Chicken Vegetable Soup with Buttersquash

This recipe makes a warming chicken vegetable soup that is full of nutritious vegetables and perfect for the winter days ahead. There is never a better time to enjoy soup then in the winter and though it is not quite here yet, it’s always good to have some recipes ready for when it hits.

This chicken soup is a recipe that I have been making for many years and I love it so much that I even make it in the summer but the colder months is when I feel the real benefits.

The soup is made using chicken thighs for maximum flavour and I use thighs on the bone as it provides the soup with plenty of flavour. I once tried the recipe with chicken breast and though it reduced the cooking time, it was not as flavoursome.

The vegetables included are onions, carrots and butternut squash with the addition of potatoes for the starch component. The ingredients included in the soup are all low-calorie foods so this soup is perfect for those trying to reduce calories in their diet. A serving of this soup contains only 259 calories.

The soup will provide you with a range of nutrients including vitamin A, biotin, vitamin K, potassium and vitamin B6 which come from the carrots. The butternut squash will provide you with vitamin A, vitamin C and vitamin E. It also contains folate, B6, potassium, manganese and magnesium. All these nutrients including the nutrients from the potatoes are important for health which is important to keep your immune system healthy during the winter months when colds and flus are more prevalent.  

This soup is great for meal prepping or if you just want to make ahead of time. I usually enjoy this soup for lunch and occasionally for dinner.

Ingredients for Chicken Vegetable Soup

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil - you can use any oil of choice.
• 1 small yellow onion – finely chop the onions.
• 2 large skinless chicken thighs - use chicken on the bone for the best flavour.
• 1 chicken stock cube - dissolve in 500ml boiling water. Use gluten free stock cubes if you follow a gluten free diet.
• 500ml water - an additional 500ml to total 1000ml of water.
• 1 teaspoon thyme - fresh or dried.
• 1 teaspoon sage - fresh or dried.
• ½ teaspoon salt - this is optional.
• ½ teaspoon black pepper – adds a slightly spicy flavour to the soup.
• 1 teaspoon garlic granules- or garlic powder.
• 1 teaspoon onion granules- or onion powder.
• ½ teaspoon paprika – additional seasoning to give the soup additional flavour.
• 1 tablespoon reduced salt soy sauce - this is optional.
• 2 large carrots - peeled and chopped.
• ½ small butternut squash – also known as winter squash. Remove skin and cut into cubes.
• 400g raw potatoes - skin removed and cut if necessary.

How to Make Chicken Vegetable Soup

1. Add the olive oil to a large medium to heavy duty saucepan and place on a medium heat. Once the oil has heated, add the chopped onion and cook for 2 minutes or until soft. Add the chicken thighs to the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side.

2. Dissolve a chicken stock cube in 500ml boiling water and pour over the chicken in the saucepan. Pour on another 500ml boiling water and stir.  Add the thyme, sage, salt if using, black pepper, garlic granules, onion granules, paprika and soy sauce then stir. Cover the saucepan with the lid and allow the chicken to cook for 1 hour.

3. After 1 hour, add in the chopped carrots and cover again. After 15 minutes, add the butternut squash and potatoes and cover the saucepan again. If at this point the water has dried up too much then pour on some boiling water from the kettle. Allow to cook for 20 - 25 minutes or until the butternut squash and the potatoes are soft. Carefully remove the chicken bones from the saucepan as they should have detached from the chicken by now. Turn off the heat and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Recipe Tips

• Try and purchase reduced salt chicken stock and soy sauce as they can be quite salty. You can also leave the salt out of the recipe.
• You can also use chicken drumsticks for this recipe.
• Feel free to add any of your favourite vegetable to this soup. The more veg the better.
• If you follow a gluten free diet then use gluten free stock cubes as standard cubes contain gluten.

Nutrition

Nutrition based on 1 serving: Calories: 259kcal | Fat: 7.1g | Saturates: 1.6g | Carbs: 38.0g | Sugar: 12.9g | Fibre: 7.4g | Protein: 12.5g | Salt 0.91g.

Storage

Once prepared, this soup can last in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

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