Chicken and pumpkin? Sounds weird, right? Well just wait until you taste it…
I made this simple pumpkin soup ages ago and decided to make a newer, better, more powerful version today. I took it in a southwest direction by adding some smokey chipotle peppers in adobo, earthy cumin, and fresh cilantro. Black beans, corn, and a shredded chicken help make the soup more hearty and almost stew-like. So nom-nom-nom and perfect for stashing in the freezer!
Get some tortilla chips or hearty bread to dip in to this soup because you’re gonna want to soak up every last drop!
P.S. If you don’t like cilantro, slice up some green onions to throw in there. They’ll offer a nice freshness and a pop of green color to replace the cilantro.
P.S.S. Now that I’m thinking more about it, a little shredded cheddar or a dollop of sour cream would be amazing on this soup.
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Chicken and Pumpkin Soup
Servings 6 1.5 cups eachIngredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 5 cups chicken broth* ($0.35)
- 1 chicken breast (about ¾ lb)* ($1.50)
- 1 15oz. can pumpkin pureé ($1.49)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.89)
- 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.24)
- 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce ($0.66)
- 1 Tbsp ground cumin ($0.15)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.03)
- 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.60)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Add both to a large soup pot along with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are translucent (3-5 min.)
- Add the chicken breast (whole) and chicken broth. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and allow it to come to a full boil. As soon as it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and allow the pot to simmer for 30 minutes. Make sure the pot does not stop simmering after turning down the heat. If it does, increase the heat slightly until it is gently simmering.
- After 30 minutes, remove the chicken breast from the broth and use two forks to shred the meat. Return the shredded meat to the pot. Add the pumpkin purée and stir until the it has mixed into the broth.
- Take one or two chipotle peppers from the can (one pepper for a milder soup, two for a spicier soup) and mince them. Add the minced peppers and about a teaspoon of the adobo sauce from the can to the soup. Rinse the black beans and add them to the soup, along with the frozen corn kernels and cumin. Allow the soup to come up to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes more to allow the flavors to blend.
- Taste the soup and add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt if desired. Roughly chop the cilantro and stir it into the soup just before serving.
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Notes
Nutrition
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Step by Step Photos
Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Cook both in a large soup pot with the olive oil over medium heat until translucent.
Add the chicken breast and chicken broth to the soup pot. If the broth doesn’t cover most of the chicken, go ahead and cut the chicken into two pieces so that it is mostly submerged. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to high, and bring it to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it continue to simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the chicken breast and use two forks to quickly shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the pot.
Add the pumpkin purée to the soup and stir until it is mixed into the broth.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce are sold in little cans like this. The peppers are spicy and the sauce is nice and smokey.
Take one or two of the peppers out of the can and mince them. Add the minced peppers and a spoonful of the sauce from the can to the soup. You can freeze the rest of the can of peppers for later use (I actually used peppers that I had in my freezer today. These pictures are from before.). Also add the cumin to the soup at this point.
Give the black beans a quick rinse and add them to the soup along with the frozen corn kernels. Allow the soup to come up to a simmer and then cook for about 10 minutes more to allow the flavors to blend.
Lastly, roughly chop the cilantro and stir it into the soup. Give it a taste and add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt if desired.
It’s AMAZING. I promise.
Colorful, flavorful, and very healthy!
this is a great recipe to scale up for a group. I am using it for the holiday potluck at work this year. I add ground coriander for depth of flavor (this is the dry seed version of cilantro btw) then serve it over rice with fresh chopped green onions, fresh chopped cilantro and either shredded mexican blend cheese or a swirl of cilantro lime crema (to preference) – we have some super tasters who don’t like cilantro, and heat will very quickly degrade the freshness in cilantro leaves anyway so I serve these toppings on the side like a buffet. Good quality plain tortilla chips go well with this in lieu of bread.
I’ve been making this soup for nigh on to a decade now, and it has never ever disappointed. It was my ‘gateway drug’ to budgetbytes, which I consult on the regular. Like others, I tend to use chicken thighs instead of breast meat. I also don’t drain the beans, and I add cumin to the onions and garlic before building the rest of the soup. Occasionally we get super decadent and stir a dollop of sour cream into our bowls, but tonight’s was just right with a squeeze of lime. We broke in our favorite locally-made tortilla chips and enjoyed a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate once again. Really truly AMAZING stuff. Thank you, Beth.
Made this soup with my Halloween pumpkins. Delicious. Definitely a keeper!
Wow! Awesome!
This is one of my favorite meals to make for the freezer to eat in the winter. I like to add quinoa for extra protein, fiber, and bulk. It really feeds into the creamy texture too!
I can’t believe how good this is!!! It’s so simple but it tastes so flavorful! I made this in a dutch oven, and I used 2 chicken breasts instead of 1. I also used twice as many chipotle peppers and about 1 tablespoon of the adobo sauce (I love the spice). I never leave reviews, but I’m so pleasantly surprised by this dish. Thank you!
This was tasty. I used three small chicken thighs instead of a breast and used up the last of my tin of chipotles in adobo, which probably gave me almost three teaspoons of adobo+one pepper – that gave the soup plenty of heat. I also used up the last of a bag of frozen corn which probably was closer to 3/4 cup, but I felt like that balanced the heat nicely. It would be interesting to try adding some roasted cubed sweet potato at the end, or maybe some red bell pepper.
Definitely don’t skip the cilantro!
Just wanted to say that I used triple, maybe even quadruple, the pumpkin called for (my neighbor kindly gave me some of her fresh puree) and it still turned out great. Hard to ruin a Budget Bytes recipe.
Just made this tonight, and it was phenomenal! I only had a fresh pumpkin, so roasted it up and used the 15oz, and just added a little extra beans and peppers. I made it according to the directions, but cooked it in the crockpot, since I don’t have the patience to keep an eye on the stove. (Only separate pan used was to saute the onions/garlic before adding). Served with a small amount of shredded cheddar on top as mentioned by other reviewers, which went perfectly, and I imagine a little dollop of sour cream or diced up avocado would go decently if desired. Will definitely be making this again, and have already passed on the recipe to 3 friends and a family member.
This soup is SO delicious! I didn’t have the peppers so substituted a couple Tablespoons of tomato paste and 2 tsp of paprika. The whole family loved it. Thanks for another easy recipe that tastes amazing!
I made exactly as is but with dry cilantro (quarantine). It was still delicious. Mine turned out VERY spicy with the two chipotle peppers though, be warned!
This was really nice! Very flavorful, maybe even bordering on cumin heavy (for my taste, but I’m the type of person who doesn’t even like chili… my boyfriend thought it was perfectly balanced). I followed the recipe exactly and added 2 chipotle peppers. It wasn’t uncomfortably spicy, it just had a slight kick to it. I thought the pumpkin would be overpowering, but I could barely taste it (this is a good thing because I don’t love pumpkin), it just added a nice texture and color. My boyfriend loved it! I would make it again. Great healthy recipe. I’ve had a lot of success with this website. Good job!
Glad it worked for you both!
Thanks for this comment. I wanted this soup but had no black beans on hand. Per this suggestion i threw in garbanzo beans instead and it was great. We loved it.
Loved this! I made mine in my slow cooker and it worked out perfectly. Skipped the oil, dumped everything in the night before and let it sit in the fridge. Cooked on low all day, perfect! I used frozen onion instead of fresh, pinto beans instead of chicken, vegetable broth, and skipped the cilantro. I doubled the recipe and had plenty of room in my 7 qt crock. I cut the brothamlunt because it was slow cooker not stovetop. I loved the consistency with the pumpkin. Topped with Greek yogurt and cheese-yum!!!
I just made this and love it. I made mine vegetarian using gardein chicken strips. And added brown rice. So far Budget Bytes has never let me down even when I do my own modification.
I’ve been making this soup since it was published many years ago. It’s delicious and it just feels like fall. Last night I got a wild streak in me and added 1/4 cup of quinoa at the 10 minute mark. It was a game changer! I’m the kind of person who likes her soup just the perfect amount of goopy–not too thick, but not too thin–and it came out just the right texture. I think I’m going to make it this way every time.