This keto chicken vegetable soup recipe offers a delicious and nourishing alternative to traditional chicken noodle soup, perfect for those following a low-carb or ketogenic diet. Whether you're focused on meal prep, looking for a comforting bowl of soup, or combating cold weather, this recipe is a great choice. It's easy to make, packed with flavor, and can be easily modified to suit your preferences.
Why This Recipe Works
- Great for Meal Prep: Soup is ideal for meal preparation, especially during cold weather and flu season. You can prepare it at the beginning of the week and simply reheat a bowl when you're ready.
- Perfect Freezer Meal: This low-carb chicken soup recipe freezes well, making it a convenient option for future meals.
- Easy and Flavorful: Despite its simplicity, this recipe delivers a surprising amount of flavor thanks to the combination of herbs, spices, and quality ingredients.
- Low-Carb Alternative: If you're missing chicken noodle soup but avoiding pasta, this keto chicken vegetable soup is the perfect solution. It provides a similar comforting experience without the high carb content.
Ingredients You'll Need
This chicken vegetable soup uses simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand:
- Chicken: Raw chicken breasts or thighs work well. You can also use leftover cooked chicken, such as rotisserie chicken.
- Vegetables: A mix of fresh and frozen vegetables adds flavor, nutrients, and texture. Consider using onions, carrots, celery, leeks, mushrooms, and leafy greens like Swiss chard or kale (in moderation).
- Dry Spices: Bay leaves, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper create a savory herbal broth.
- Olive Oil: Avocado oil or another cooking oil can be used to sear the meat and sauté the vegetables.
- Chicken Broth: Use either homemade chicken broth, store-bought broth, or chicken bouillon for a more concentrated flavor. If using bouillon, combine it with water.
- Optional Add-ins: Lemon juice, fresh parsley, cream cheese, heavy cream, or sour cream can be added to enhance the flavor and texture of the soup.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's how to make this delicious keto chicken vegetable soup:
Searing the Chicken
- Mix Italian seasoning, garlic powder, sea salt, and black pepper in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle the spice mixture on both sides of the chicken breasts. Be sure to coat your chicken breasts with the spice mixture so that you use up all of it. Don’t leave any spices behind: The spices for the chicken are also used to add herb flavors to the broth.
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Cook the chicken breasts for 3-4 minutes per side, until seared and browned.
Building the Soup
- Move the chicken to the outer edges of the pot.
- Add the carrots and celery to the center of the pot.
- Cook for 2 minutes, until the vegetables are slightly tender.
- Add bouillon, water, and bay leaves to the pot.
- Stir until the bouillon is incorporated.
- Cover the pot and cook on medium-low for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Finishing the Soup
- Remove the chicken from the pot and cut it into bite-sized pieces.
- Add the chicken bites and cauliflower rice to the pot.
- Simmer until the cauliflower rice is tender.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste, if needed.
- Stir in lemon juice and fresh parsley before serving for added flavor.
Alternative Cooking Methods
While the stovetop method is preferred, you can also make this soup using an Instant Pot or slow cooker:
- Instant Pot: Use the sauté setting to cook the vegetables. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on the soup setting for 20 minutes, followed by a pressure release.
- Slow Cooker: Sauté the vegetables in a separate skillet before transferring them to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours.
Tips and Variations
- Use Leftover Chicken: If you have leftover cooked chicken, skip the searing step and add it to the soup at the end to heat through.
- Make It Creamy: Add cream cheese, heavy cream, or sour cream to the soup for a richer, creamier texture.
- Switch Up the Spices: Experiment with different herbs and spices to customize the flavor. Consider adding lemongrass, lemon zest, chili powder, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin, ginger, star anise, or cloves.
- Add Different Veggies: Feel free to add other low-carb vegetables, such as bell peppers, celery root, or spaghetti squash.
- Make It Spicy: Add a pinch of red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce to give the soup some heat.
- Adjust the Cooking Time: Depending on your preference, you may need to adjust the cooking time to ensure the vegetables and chicken are cooked to your liking.
- Go Easy on the Salt: Be mindful of the salt content, as chicken broth and bouillon can already be quite salty.
- Skip the Chicken: For a vegetarian option, simply omit the chicken and focus on the vegetables.
Storing and Reheating
- To Store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Place the soup in sealable containers and store them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheating: To reheat from frozen, place the soup in a deep pot and place over low heat. Let it thaw slowly, and once it begins to simmer, give it a mix and serve. To reheat from the refrigerator, either microwave for 1-2 minutes or cook on the stovetop.
Nutritional Information
This recipe yields 4 generous servings, with each serving containing approximately 7.6 grams of net carbs. Most of the carbs come from the carrots, which can be reduced or omitted for a lower-carb option. The nutrition facts come from entering the recipe ingredients into Spoonacular API, a database of food ingredients. They may vary for any recipe based on the exact product used. The keto sweeteners I use have 0g net carbs & are not included because sugar alcohols do not impact most people.
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Is Chicken Soup Keto?
Regular chicken soup often contains high-carb ingredients such as potatoes, noodles, or parsnips, making it unsuitable for a keto diet. This keto chicken soup is low in carbs because it omits those ingredients and uses low-carb alternatives like cauliflower rice and celery root.
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide
Read also: Magnesium Supplements for Keto