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.
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!
I made this this past week and it was amazing. I threw the chicken in with the broth in my slow cooker while I was at work (the chicken was frozen) and then put it all together when I got home in about 15 minutes. 10/10 will make again :)
Thanks, this turned out great! The only amendment I made was to add a can of Ro-tel tomatoes. If I’d had any fresh spinach around, I would have added some of that too, right at the end.
Tks again!
twas good, thanks.
Oh dear, I believe you! I usually don’t like pumpkin, but the only time I liked it, was in a similar soup. Thaks for a very lovely reciepe that goes straight into our mealplan!!
Hi Beth, this recipe looks great! I love cooking with pumpkin puree, it really adds a thicker, creamy texture to soups and stews without adding tons of fat and calories!
In fact, one of my all-time favorite go-to recipes is a Turkey Pumpkin Chili from the Whole Foods website: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipe/turkey-pumpkin-chili?sf5911669=1 …I definitely recommend it if you have more pumpkin puree in your pantry (alliteration much?) :D
Awesome, that looks delicious! I’ll have to try it out!
This combination sounds perfect to me! Squash and black beans already work together–so why not add some chicken and make it heartier? The southwestern flavors sound just right.
Okay I’m not sure about chicken and pumpkin but I will give this one a try – I love the ingredients and I can never get enough pumpkin!
Just what I needed to see! I’ve been making so much pasta lately, this will be a great way to lighten dinner up. Looks absolutely delicious!
Any ideas on how to do this in a crockpot? Cuz that would be baller. :)
Yes, I think it would work if you just throw everything except the cilantro into the crock pot, cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8, then shred the chicken and stir in the cilantro.
Super excited to try this! Earlier this year I scored cans of Libby’s pumpkin for $0.25 each, so needless to say, I have a lot of pumpkin that needs to be used! :)
Oooh, I’m jealous!
Oooooo this looks just delicious. I can’t wait to make this in the fall with fresh butternut sqaush once it comes in season. Thanks for another great recipe—I’m loving the new site design, by the way!
Mmm it’s like fall (with some Mexican flare) in a bowl. Looks delicious!
What an interesting combination! I’m not much of a pumpkin fan, but I looooove southwest flavours, so I think I’ll give this a try!
Same here!!
One thing I love about your recipes is that they are so easy to convert into vegetarian options. I’m in the process of moving, but I can’t wait to get settled, because this is the first thing I am going to make (sans chicken).
Yep, just skip the chicken and use a vegetable broth and it’s suddenly vegan! :D
How would this work in the crockpot?
I think you should be able to just put everything minus the cilantro into the crock pot, cook it on high for 4 hours or low for 8, then shred the chicken and stir in the cilantro. I think that would work!
I have this soup in the crock pot right now ( I have a cold so im all about throwing it in the crock pot and leaving it there so i can nap ;) ) I used vegetable broth instead of chicken. Will let you know how it turns out!
Ok. It was amazing! My 2 year old ate it!
Glad to hear it worked out in crock pot! I have a busy day but it’s rainy and getting chilly here! I want something fall inspired and easy! I am roasting pumpkins right now to add fresh pumpkin and I’m going to do green onion and cilantro! Can’t wait! I’ll keep ya posted!