Stewing Hen

Spring Chicken Soup

Roasted Stewing Hen Soup with Spring Asparagus

There’s something deeply satisfying about taking a true stewing hen—the kind of bird built for flavor, not speed—and turning it into a soup that nourishes from the inside out.

Unlike a young broiler, a stewing hen brings richer flavor, more connective tissue, and the kind of broth that naturally develops body and depth. By roasting the bird first, we create layers of flavor that a simple boiled stock just can’t match.

With asparagus in season, this is a perfect spring soup.

Ingredients

• 1 whole stewing hen, cut into halves or quarters
• 2 tablespoons tallow, butter, or olive oil
• Sea salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, halved
• 3 carrots, divided
• 3 celery stalks
• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves
• 4–6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• Optional: fresh parsley
• Optional: juice from half a lemon

Instructions

Roast for Flavor

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Pat the stewing hen dry and season generously with sea salt and black pepper. Rub lightly with tallow or butter.

Place the hen in a roasting pan and roast for 60–90 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden brown and the pan has developed rich browned bits. **PRO TIP - roast veggies alongside the hen until browned. 

This step is where the magic starts. Those roasted flavors become the backbone of the soup.

Build the Broth

Transfer the roasted hen to a large stockpot.

Add:

• onion
• 2 carrots, roughly chopped
• celery
• garlic
• bay leaves
• thyme

Pour a little water into the roasting pan and scrape up every browned bit. Add that liquid to the stockpot.

Cover everything with cold water by about 2 inches.

Bring just to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat immediately.

Let simmer gently for 4–6 hours, occasionally skimming foam during the first hour.

Low and slow matters here. A hard boil makes muddy broth. Gentle simmering creates clarity and richness.

Finish the Soup

Remove the hen and allow it to cool enough to handle.

Strain the broth and discard the spent vegetables.

Pull the meat from the bones, shredding any tender pieces you want to keep.

Return the broth to the pot.

Slice the remaining carrot and add it back for texture. Simmer until just tender.

Add the asparagus during the final 3–5 minutes so it stays vibrant and fresh.

Return the shredded chicken to the pot.

Taste and season with additional salt and pepper. Add fresh parsley or a squeeze of lemon if desired.

Why Stewing Hens Make Better Soup

Older birds simply make better broth.

They contain more collagen, deeper chicken flavor, and more mineral richness than fast-grown birds. It takes longer, but the result is a soup with natural body and substance—exactly what real chicken soup should be.

When made from a pasture-raised stewing hen, you’re tasting the difference that time, movement, and real nutrition create.

Simple ingredients. Slow cooking. Honest food.