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!
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.
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.
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
Chicken and Pumpkin Soup (AIP, paleo, Whole30)
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
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
- 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
- To a large stockpot, crockpot or Instant Pot add coconut oil on the sauté function.
- Add shallots, garlic and ginger and sauté on medium heat 5-7 minutes stirring frequently.
- Add chicken, cilantro, basil and sea salt and allow the chicken to cook.
- Add the pumpkin and stir to combine, followed by the chicken stock or bone broth, coconut milk and lemongrass.
- Cover the slow cooker and set to 1 hr on LOW.**
- Once the soup is done, remove the lid and stir the soup together so that the pumpkin melts into the soup.
- Fold in your leafy greens, stirring until they begin to wilt.
- Taste and adjust for salt accordingly and remove lemongrass from soup.
- 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
I made this delicious soup using ground turkey. I also swapped the herbs for fresh rosemary, sage and thyme for a taste of fall. My husband cannot get enough! I used canned pumpkin and made this on the stove top….quick and easy!
My husband and I love this soup. Great for breakfast even.
This is a delicious and brilliant recipe. I ate it 2 days straight for lunch and dinner. And admittedly I am making it again today! This time I might share with my children. I have severe RA and eating this clean with fresh herbs makes me feel so good on the inside and out. The taste is an explosion of goodness. You really can’t go wrong with this one.
I used acorn squash this time around, very tasty.
This soup is amazing, so flavorful!
I made a few substitutions – I used 1 1/2 cans of puréed pumpkin because I couldn’t find cubed and ground turkey instead of chicken as that’s what I had on hand.
Deliciously flavorful!!! So cozy and filling!
You did it again! I’ve made this twice in 4 days. My mom (non AIP) raves about it!
This is a new favorite, right off the bat. Make it! You won’t be disappointed!! 🤤
Delicious flavors. I cooked on the stovetop so the coconut milk curdled, but no one minded. I highly recommend adding a squeeze of lime just before serving. Great recipe, I’ll be making it again!
This soup is probably my all time favorite food, I’ll eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner! Have made it at least 15 times (in batch, no less than 10 servings at a time!) in the last year. Slightly modified, like substituting broth for selleri+onion+carrots, using less coconut milk and way, way more pumpkin. Omitted lemon grass after first batch, not that it wasn’t good just because I didn’t have it… and then forgot about it. Have also made it with sweet potato instead of pumpkin, and a combination of both. Also really good but prefer using only pumpkin.
Great flavors! As a soup, the texture left much to be desired when I used canned pumpkin instead of fresh, but I realized that it was because it resembles spaghetti bolognese, so I reduced it on the stovetop the next day, and had some over spaghetti squash. It worked great as a nightshade-free sauce option. Will make it again, but as a sauce!
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!
We’re so glad you liked it! Thank you for your review.
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!
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!
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!
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!
This is so good and comforting in the winter!
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.
This recipe sounds great and looks delicious! Can one substitute pureed pumpkin? Thank you, Deborah
The flavor will be different but it should work. I don’t have exact substituion amounts but if you try, do let us know!
Thanks Nicole! I tried to sign up to receive emails from you but nothing happens??? Thanks Deborah
Hi Deborah, try this link https://healmedelicious.com/subscribe/
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!
Love this soup. It’s easy to make, tastes great and the whole family likes it. Thanks!
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!
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.
Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Liz!so glad you enjoyed