Chicken zoodle soup is so warm and comforting! We serve it all fall and winter and my kids gobble it up! It also reheats really well and makes a perfect lunch.
There are more times than I’d like to admit that my kids ask what’s for lunch and I point them in the direction of the pantry and tell them to grab a can of soup.
Some days are just busy, you know? And it’s not that I mind them eating convenience foods like canned soup every once in a while. But, there are times that I rely on them a little too much, you know?
I do my best now to meal prep for the week and to include things for lunch.
This chicken zoodle soup is one of those recipes that my kids really love and is also actually really healthy no matter your diet.
This low carb chicken soup is full of veggies and lean protein and who doesn’t love to slurp a noodle, excuse me, a zoodle?
What are zoodles?
Zoodles are just zucchini that’s shaped like a noodle. Long, thin strips of zucchini soften up nicely as they cook and, while they’re not quite as soft as a noodle made of flour, they’re really good!
To make zoodles, you’ll need a spiralizer. This one (affiliate link) has great reviews, can cut in a variety of shapes, and we often use it to make these cream cheese zoodles in place of traditional spaghetti.
My kids don’t always love zucchini, but it ALWAYS goes over well with them when it’s been zoodled. <– Is that a verb?
How to make low carb chicken soup:
Start by spiralizing your zucchini. Pop it on your spiralizer and go to town. This only takes about 2 minutes!
Once you have your zoodles, set them aside and get started on the soup.
Heat some olive oil in a soup pot or dutch oven and add in some diced onion, celery, red bell pepper, and garlic. Carrots are pretty high in carbs, so I’m using red bell pepper for that touch of sweetness and color. Perfect swap!
Once your veggies are softened, pour in some chicken broth and cooked shredded chicken. I use rotisserie chicken for this, but any leftover chicken should be fine.
Add in your herbs and your zoodles and bring this all to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer this soup for about 10 minutes or until the zoodles are softened to your liking.
Taste and add additional seasoning if desired.
More cold weather favorites:
Low Carb Taco Soup: You can make this one in your Instant Pot or slow cooker and it’s bursting with flavor!
Lasagna Stuffed Chicken: Not much is more comforting than the flavors of lasagna!
Low Carb Chicken Casserole: I love cozy casseroles for dinner on chilly nights!
Loaded Cauliflower Casserole: This side dish gets served all year, but especially during holiday season!
Chicken Zoodle Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ sweet onion diced
- 3 stalks celery diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 4 large zucchini
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat.
- Add the onion, celery, pepper, and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring often, until vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock and chicken to the pot along with the oregano, basil, salt, and pepper.
- Spiralize the zucchini to make zucchini noodles and add them to the pot.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the zucchini noodles are as soft as you’d like.
- Taste and add additional seasoning as desired.
- Serve hot.
TJ says
Huge hit for both me and the low carb husband! I don’t have a spiralizer, so I used 1 bag of Green Giant brand frozen zoodles. I just thawed and drained the zoodles before adding to the pot. This will definitely be made over and over! Thanks Karly!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, TJ!
Lynn Weber says
Delicious! It is especially amazing with homemade chicken broth!
Cheryl says
Just made this and it’s delicious. I added a splash of heavy cream and some shredded fiesta blend cheese at the end. I alsoused the Green Giant frozen zoodles.
Ric Simmons says
This was delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
Joy says
Absolutely love this recipe!! I’m always trying chicken soup recipes trying to find the one that is perfect for my tastes and healthy. This just might be “the one”.
Karly Campbell says
Yay! Glad you enjoyed!
KetoKitty says
Do the zoodles get mushy when you keep it as leftovers? And I don’t think it would freeze well. I think freezing thr zucchini would definitely turn it to mush. (Think frozen gross yellow squash, bell.peppers, onions, etc.) It would be better to prepare and freeze the rest of it, then reheat and proceed from there.
Leanne Long says
I think that I would only add zoodles to the amount I was going to serve at a meal. I used to do that back in the day when I made homemade egg noodles. I would not put the zoodles in the entire batch, freeze without the “mushy” veggies and add them when I was ready to serve the soup.
Susan says
This looks good and I’m looking forward to trying it! My one issue is that I’m really not a celery fan. Do you have any suggestions for alternative substitute vegetables that would add some good nutrition and compliment the flavours? (sorry, I’m still very much learning to cook and am not good at guessing and experimenting yet)
Karly Campbell says
I really think you could leave it out entirely or add just about any veggie you wanted in it’s place. Broccoli or cauliflower would work well, but I would add them with the zoodles instead of at the beginning. 🙂
Linda johnson says
Does this freeze well?
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tried freezing this one, but I think it would work fine. 🙂
Jutta says
Made this for dinner tonight. I used 3 zucchini, I should have used more.
I added sliced mushrooms and useed bone broth.
It was delish! I have enough left to add some more zucchini and maybe some more broth to take to work and treat my coworkers.
Great recipe!