The rich taste and aroma of this easy Coconut Chicken Soup will warm your belly and soul! Loaded with vegetables and lean chicken breast, this dish will keep you full and satisfied for hours.
Every now and again, we all crave warm, comforting soups that fill our bellies and warm our souls.
This coconut chicken soup recipe does just that! It combines classic chicken and fresh vegetables with a bit of an exotic flavor – coconut. The result is a wonderful mix of familiar comfort food combined with a new exciting flavor that I think you will fall in love with (I did!)
Even better, this super easy dish comes together in one pot. All you have to do to prep is a bit of chopping.
As the soup cooks and simmers on the stovetop, your kitchen will fill with a delicious, warm aroma. You’ll be counting down the minutes until you can dive headfirst into a big bowl!
How to make coconut chicken soup
This soup cooks very quickly. Just make sure all your ingredients are prepared and ready to go before you start cooking, and then it’s just a matter of adding them all into the pot:
Step 1: Season the sliced chicken breast generously with salt and pepper.
Step 2: In a large (5-6 quart) soup pot, heat the coconut oil over high heat and add the chicken breast. Stir-fry over high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside.
Step 3: Add the sliced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 4: Add the diced zucchini and cubed pumpkin, then stir.
Step 5: Add the sliced bell pepper, sliced chili or jalapeño pepper, coconut milk, chicken broth, and lime juice. Give everything another good stir.
Step 6: Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fully cooked.
Step 7: Remove from heat and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with cilantro leaves to serve.
It’s healthy as well as tasty!
With green zucchini, red bell peppers, and beautiful orange pumpkin, this soup makes it easy to meet your daily vegetable needs!
The wonderful fresh colors of these vegetables are due to all their different vitamins and nutrients. Zucchini is rich in Potassium, Vitamin C, and Vitamin B-6 while red bell peppers and pumpkin are both loaded with Vitamin A.
A good way to make sure you are getting a variety of nutrients from your foods is by “eating the rainbow,” or trying to make sure that you eat as many different colors of fruits and vegetables as possible each day. Luckily, that is easy to do with delicious and colorful soups like this one!
This soup also contains lean chicken breast, which will help fill you up because of the protein in the chicken. In fact, one serving of coconut chicken soup has 17.1 g protein, 11.6 g carbs, and 12.7 g fat. It’s a great nutrient profile to help you feel full and satisfied while also keeping you full for longer.
Is coconut milk good for you?
As if the vegetables weren’t enough, this soup also contains a health boost from the can of coconut milk!
Coconut milk is a good source of vitamins and minerals like manganese, iron, and magnesium. It’s also high in lauric acids, which are known for boosting your immune system.
Regular coconut milk is calorie dense and high in fat, but since we’re using lite coconut milk for this recipe, you can enjoy the health benefits AND luxurious taste without guilt!
Storage
This soup reheats really well. In fact, it tastes even better the next day after all the flavors continue to meld together overnight. So don’t be afraid of making a big batch of this soup – you’ll want leftovers the next day!
You can store this soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days… if it lasts that long!
More healthy soup recipes
I am a huge fan of healthy and easy soups! They’re such a great way to warm up and nourish the body. If you’re looking for a few more yummy soup recipes, here are a few I know you’ll love:
For even more inspiration, check out this roundup of delicious low-carb soup recipes!
When you’ve tried this soup, please don’t forget to let me know how you liked it and rate the recipe in the comments below!
Coconut Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lbs. chicken breast, thinly sliced
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 medium zucchini, cut into quarters lengthwise and diced
- 0.75 lbs. pumpkin, cubed into ½ inch pieces (1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 1 small chili or jalapeño pepper, seeds removed and thinly sliced
- 14 oz. lite coconut milk (1 can)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- Juice of 1 lime
- Handful cilantro leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Season the sliced chicken breast generously with salt and pepper.
- In a large (5-6 quart) soup pot, heat the coconut oil over high heat and add the chicken breast. Stir-fry over high heat for 4-5 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside.
- Add the sliced onion, minced garlic, and minced ginger. Continue to stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add the diced zucchini and cubed pumpkin, then stir.
- Add the sliced bell pepper, sliced chili or jalapeño pepper, coconut milk, chicken broth, and lime juice. Give everything another good stir.
- Bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover, and allow to simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the pumpkin is fully cooked.
- Remove from heat and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. Garnish with cilantro leaves to serve.
Made this for dinner tonight. Simple, quick and very tasty!
I made this soup recently and my husband went bonkers! over it! Earlier this month he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I’ve been trying to make healthier options for him. He has already requested it for next week’s groceries. I did change a couple of things. I couldn’t find pumpkin so I used sweet potato. Used low sodium chicken broth, 2 cans. and a small can of mild green chilies, drained and rinsed with water. Another favorite of his is banana bread. trying to find a recipe for that. thanks for this recipe. love your site. very helpful!
Most delicious soup I’ve ever made. Not a soup person but this has converted me😋
Is there a way to cut the sodium content? 50% seems pretty high. I have high blood pressure and I’d really like to try this recipe.
Thanks, Cathy
Cathy – thank you so much for catching that and letting us know. We try to keep our recipes relatively low in sodium and the 50% was an error. The recipe has been updated with the correct sodium content which is 45.1 mg/2%
tasted amazing might try carrot instead of pumpkin or with next time.
I used butternut squash instead of pumpkin since it’s easier to come by. It’s absolutely delicious. Will be making this again!
WONDERFUL ❤️❤️❤️