We put a lot of pressure on chicken soup; food for the soul, panacea for everything else. No one makes it as good as our mothers do, but no one’s mothers make it the same! We realized we needed to really get to the meat of the matter, pun fully intended. So we conducted the most scientific study we could: we asked our FT staff everything they know and compiled it for your perusing pleasure. Best when paired with a steaming bowl of... you know.

Let’s get started

I put one package of chicken (4 or 5 bottoms), 1 package of chicken bones, a handful of pipeklach (giblets), and a few pieces of flanken (when I have them). I also put in celery, lots of carrots, onion, zucchini, parsnip, turnip, dill and parsley, and whole black peppercorns. Oh, and of course, salt! (Once in a while, I add leek.)

—Faigy Grossman

Turkey necks, 1 whole chicken — bones, meat, and all (no skin besides for on the wings; I leave those!), carrots, celery, parsnip, celery root, sweet potato, zucchini, parsley, dill, and sea salt.

—Rorie Weisberg

Beets, onions, sweet potatoes, celery, zucchini, dill, parsley, 2 strips of flanken, and about 8 chicken bottoms. I have to use about 6 onions because everyone in my family wants one!

—Naomi Nachman

Usually 2–3 chicken breasts with skin on (I put them into a mesh bag), 1 large white onion, 2–3 carrots sliced in wedges, 2–3 stalks celery, 1 large squash, 1 parsnip, 1 turnip, 2 cloves garlic, dill and parsley in a mesh bag, kosher salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and 3 Tbsp of Osem chicken consommé powder.

—Nina Feiner

My main goal for chicken soup is a very intense and robust chicken flavor, and the best way to get that is with turkey necks, which is how my mother and grandmother make their soup, too. My basic soup contains 3–4 turkey necks, 2 lbs or so of chicken wings, and one or two chicken legs just to have a more substantial piece of chicken that I can include in the soup bowls for serving. I also use carrot, onion, celery, turnip, zucchini, parsley, dill, salt, and sometimes a splash of soy sauce. The way I know I’ve achieved the flavor that I want is if it’s solid when it’s cold (aka it turns into jelly in the fridge).

—Michal Frischman

I always make a 16-quart pot of soup so that I can freeze several containers for future use. I put in 4 chicken bottoms, 3 bags of chicken bones, 4 small zucchini, 5 large carrots, 1 large parsnip, 1 medium turnip, 1 large Spanish onion, 5–6 stalks celery, 1 bunch of fresh parsley, 1 bunch of fresh dill, about 10 “handfuls” of salt, and a sprinkle of black pepper.

—Chavi Feldman

Chicken necks or bones and turkey necks, 2 onions, 2 zucchini, 1 sweet potato, 3–4 carrots, 3 stalks celery, 1–2 parsnip, 1 turnip or kohlrabi.

—Faigy Grossmann

I put in carrots, zucchini, celery, sweet potato, onions, turkey gizzards, chicken bones, chicken drumsticks, water, kosher salt, black pepper, and a net bag with fresh parsley and dill. If I remember, I add frozen cauliflower at the end.

—Rivky Kleiman

I always use a whole chicken, cut into 10 pieces, and a turkey neck. Turkey neck is the all-star ingredient — it adds so much flavor. I specifically use a whole cut-up chicken because I want the flavor from the bones, plus the chicken itself, and I want those bones exposed so they can release their flavor more easily! Once in a while I also throw in a piece of flanken, and that’s just over-the-top delicious!

I use really regular chicken soup vegetables and herbs. I always add kohlrabi, though. It gets a really soft but delicious texture. I don’t think it adds a ton of flavor, but it’s the most requested soup vegetable in my house!

—Danielle Renov

I like to start by sautéing Spanish onions until they’re golden (not brown). Then I throw in 5 carrots, peeled and chunked, and 4 stalks of celery and sauté them a bit too. I add fennel, celery root, parsnip, turnip (though I don’t know why; I don’t find it has flavor), sweet potato, and a package of checked dill. Oh, and chicken. I do about 6–8 drumsticks and a turkey drumstick. I used to put in beef bones, but it made it too fatty. I add a zucchini or three at the end because I don’t think it adds much taste, but I like the texture.

—Chaia Frishman

I load it up with vegetables (2 zucchini, 2 lbs carrots, 2 sweet potatoes, 1 onion, 1 turnip), and either 1 or 2 chicken legs (depending on what I have handy). Then I liberally add dry dill and paprika (enough to cover the surface of the pot), and salt and pepper.

—Devorah Cohen

I’ve made chicken soup with a whole chicken, chicken bottoms, chicken bones, and wings. I didn’t see much of a difference, although soup made with wings has a certain slight distinct flavor noticeable only to the very discerning palate. I often add turkey necks because they add creaminess. I use a lot of onions, which really enhance the flavor.

As for the veggies, I use onions, carrots, celery, a small piece of pepper (usually red or sometimes light green), a small turnip sometimes, and even a tomato or potato/sweet potato! I used to add a nice piece of fresh pumpkin, but I found that it fell apart in the soup and was hard to remove afterwards. I add fresh parsley and fresh dill at the end in a cooking bag. Now that we’re in the midst of shemittah, we have to use whatever’s available!

—Brynie Greisman

This recipe is very approximate. One thing I don’t skimp on is the herbs. Here goes: 2–3 pkgs chicken bones, 1 pkg beef neck bones, chicken drumsticks (skin removed), tons of carrots, squash, parsnip, parsley root, sweet potato, celery root, onion, celery, 1 peeled red pepper, fresh parsley and dill, and salt and pepper.

—Estee Kafra

I’ll put in either a whole chicken or 2–3 packages of chicken wings. Then the regular: carrots, onions, celery and/or celery root, turnip, parsnip, sweet potato or squash, zucchini, parsley, dill, a few cloves of garlic, lots of salt, and some cracked black pepper.

—Chanie Nayman