Garlic Chicken Soup (Quick & Easy Recipe)

This is my go-to quick and easy Garlic Chicken Soup recipe made with shredded rotisserie chicken (or any leftover cooked chicken) and green vegetables. Topped with mellow garlic sauteed in butter and sesame oil, which adds rich flavour, this soup can be finished with noodles or served as a low-carb version.

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About This Garlic Chicken Soup

Whenever my family wants something healthy and comforting or one of us is under the weather, I make this nutritious and delicious garlic chicken soup. While I love to simmer or pressure cook my own chicken and stock from scratch, I use this cheat recipe when I want a quick meal with little effort.

My hack for making an easy chicken soup is using rotisserie chicken(shredded or diced) and premade stock or good-quality stock cubes, plus aromatics like ginger and garlic and lots of vegetables.

Let’s talk about garlic. I add fresh garlic to cook the soup and saute additional garlic in butter and sesame oil until golden to use as a topping. This nutty, buttery, mellowed garlic is the special ingredient that adds richness and amazing flavour.

You can make it low-carb, gluten-free, Whole30 & Paleo or you can bulk it up. The soup is made in a way that it can be served with or without noodles. There are lots of vegetables and shredded chicken, so it’s quite satiating already. But, if you love chicken soup with noodles, then you can cook up some thin egg noodles or rice noodles on the side.

Garlic Chicken Soup Ingredients

• Chicken – I like to use rotisserie chicken or leftover roast chicken meat. I often pick up a ready-to-eat roast chicken from the supermarket or a chicken shop as you can make many meals with it. I use about 1/2 of the chicken to make a soup for 4 people and shred the meat from one breast, thigh, leg and wing. I don’t like the texture of the skin unless it’s crispy so I remove that.
• Soup vegetables – the classic trio of onions, carrots and celery is a must in any soup and is especially great in a chicken soup. I also love using broccoli and Asian greens like Chinese broccoli or bok choy. You can use green beans, zucchini, cabbage, asparagus or whatever else you have on hand. Corn and peas can also be added.
• Aromatics – I always add ginger and lots of garlic to my chicken soup, both for flavour and their health properties. Extra garlic is used is sauteed in butter and sesame oil separately from the soup and is then used as a topping.
• Other bits – you will need good-quality chicken and vegetable stock cubes or ready stock or broth. I sometimes have some in the freezer and will add that. Salt, pepper and oil should be in your pantry already. I often add turmeric powder as well (not pictured below) to give the soup amazing colour and some of those anti-inflammatory properties.
• A little lemon juice and parsley are used right at the end once the soup is finished. I also love coriander/cilantro if I don’t have parsley.

Nutrition Notes

This healthy chicken soup is loaded with vegetables, especially greens, and is very nutritious. It has plenty of protein, some healthy fat and low-to-moderate carbohydrates. You can make it low-carb, gluten-free, Whole30 and Paleo-friendly.

You can serve this soup with or without the noodles, it’s thick and satiating enough with vegetables and chicken to not need anything extra. However, chicken and noodles are delicious together in a soup so you are welcome to use thing egg noodles or rice noodles to bulk it up a bit.

Featuring plenty of garlic and ginger, as well as all the nutrients from the veggies, this chicken soup is perfect for boosting your immune system during a cold or flu. It’s also great for when you’re feeling something healthy, nutritious and comforting.

Nutrition Macros

Option 1 (without noodles, 4 serves). Per serve: 440 calories, 20.9 g total carbs, 2.5 g fibre (28.4 g net carbs), 33.3 g protein, 25 g fat.

Option 2 (with thin egg noodles, serves 4). Per serve: 537 calories, 38.7 g total carbs, 3.4g fibre (35.4 g net carbs), 36.8 g protein, 26 g fat. If using 100 grams of uncooked thing egg noodles.

How To Make Garlic Chicken Soup

Prep. Shred the chicken meat and dice all the vegetables, 2 garlic cloves and cut a few ginger slices. Slice extra garlic for making the buttery topping. Boil a kettle of water to cook the noodles separately if using (according to the packet instructions).

Cooking The Soup

Step 1. Add a tablespoon or two of olive oil to a heavy pot and place over medium heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery and a little salt and saute for 5-6 minutes, stirring a few times.

Optional step if making noodles: In the meantime, cook the noodles in a separate pot (if using). Once the noodles are cooked, strain and rinse under cold water to stop them from cooking. I like to undercook the noodles by a minute as they will soften further in the hot chicken soup.

Step 2. Add ginger, chopped garlic, pepper and turmeric (these two always go hand in hand as pepper enhances turmeric’s curcumin absorption in the body). Stir through and cook for 1 minute.

Step 3. Add shredded rotisserie chicken and stock cubes, followed by six cups of water. Or you can use ready-made stock, or half and half. Stir through and bring to a simmer.

Step 4. Add sliced or chopped Asian greens and cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring a few times.

Step 5. Finally, add the broccoli florets and cook for 2 more minutes. Then turn the heat off and taste for salt. Finish by adding a tablespoon or two of lemon juice.

Fried Garlic Butter Oil

Step 6. To make buttery garlic oil, heat a medium pan over low-medium heat. Melt the butter and once hot, add the sliced garlic. Saute over low-medium heat for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until it starts to change colour. Add the sesame oil and continue to cook until the garlic is caramelised, crispy and golden brown.

Don’t overcook or burn the garlic as it will turn bitter; it’s better to undercook. Transfer the buttery oil and the garlic to a bowl as soon as it looks ready.

To finish the soup, add the pre-cooked noodles (if used) to the hot soup and pour some of the garlic butter over the top. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve the soup with extra garlic and parsley in bowls.

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Full Recipe & Ingredients

Find the full list of ingredients, instructions and extra cooking notes below. If you have questions or cook this recipe, please let me know in the comments and make sure to rate this recipe so it’s easy for others to find.

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