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Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

October 31, 2020 Modified January 2, 2023 By Nicole Charles 17 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links.

This Slow Cooker Chicken and Pumpkin Soup is a hearty, rich, creamy and delicious dish. Made using fresh pumpkin, ground chicken, fresh basil and cilantro, it’s AIP, paleo, flavor packed and sure to please!


overhead shot of two cream coloured bowls with light brown rims filled with pumpkin soup with ground chicken and fresh basil and cilantro. One of the bowls is placed squarely in the center of the shot and the other is partially visible, placed diagonal to the bowl in the center in the top right of the frame. The bowl in the center of the shot has a black spoon placed inside the bowl of soup that is angled slightly to the left. There is a light brown cloth napkin to the left of the bowl in the center of the frame

Fresh pumpkin is the star of the show in this creamy and delicious Crockpot Chicken and Pumpkin Soup. If you don’t have a slow cooker, no worries. Read the full post and recipe notes for tips on how to make this soup on the stovetop for the same results. This soup is inspired by Thai flavors of lemongrass, sweet basil, ginger and coconut milk for a soup that is fragrant, warming and filling.

Here are the main ingredients in this Pumpkin Soup:

Fresh basil and cilantro – while I often note that you can interchange fresh with dry spices in my recipes, in this recipe, fresh herbs are really key to the flavor.

Ginger, Shallots and Garlic – these are the aromatics that give the soup a wonderful base of flavor. You can substitute shallots with yellow onion if that’s all you have on hand.

Lemongrass – you can use fresh or dried. This is placed in the soup once all other ingredients are in and simmered to extract its flavor as the soup cooks.

Full fat coconut milk – you want to ensure your coconut milk is full fat and additive free.

Chicken stock or bone broth – make your own or purchase, just ensure the ingredients are AIP compliant. I use unsalted bone broth in my soups so this is just something to be mindful of when adding the salt called for in this recipe.

Pumpkin – you can use sugar pumpkin, pie pumpkin, butternut squash or even sweet potato. I don’t recommend your Halloween carving pumpkins here (those aren’t the best tasting).

Ground chicken – you can easily substitute ground turkey.

overhead shot of instant pot on a light beige table with pumpkin and chicken soup with a long wooden spoon placed inside the instant pot

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup FAQs

Can I make this soup vegan?

You can omit the ground meat and use vegetable broth here to make this soup vegan. You might also want to adjust the herbs and salt here to amp up the flavor if you omit meat and bone broth!

Can I make this coconut free?

I haven’t tried myself, but tigernut milk might work. It won’t be as creamy but will add a subtle sweetness that will definitely compliment the pumpkin here.

Can I make this on the stovetop?

Yes, see the recipe below for the details. Essentially, rather than covering the slow cooker and cooking for an hour, you will sauté the ingredients and then turn the heat to low and simmer until the pumpkin is cooked. Easy peasy!

Can I replace/omit the cilantro?

The cilantro really provides a delicious flavor here but if you can’t or won’t eat it, I would recommend substituting with some fresh thyme (you’d have to adjust proportions) and perhaps a little more basil.

Can I freeze this soup?

Yes! This soup freezes well and can also be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days.

side angle shot of cream coloured bowl with light brown rim filled with pumpkin and ground chicken soup with fresh basil and cilantro. There is a black spoon in the soup lifting out a spoonful of the soup

If you try this Slow Cooker Chicken and Pumpkin Soup, I would love it if you would give it a star rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious and using the hashtag #healmedelicious. 

You might also enjoy these other AIP soups/ slow cooker recipes:

  • Turkey and Kale Soup
  • Roasted Winter Squash Soup
  • Creamy Garlic Pork and Spinach with Butternut Squash
  • Caribbean Beef and Sweet Potato Soup
  • Ginger Garlic Pork Noodle Soup
Print
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overhead shot of two cream coloured bowls with light brown rims filled with pumpkin soup with ground chicken and fresh basil and cilantro. One of the bowls is placed squarely in the center of the shot and the other is partially visible, placed diagonal to the bowl in the center in the top right of the frame. The bowl in the center of the shot has a black spoon placed inside the bowl of soup that is angled slightly to the left. There is a light brown cloth napkin to the left of the bowl in the center of the frame

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup (AIP, paleo, Whole30)


★★★★★

5 from 9 reviews

  • Author: Nicole @healmedelicious
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
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Description

This Slow Cooker Chicken and Pumpkin Soup is a hearty, rich, creamy and delicious dish. Made using fresh pumpkin, ground chicken, fresh basil and cilantro, it’s AIP, paleo, flavor packed and sure to please!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 TBSP coconut or extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 shallots or 1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced 
  • 1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated 
  • 1 lb ground chicken  
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (plus more for garnish)
  • 2.5 tsp sea salt*
  • 3 cups cubed pumpkin, fresh or frozen 
  • 2 cups chicken stock or bone broth 
  • 2 cups full fat coconut milk
  • 2 inch piece of lemongrass 
  • 4 cups leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard, etc.)

Instructions

  1. To a large stockpot, crockpot or Instant Pot add coconut oil on the sauté function.
  2. Add shallots, garlic and ginger and sauté on medium heat 5-7 minutes stirring frequently.
  3. Add chicken, cilantro, basil and sea salt and allow the chicken to cook.
  4. Add the pumpkin and stir to combine, followed by the chicken stock or bone broth, coconut milk and lemongrass.
  5. Cover the slow cooker and set to 1 hr on LOW.**
  6. Once the soup is done, remove the lid and stir the soup together so that the pumpkin melts into the soup.
  7. Fold in your leafy greens, stirring until they begin to wilt.
  8. Taste and adjust for salt accordingly and remove lemongrass from soup.
  9. Garnish with additional basil and cilantro.

Notes

* I use unsalted bone broth so this is the amount of salt I start with and then I add more once the soup is cooked as needed. Be mindful of this if your broth or stock is salted. You can always add more salt but you can’t remove it!

** If making on the stovetop, allow the soup to come to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover the pot and cook 20-30 minutes, stirring intermittently.

  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 60 minutes
  • Category: Soups + Stews

Keywords: aip, paleo, whole30, soups, stews, pumpkin soup, pumpkin recipes, crockpot recipes, slow cooker recipes, slow cooker soup, Instant Pot recipes

Did you make this recipe?

Share a photo and tag @healmedelicious — we can’t wait to see what you’ve made!

Categories: AIP, All Recipes, Chicken, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Mains, Paleo, Soups, Whole30 Tagged With: AIP, grain-free, paleo, seasonal faves, seasonalnov2021, slow cooker recipes, soupszn, stews, stews and soups, Whole30

Previous Post: « AIP Sweet Potato Roundup
Next Post: Turkey & Kale Soup »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda

    December 11, 2022 at 9:58 am

    This was perfect a perfect way to use leftover shredded Thanksgiving turkey and a home-grown Red Kuri pumpkin (which was extra sweet and tender). The ginger is such a nice, bright flavor that makes this soup feel so healing. Thanks, Nicole!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Heal Me Delicious Team

      December 13, 2022 at 4:16 pm

      We’re so glad you liked it! Thank you for your review.

      Reply
  2. Erin

    November 26, 2022 at 11:15 pm

    I love this recipe so much. I’ve made it many times and told lots of friends about it. I omit the coconut milk completely and often use a mix of canned pumpkin purée and fresh roasted squash. It’s just delightful! Love the fresh and unique recipe!

    Reply
  3. Erin

    November 26, 2022 at 11:14 pm

    I love this recipe so much. I e made it many times and told lots of friends about it. I omit the coconut milk completely and often use a mix of canned pumping purée and fresh roasted squash. It’s just delightful! Love the fresh and unique recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Makenzie

    October 22, 2022 at 1:46 am

    This was so delicious! I loved how savory it was even with the coconut milk. Your flavor profiles are always a delight and this was no exception. We did the stovetop method which worked out great as it let the pumpkin pieces somewhere between “melted” and still chunky which I really like as someone not super into blended soups. I’ve also never really used ground chicken before and it added a perfect texture and heartiness to this soup that didn’t overpower. I have already shared this recipe with my mom and sister after making it tonight. None of us are even doing AIP, just a fan of your creations:) Thank you!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Lizzie

    October 6, 2022 at 9:41 pm

    Obsessed! This recipe is another winner. I’ve made many Heal Me Delicious Recipes and all have been fabulous! It took me longer to prep everything but it was well worth it!

    Reply
  6. Charlotte

    January 17, 2022 at 10:25 am

    This is so good and comforting in the winter!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  7. Thankful

    December 19, 2021 at 10:20 pm

    So very delicious! This was a great way to use my little pumpkins I had around for fall. I used little Cinderella pumpkins – they are yummy! I also had to modify for food sensitivities: thyme instead of basil, homemade cashew milk instead of coconut milk. I used baked then shredded chicken instead of ground. And I didn’t have lemongrass so I skipped it. With these changes it lacked some sweetness and brightness in flavor so I added about 1.5Tbsp maple syrup and 1Tbsp lemon juice. That did the trick! My only complaint is it was consumed toooo fast! Good thing it’s a quick recipe 🙂 I’m so great full to have found these recipes/this webpage so o can eat tasty food again.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  8. Deborah

    December 17, 2021 at 3:30 pm

    This recipe sounds great and looks delicious! Can one substitute pureed pumpkin? Thank you, Deborah

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      December 18, 2021 at 12:18 pm

      The flavor will be different but it should work. I don’t have exact substituion amounts but if you try, do let us know!

      Reply
      • Deborah

        December 19, 2021 at 6:05 pm

        Thanks Nicole! I tried to sign up to receive emails from you but nothing happens??? Thanks Deborah

        Reply
        • Nicole Charles

          January 10, 2022 at 8:32 pm

          Hi Deborah, try this link https://healmedelicious.com/subscribe/

          Reply
  9. ahs

    December 11, 2021 at 9:39 pm

    so happy and grateful for this soup! I thought I had ground chicken in the freezer and when I discovered I didn’t I used some leftover roasted chicken, which worked beautifully! love the brightness of the lemongrass and the warmth of the pumpkin! can’t wait to pair this with some of Nicole’s sourdough bread: https://healmedelicious.com/product/aip-sourdough-baking-guide/ next time I make a loaf! thank you, Nicole!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  10. Renee

    November 24, 2021 at 12:35 am

    Love this soup. It’s easy to make, tastes great and the whole family likes it. Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  11. Thea L Racelis

    November 11, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    This soup was delicious! I had to cook it a bit longer for my butternut squash to get nice and soft but that just means I got to enjoy the amazing smell in my house even longer. This was perfection!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  12. Liz

    November 1, 2021 at 9:29 pm

    We were too busing eating to remember to take a pic, but I just wanted to say thank you! We loved the soup. I made a few riffs on the recipe to accommodate what I had in the house – used a chicken breast, cubed, from the freezer, leftover canned pumpkin ( but added some fresh too) , and threw in some mushrooms and a splash of fish sauce near the end of cooking time too. Thanks again for a delicious dinner on a cold rainy night.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Nicole Charles

      November 1, 2021 at 9:38 pm

      Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Liz!so glad you enjoyed

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Nicole, the recipe developer, food enthusiast and photographer behind Heal Me Delicious. Read More

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