This recipe for butternut squash and chicken soup is hearty and healthy. A good source of protein and vitamins with a tasty, savory, warm flavor.
Do you like a healthy, hearty soup that fills you up? I was originally going to make something with chicken, bone broth, and sweet potatoes, but I found cut-up and peeled butternut squash at the market and decided to use it instead.
While both sweet potatoes and butternut squash are high in vitamin A, butternut squash is lower in carbs and calories while still giving you that extra body and robust flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked shredded chicken breast
- 1 pound butternut squash cut up
- 1.5 cups diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- .5 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- .5 teaspoon thyme
- 34 ounces chicken bone broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
Making Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup
Step 1. Start with the basics. A trinity of onions, carrots, and celery, diced small. Let them cook in some olive oil in a large pot until they soften.
Step 2. Add in your favorite spices. Salt and black pepper, of course. I also added turmeric and paprika for color and their own nutrition, and a bit of ground thyme. However, you can really use what you like here.
Step 3. Add bone broth and the squash cubes, and bring it to a boil. Then turn down the heat and let it simmer for about 15 minutes or until you can easily pierce the squash with a fork.
Bone broth is high in protein, among other things, but you can use regular chicken broth or chicken stock. You can also simply cover the squash with water.
Step 4. If you like, you can use an immersion blender to make a creamy soup. Or, leave it as chunky as you like. If you don't have an immersion blender, you could also ladle to transfer the soup into a stand blender.
Step 5. Add in some fresh flat leaf parsley and pre-cooked chicken. This could be rotisserie chicken or other leftover chicken. I prefer chicken breast meat, but you could also use chicken thighs.
Make it your own by using other fresh herbs like fresh cilantro or basil.
Once the chicken has warmed through (just a few minutes), the soup is ready to serve.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for a few days and reheat them in the microwave or on the stovetop.
A final touch would be to add a splash of cream for a little extra richness.
Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked shredded chicken
- 1 pound butternut squash cut up
- 1.5 cups diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- .5 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- .5 teaspoon thyme
- 34 ounces chicken bone broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, saute celery, carrots, and onions in olive oil until softened. About 7 minutes.
- Add turmeric, paprika, thyme, salt, and black pepper. Stir well.
- Add butternut squash and bone broth. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the squash is fork tender.
- Use an emersion blender to blend the vegetables together, making it as smooth or chunky as you like.
- Add chicken and fresh parsley. Stir and simmer until heated through.
- Serve with a dash of cream if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although attempts have been made to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Beverly
Have not made this YET....I so wish you had posted this yesterday! We are going away for a few weeks and I am trying to use up some produce; I had two small butternut squash that needed to be made into something. I made hummus with them (which turned out really well - my hubby loves it!) but would have made this soup instead! I'll be making it when we get back!
Patti Estep
Butternut squash hummus sounds delicious too, Beverly.
Have a great trip!