No broth on hand to make soup? No worries! You can make this pumpkin chicken soup with chicken on the bone and the broth will be made while the soup is cooking away!
“Pumpkin is just for fall.”
Nah. Not buying it.
Pumpkin is a vegetable that can be eaten all year long, especially in soup.
I love this pumpkin chicken soup because it’s like chicken soup on steroids. So. much. flavor.
And don’t forget the added nutrients from the pumpkin. You get cancer-fighting, heart-healthy, and immunity-boosting benefits, just to name a few.
You can take this basic pumpkin chicken soup recipe and make it your own, really. Or you can make it as is and come to see just how much you’ve been missing this soup in your life.
How to Make Pumpkin Chicken Soup
When you decide to make this soup, you might be tempted to follow my recipe if you’re a rule-follower. But I challenge you to be a rule-breaker.
The recommended ingredients for this soup are:
- Bacon grease
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Chicken thighs
- Pumpkin puree
- Bay leaf
- Salt
- Black pepper
What I mean by being a rule-breaker is to get comfortable making substitutions. For example, instead of using bacon grease like I do, use a cooking fat that you like and have on hand.
I highly recommend the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, but I bet the soup would still taste great if you swapped out the carrots for bell pepper or the onions for leeks. Again, it goes back to what you have on hand.
The recipe is perfect if you don’t have any homemade broth on hand. That’s why the recipe calls for chicken thighs (bone-in) so that the broth is made while the soup is cooking. But if you have homemade broth and some diced chicken instead, you can use those in place of the chicken thighs and water.
You can even replace the pumpkin puree with butternut squash puree or even cubed squash that will cook as the soup cooks.
I’m telling you, this recipe is great as is, but you can always make it your own.
Start with what you have on-hand at home. If you really don’t have any substitutions to make this soup work, then you can put it on your meal plan and add the ingredients to your shopping list.
Picture Instructions for Making Pumpkin Chicken Soup
Get all the ingredients out. Remember that substitutions will be just fine (see previous section).
If you have frozen pumpkin puree, there’s no need to thaw it because you can throw it into the soup and it will melt within 10-15 minutes.
I used frozen chicken thighs with the skin-on, but you may want to use skinless just to make it easier to chop up the meat when it’s done cooking. You can even use cooked, diced chicken if that’s what you have.
This time I had frozen diced onions on hand so I used those, but you can start with a whole onion or half an onion from your fridge.
Getting all the ingredients prepped before you start the actual cooking part is very wise. This is called mise en place in French, and it helps cooking feel more manageable and way less stressful.
I like to mince a lot of garlic at once and keep it in the freezer, but sometimes I just don’t have any so I have to mince some before I cook.
Get the cooking fat going in the pot over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sautee for 3 minutes then add the garlic. Cook for another minute.
Now is when you will add the chicken thighs.
Pour water over everything.
Add in the pumpkin puree, bay leaf, and salt and pepper.
Cover the pot. Let the chicken thighs cook for 20-25 minutes.
When the thighs are finished cooking, remove them from the pot.
Let the chicken cool down for several minutes, then dice the chicken to the size of your choice.
Put the chicken back into the pot and continue simmering the soup or serve it up. Yogurt, cream, or parmesan cheese can be put into individual soup bowls if you’d like.
In order to freeze, first let the soup cool down completely. You can put the soup into a silicone muffin tray or freeze it in a glass mason jar (be sure to follow the tips here).
If you have leftovers, reheating is simple. Just put it in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until warmed through. You can add more broth or water if you think the soup needs it.
Frequently Asked Questions About Making Pumpkin Chicken Soup
Can I use broth instead of water?
You sure can! If you have homemade broth, definitely use it. However, I found that using raw chicken with broth was a bit too salty. Start with ½ tsp of salt and taste to see if it needs more.
You can also use broth and already cooked chicken. Do the same thing with the salt just to be on the safe side.
I don’t like chicken on the bone, can I use chicken breast instead?
Yes, it will work. It’s going to lead to a less flavorful broth, but it will still be tasty.
Is this soup tastier than my mama’s chicken noodle soup?
Now that is something I wouldn’t want to weigh in on! You should make this soup and your mama’s recipe and see what you think.
You can also easily add noodles, too.
How much time does it take to make pumpkin chicken soup?
Hands-on time will be about 15-30 minutes, just depending on how fast you are at food prep. Total cooking time will be around the 1 hour mark.
Do you think my child would eat this soup?
I have 3 kids and only one of them actually enjoys soup. All 3 of my kids liked this soup, but the pickiest one didn’t want much. If you have a picky child, give them a small portion so you don’t overwhelm them too much. Allow them to eat the soup with something they love, whether that’s a fruit, some crackers, or avocado.
How long will it last in the fridge? And the freezer?
Soup is usually good for about 4-5 days in the fridge. If you know you aren’t going to eat it in that amount of time, go ahead and freeze it. You can keep it in the freezer for 3-6 months.
What could I serve with this soup?
You can serve this soup with bread, a salad, or some veggies with hummus.
Pumpkin Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp cooking fat (i.e. butter, tallow, avocado oil, etc.)
- 1 cup onion diced; from 1 small onion
- 1 cup carrots diced; from 2-3 medium carrots
- 1 cup celery diced; from 2-3 celery stalks
- 4-6 cloves garlic minced
- 4 chicken thighs or 6 chicken drumsticks
- 4 cups water plus more as needed
- 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree or 1 15-oz can
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 1/4 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper or to taste
- yogurt, cream, or parmesan cheese optional as toppings
Instructions
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Prepare all the ingredients before starting.
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Get the cooking fat going in the pot over medium heat.
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When it’s hot, add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sautee for 3 minutes then add the garlic. Cook for another minute.
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Add the chicken thighs, then pour water over everything. Add in the pumpkin puree, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Stir and cover the pot. Let the chicken thighs cook for 20-25 minutes.
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When the thighs are finished cooking, remove them from the pot. Let the chicken cool down for several minutes and dice.
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Put the chicken back into the pot and continue simmering the soup or serve it up. Serve with yogurt, cream, or parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
- Let the soup cool down completely before freezing. You can put the soup into a silicone muffin tray or freeze it in a glass mason jar (be sure to follow the tips here).
- Reheating leftovers is simple. Just put the soup in a saucepan and heat over medium heat until warmed through. You can add more broth or water if you think the soup needs it.
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