Stone Soup is a chicken and vegetable soup named after the folk tale: bone-in chicken drumsticks simmered with onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, cabbage, red potatoes and garlic in chicken broth, seasoned with thyme, Italian seasoning and bay leaves. The stone is completely optional. It takes about 15 minutes of prep and 75 minutes on the stove, and makes 9 servings of about 1 1/2 cups.
How to make it: Soften the onion, carrots and celery with the seasonings in a stock pot, then push them aside and brown the drumsticks. Add the zucchini, cabbage, potatoes, garlic and broth, bring it to a boil and simmer for about an hour, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken reaches 165°F. Pull the meat off the bones, stir it back in, and season to taste.
Why You’ll Love It
- Clean-out-the-fridge soup: it takes whatever vegetables you have on hand.
- Makes a big pot: 9 servings of about 1 1/2 cups each.
- Budget-friendly: four drumsticks and everyday vegetables.
- Fun with kids: they can drop the stone (or a mini potato) in the pot and help gather the vegetables.
Do You Really Need a Stone?
No. The stone is completely optional, a nod to the story rather than an ingredient. If you want to use one, wash it very well, put it in the pot first, and take it out before serving. Or skip the stone and drop in a whole mini potato instead, or set the stone on the table as a decoration while you eat.
What Is in Stone Soup?
This pot is a chicken drumstick soup with onion, carrots and celery for the base, then zucchini, cabbage, red potatoes and garlic, all simmered in chicken broth with dried herbs. The idea behind stone soup is that everyone adds what they have, so the vegetable list is flexible.
Ingredient Notes
Stone (optional): 1, washed very well. A whole mini potato works instead.
Aromatics: 1 yellow onion, diced; 4 carrots, peeled and chopped; 3 celery stalks, diced; and 3 cloves of garlic, minced. Start them in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Seasonings: 1 teaspoon of sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon each of dried thyme and Italian seasoning, and 2 bay leaves.
Chicken drumsticks: 4, bone-in. They brown first and finish cooking in the simmer.
Zucchini and cabbage: 1 zucchini, chopped, and 1/4 of a small head of cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups).
Red potatoes: 4 to 5, large diced, about 1 pound.
Chicken broth: 6 cups.
Ingredients
- 1 stone, optional (wash very well and remove before serving, or use 1 whole mini potato instead)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 chicken drumsticks, bone-in
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1/4 small head cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups)
- 4 to 5 red potatoes, large diced (about 1 pound)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
How to Make Stone Soup
1. Add the stone (optional). If you are using a stone, wash it very well and put it in the stock pot. A whole mini potato can go in instead.
2. Cook the vegetables. Add the olive oil to the stock pot. Cook the onion, carrots and celery with the salt, pepper, thyme, Italian seasoning and bay leaves over medium heat until glossy and beginning to soften.
3. Brown the drumsticks. Move the vegetables out of the way and add the chicken drumsticks to the bottom of the pot. Brown them on all sides.
4. Add the rest and the broth. Add the zucchini, cabbage, potatoes and garlic. Pour the chicken broth over the top and bring everything to a boil.
5. Simmer. Once the soup boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, or until the vegetables are fully cooked and the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
6. Shred the chicken. Pull the meat off the chicken bones and stir it into the soup. Discard the bones, or save them to make chicken stock along with the vegetable peels.
7. Season and serve. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. If you used a stone, remove it before serving.
Tips for a Good Pot
- Brown the chicken first. The drumsticks only need color on the outside at this point; the long simmer cooks them through.
- Use a thermometer. The chicken is done when it reaches 165°F, not when it looks done.
- Pick the right potato. Red and Yukon gold potatoes hold their shape. Russets break down and make the broth thick and mashed-potato-like.
- Mind the soft vegetables. Carrots take the longest to soften and potatoes a little less. If you add delicate vegetables like spinach or kale, stir them in near the end.
- Season at the end. Taste once the chicken is back in and adjust the salt and pepper.
Variations and Add-Ins
- Chicken thighs: bone-in thighs work too; they take longer to cook, so check for 165°F.
- Other meats: turkey drumsticks, leftover baked ham, leftover corned beef or andouille sausage.
- More vegetables: corn, bell peppers, spinach, kale, squash, mushrooms, green beans or chickpeas.
- Grains or noodles: add barley, rice or noodles toward the end of cooking, along with extra broth.
- Dumplings or croutons: homemade dumplings in the pot, or croutons on top.
- Other broth: beef, turkey or vegetable broth all work.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerator: Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if it’s above 90°F). Divide the pot into shallow covered containers so it cools quickly. It keeps 3 to 4 days.
Freezer: Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, or reheat it from frozen in a saucepan.
Reheating: Reheat covered on the stove or in the microwave until the soup comes to a rolling boil (165°F). Don’t reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Keep it simple: bread and butter, a green salad or a sandwich. Bake bread in 10 minutes or butter biscuits, or toss a spinach salad with warm bacon dressing.
For more pots of chicken, beef and vegetables, try slow cooker poor man chicken stew, 4-ingredient mulligan stew or Irish bacon, cabbage and potato soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in stone soup?
Here it’s chicken drumsticks, onion, carrots, celery, zucchini, cabbage, red potatoes and garlic in chicken broth with dried herbs and bay leaves. The stone is optional.
What are the ingredients in Dolly Parton’s stone soup?
A version from her family is said to include ham hock and turnips. You can add both to this pot.
What kind of stone should I use?
You don’t need one. If you use a stone, wash it very well and remove it before serving, or use a whole mini potato instead.
Can I freeze stone soup?
Yes, for up to 3 months in airtight containers. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat to a rolling boil.
Final Notes
Put the kids in charge of the stone and the vegetable hunt, and let the pot do the rest. If you add your own vegetables, tell me in the comments what went into yours.
Stone Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 stone optional; wash very well and remove before serving, or use 1 whole mini potato instead
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 celery stalks diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 chicken drumsticks bone-in
- 1 zucchini chopped
- 1/4 small head cabbage chopped, about 4 cups
- 4 to 5 red potatoes large diced, about 1 pound
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- If you are using a stone, wash it very well and put it in the stock pot. A whole mini potato can go in instead.
- Add the olive oil to the stock pot. Cook the onion, carrots and celery with the salt, pepper, thyme, Italian seasoning and bay leaves over medium heat until glossy and beginning to soften.
- Move the vegetables out of the way and add the chicken drumsticks to the bottom of the pot. Brown them on all sides.
- Add the zucchini, cabbage, potatoes and garlic. Pour the chicken broth over the top and bring everything to a boil.
- Once the soup boils, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, or until the vegetables are fully cooked and the chicken reaches 165°F on a food thermometer.
- Pull the meat off the chicken bones and stir it into the soup. Discard the bones, or save them to make chicken stock along with the vegetable peels.
- Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. If you used a stone, remove it before serving.
