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This one-pot keto chicken soup recipe is made with juicy chicken, tender veggies, and a warming broth. It’s the ultimate low-carb comfort food, with only 3 grams of net carbs!
Craving more keto soup recipes? Try my keto taco soup, keto French onion soup, and keto broccoli cheese soup.
Getting a cold may have its downsides, but for me, all I can think about is my mom’s famous chicken soup.
Now, I’ve taken her family recipe and made a few tweaks to drop the carb count without sacrificing any flavor. The result is a hearty, warming soup that everyone can love.
Table of Contents
Why I love this recipe
- Made in one pot. So you’re not stuck in the kitchen doing dishes!
- Easy to modify. Use whatever soup veggies you have, add keto noodles, or make this recipe more convenient by buying pre-made cauliflower rice.
- Takes under 45 minutes to cook. Yet it’ll taste like it’s been simmering for hours.
- Multiple cooking methods. I prefer making chicken soup on the stovetop, but I also tested using the Instant Pot and slow cooker.
- Healthy and wholesome. Nothing (literally, nothing) tastes quite as comforting as a massive bowl of warm chicken soup.
★★★★★ REVIEW
“Absolutely unexpectedly delicious. I didn’t use cauliflower rice; I just chopped a whole head. We enjoyed the bigger chunks. Thank you for the recipe.” – Debbie
Ingredients needed
- Olive oil. To sauté the veggies.
- Soup vegetables. I used onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, also known as a mireproux.
- Salt and pepper. To taste.
- Chicken broth. Homemade or store-bought. If using store-bought broth, make sure there’s no added sugar.
- Bay leaves. For aroma and flavor.
- Chicken. I used bone-in chicken thighs because they’re naturally juicier and harder to overcook, but you can use chicken breasts or even a whole chicken.
- Cauliflower rice. Optional, but adding cauliflower rice adds extra bulk and nutrients.
- Lemon juice and parsley. For garnish.
How to make keto chicken soup
I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step 1- Sauté the veggies. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes or until tender.
Step 2- Build the broth. Add the salt, pepper, chicken broth, and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add the chicken and cauliflower rice. Cook on low for 30-35 minutes until the chicken is tender.
Step 3- Serve. Remove from the heat and serve with parsley lemon juice. If using a whole chicken, use two forks to pull it apart, then add the shredded chicken back to the pot before serving.
Alternative cooking methods
While I definitely prefer the stovetop method, you can certainly make chicken soup using alternative methods. Here’s how:
Instant Pot method. To the pot, add the oil and turn on the Sauté setting. Add veggies and cook for several minutes. Add the remaining ingredients. Cook on Manual/Pressure Cook mode for 8 minutes, then natural pressure release for 5 minutes.
Slow cooker method. Sauté the veggies in a separate skillet, then transfer them to the slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and cover. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours. Stir the soup before serving.
Arman’s recipe tips
- Go easy on the salt. You can always add more later, but it’s hard to fix if you go overboard.
- Skim off the top. While the soup is simmering, I like to remove the film that collects on top periodically.
- Adjust the cooking time. Especially if you’re cooking a whole chicken, you’ll want to let the soup simmer for at least an hour.
- Use store-bought rotisserie chicken. It’s a huge time-saver if you don’t have chicken on hand and don’t have time to cook it fresh.
- Make it more nutritious. Use bone broth for added collagen and extra vitamins and minerals.
Variations
- Make it creamy. To make an even richer soup, add 4 ounces of softened cream cheese right before serving.
- Switch up the spices. You don’t have to add an excess of spices to make this soup flavorful, but if you WANT to, I’d suggest using a teaspoon each of onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika.
- Add noodles. Because what is chicken soup without noodles? Make my keto pasta or use store-bought low-carb spaghetti noodles.
- Use different veggies. Honestly, you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, like zucchini, butternut squash, kale, or broccoli.
- Make it spicy. If you can handle the heat (or need to clear out your sinuses), add a few dashes of hot sauce or sauté ginger with your veggies to make an Asian-inspired chicken soup.
- Cheese it up. A little shredded cheddar cheese on top never hurt anyone!
Storage instructions
To store: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 2 weeks.
To freeze: Place soup in sealable containers and store them in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Reheating: To reheat from frozen, place the soup in a deep pot and place over low heat. Let it thaw slowly, and once it begins to simmer, give it a mix and serve. To reheat from the refrigerator, either microwave for 1-2 minutes or cook on the stovetop.
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe yields 8 servings and each serving provides 2 grams net carbs. These carbs come predominantly from the carrots, so if you want a carb-free soup, omit the carrots and replace them with extra celery.
Adding raw chicken to soup is a fantastic way to give the soup an even better flavor, provided you allow it to simmer for at least 20 minutes. The longer you cook the soup, the more flavorful it becomes, and the chicken falls off the bone.
Organic or preservative-free chicken broths are suitable for a keto diet. Avoid using pre-formulated broths, as they can contain added sugars.
More keto comfort foods you’ll love
Keto Chicken Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 large carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped, approximately 2 cups
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 6-8 cups chicken broth * See notes
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 pounds chicken thighs or one whole chicken ** See notes
- 2 cups cauliflower rice
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender, around 5 minutes.
- Add the salt and pepper, then the chicken broth and bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add the chicken and cauliflower rice. Cook on low for 30-35 minutes, until the chicken is tender.
- Remove from the heat and serve with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice. If using a whole chicken, use two forks to pull apart prior to serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published October 2021, updated and republished June 2024
Delish! Thank You.
Can I do Slow Cooker ??
Absolutely unexpectedly delicious. I didn’t use cauliflower rice, just chopped a whole head. We enjoyed the bigger chunks. Thank you for the recipe.
I put a little less cauliflower &
Added extra veggies. Also a
Lot of dehydrated onions ,&
Extra garlic..Very Tasty indeed 😋😋
Cool day in Michigan today. Made this soup without noodles. I keep homemade broth in my freezer so pulled out my broth. Already smells great and broth so good. Thank you for the recipe
I love your recipes!!! 😘😍🥰
I have made this several times now. I use rotisserie chicken leftovers, which I just toss in near the end. I have made with or without frozen cauliflower rice, with or without kale or spinach added, just whatever I have on hand. It is absolutely delicious every time! I garnish with avocado slides and sometimes crushed cheddar crisps. It’s a big hit with my whole family. Fantastic and easy!
I omit carrots for they are not low carb!!!
Loved it! I made it exactly as the recipe is written–with a whole chicken. I will make it again!
The BEST keto soup recipe ever!
This was really good! I added 1/2 TBS of dried fenugreek leaves to elevate the flavor a bit and also added chopped kale and a parmesan rind during the last 15 minutes of simmering. Served with extra parmesan, a swirl of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Will definitely make it again and might try half fennel/half celery–a very adaptable recipe! Thanks!
Like the title says: The Best! I bought the boneless thighs but it was so delicious!!! I’ll be making more times. Love good chicken soup. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
I really like this recipe. My husband felt terrible, so I made it. I did add some fresh spinach I had on hand, just to get rid of it and yes, a squeeze of lemon in the end. I had a lot of skinless, boneless thighs in the freezer, so I thawed, salt and peppered them and did brown them, cut them into bite size pieces and then put in. Just gives the chicken and soup more flavor. Love all the veggies in this. 🙂
I use the bone-in thighs, but I remove the skin. Glad to know I can leave it on next time like you mentioned to another commenter. I made this for my sick husband, and we loved it!! We had all the leftovers, then he asked me to make it again! Thank you! Great chicken soup for low-carb eating!
I’m soooooo sick. My whole family is. We are making this tonight. Hope it is as soothing as it looks!! I’m excited
Can I use frozen cauliflower rice?
I don’t see why not.
I’m using chicken legs. Do you take the skin off or leave it on?
You can keep the skin on 🙂
It mentions a whole chicken. Can I put a whole uncooked chicken in or it has to be pre-cooked?
Yes you can 🙂
Sounds great, can’t wait to try it. If you use bone in chicken do you take the skin off or leave it on? Thanks!
Love leaving the skin on 🙂
This is my go to recipe and included once a week in my menu
Stay-at-home-Dad
This recipe was fabulous! We did use boneless chicken thighs and it was still 100% amazing. I don’t normally like chicken soup but my husband and I were both sick and were craving it. Definitely adding this to our normal rotation!
We’re sick and so I wanted homemade chicken soup. I just made this and it is perfect! I made cauli-rice and serving the soup on top for anyone who wants it.
Hope you all feel better, Nancy 🙂
If I used meat from a rotisserie chicken, would it still be keto?
Yes, be sure to check the ingredients to make sure there isn’t added sugar or flour in the skin
If you are using thighs does the meat have to be pulled off of the bone prior to cooking or do you just put the thighs in as is?? Thanks.
Hi Rebecca! Cook them with the bone in and by the end of the cooking process, the meat will fall off the bone 🙂 (cooking the soup with the bones in it adds an extra layer of flavor).
I notice a lemon in the picture. Do you add lemon in the simmering stage?
Hi Jay- Nope, you can sqeeze some lemon juice in after it 🙂