip, turnip and 1 tsp salt, making sure everything is submerged.
4. Partially cover and simmer gently for 1 hour 30 minutes, until a garlic clove crushes easily.
5. Add the parsley and dill bundle and simmer 20 minutes more. The thickest part of the thigh should reach at least 165°F (74°C).
6. Discard the herbs. Remove the chicken, discard skin and bones and shred the meat.
7. Return the chicken to the pot, mash a few garlic cloves into the broth, season with salt and pepper and serve topped with fresh dill.

Notes

About the garlic: the viral version calls for 1,000 cloves; 5 heads (about 50 cloves) gives the same mellow, garlicky broth at a realistic scale. Keep the cloves whole so they turn sweet rather than sharp.

Make ahead: the soup tastes even better the next day. Chill overnight and lift off the fat for a clearer broth.

Storage: cool in shallow containers, refrigerate within 2 hours and eat within 3 to 4 days, or freeze up to 3 months.

Serving ideas: add separately cooked noodles or rice to each bowl, or serve with crusty bread spread with the soft garlic cloves.

Nutrition is an estimate based on standard ingredient values (skin removed), not a laboratory analysis.