Butternut Squash Chicken Soup

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Warm up with a bowl of homemade butternut squash chicken soup. Enjoy the comforting flavors of turmeric, smoked paprika, and thyme. This soup is perfect for cozy nights and chilly weather.

😍 Why you'll love this butternut chicken soup:

It's a balanced and hearty soup. With squash, chicken, and barley, it's filling and a good mix of food groups.
It's not your typical chicken soup. Or typical squash soup, either. The mix of herbs and spices is unique and interesting.
It's customizable. You can use different grains and winter squashes, or play with the spices to change up the flavor profile.

For more tasty soup recipes, check out these:

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😍 Why you'll love this butternut chicken soup:
🐔 Ingredients
🫚 Substitutions & Variations
🔪 Instructions
✨ Top Tip
🍲 Storage
🙋🏽‍♂️ FAQ
🍟 Pairing
📖 Recipe
🎃 Related Recipes
💬 Comments

🐔 Ingredients

Here's everything you need to make butternut squash and chicken soup.

Key Ingredients

Butternut squash - One medium squash, about two pounds.
Chicken - Use chicken thighs, which will keep tender during cooking.
Broth - Your favorite chicken or vegetable broth. Bonus points if it's homemade. Opt for lower sodium, which allows you to salt the soup more to your liking.
Barley - Adds a little substance and chewy texture that holds up better than rice.
Onion, celery, garlic - A few classic aromatic vegetables for flavoring.
Smoked paprika and turmeric - These spices add depth, earthiness and smokiness.
Thyme and parsley - Fresh herbs add the most flavor

See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.

🫚 Substitutions & Variations

Make it vegetarian - Skip the chicken and add more squash and barley.
Try other winter squash - This soup would be great with nearly any other firm winter squash or pumpkin. Cut the squash into small cubes as described and adjust the cooking time until tender. The only one that is not ideal is spaghetti squash.
Change up the spices. You can flavor this soup with several different spices. Chili powder, cumin, oregano, ginger, cinnamon, and coriander are some possible options. Play with combinations to achieve a flavor profile you enjoy.
If you don't have fresh thyme, use two teaspoons of dried thyme instead.
Instead of barley, you could use white or brown rice, bulgur, or farro.
In a hurry? You can speed up the recipe by cutting up a precooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and adding a packet of cooked grains to the soup at the end of cooking.

🔪 Instructions

How to make this chicken soup with butternut squash.

Step 1: Prep the vegetables. Peel the squash, remove the seeds, and cut into ½ inch cubes. Peel and chop the onion, celery, parsley, and garlic. Remove thyme leaves from stems.

Step 2: Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, trimming off any fat as needed.

Step 3: Heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add the chicken and ½ teaspoon of salt and cook for 7-8 minutes until cooked. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.

Step 4: Add another tablespoon of oil to the pan along with the garlic, onion, celery, and squash. Cook for 5-6 minutes until softened.

spices being added to a pot of vegetables

Step 5: Add the bay leaves, smoked paprika, thyme, and turmeric to the vegetables and stir to combine.

Step 6: Add the broth and barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the barley and squash are tender.

Step 7: Stir the chicken back into the pot and cook for about five more minutes until hot.

butternut squash chicken soup being in a ladle over a pot

Step 8: Serve the soup topped with chopped parsley.

✨ Top Tip

When cooking the soup, after it initially comes to a boil, lower the heat so that it stays at a steady simmer rather than a heavy boil. That way, everything will cook more gently and evenly.

🍲 Storage

Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days. You will likely want to add water or broth when reheating, as it tends to thicken up. The soup may also be frozen for up to three months and defrosted in the fridge before reheating.

🙋🏽‍♂️ FAQ

Can you put butternut squash in chicken soup?

Butternut squash is a great addition to chicken soup. Peel and cube the squash, and add it to the soup pot with your other vegetables. After simmering, it will quickly become tender, adding creamy, earthy, and sweet notes to the soup.

Can you eat butternut squash skin in soup?

Butternut squash skin does not break down well in soup. Even though some winter squash have edible skin, butternut is not typically one of them and you should peel it before adding to soup.

Is it better to roast butternut squash for soup?

You can roast butternut squash to add extra flavor to your soup. However, it is not completely necessary. You can simply simmer the squash in the soup pot with the other ingredients until tender.

Can you make soup with butternut squash?

Butternut squash is an excellent vegetable for soup. You can make a creamy, pureed squash soup or add small squash cubes to other soups, such as chicken or vegetable.