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Looking for a nourishing and delicious soup recipe for easy dinner meal prep? This quick butternut squash chicken soup uses pre-cooked chicken as a shortcut, is made is one pot, and freezes beautifully.

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I’ve said this before – but there was a time in my life when I didn’t love soups and wasn’t appreciative of how great they are. I think I just didn’t realize the depth of flavor they can impart and how great they are for leftovers.

This butternut squash chicken soup, though, is so flavorful and pairs perfectly with a crusty bread. Had I tried this when I was a teenager, I probably would have changed my mind about soups.

Now, as a Registered Dietitian of 10+ years, I am always recommending soups to clients as a way to get in more nutrition. Soups are a great way to add extra veggies and fiber in a warm and comforting way for your digestive system.

Especially those veggies that are wilting or starting to go bad! Soup season is strong here, though soups are just one of many ways to cook acorn squash.

Some of our other favorite soup recipes are instant pot tortellini soup, meatball kale soup and this nourishing chicken sweetpotato chili.

Soups are also perfect for cold and flu season, which happens to be right now, or just for warming up on a cold day or cold night.

I love it when I have a sore throat – this is my new healthy chicken soup go-to!

If you need a gluten-free and dairy-free soup, this chicken soup with butternut squash is perfect for you – just omit the optional Parmesan cheese topping.

Plus, did you know you can put quinoa in soup? It adds a nice texture and some additional plant-based protein to this chicken butternut squash soup recipe. It’s my favorite and so satisfying!

Why You’ll Love Butternut Squash Chicken Soup

• Quick and easy – Thanks to shortcuts like cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken and pre-cubed butternut squash, this chicken and butternut squash soup recipe saves you so much time! Most of the work is done in just 25-30 minutes.
• One pot – No need to cook or bake ingredients in the oven beforehand, you just need one soup pot for this healthy soup recipe!
• Great way to reduce food waste – Do you have spinach or other greens that are starting to wilt? Add them to chicken butternut squash soup!
• Easy to freeze for later – I always make double batches of this butternut squash soup with chicken to freeze for later. The best way to freeze them is in souper cubes – that way you have easy individual servings to reheat!
• Great for all ages – Whether you’re offering or making chicken for babies, toddlers, or older kids, butternut chicken soup is a family-friendly recipe!

Ingredients

Here are the simple ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.

• Cooking oil – I prefer olive oil or avocado oil.
• Shallots – I love the taste of shallots, but if you don’t have them you could use red onions or yellow onions.
• Carrots – I prefer large carrots, cut up, but baby carrots can work as well.
• Spinach or other greens – As previously mentioned, this is a great way to use spinach that is starting to wilt or greens that are going bad. Kale and arugula also work well!
• Chicken – I prefer to just use rotisserie chicken because it’s pre-cooked and so quick and easy! But leftover chicken or cooked chicken breasts or chicken thighs will also work well.
• Peeled butternut squash – I prefer pre-diced to save you some time!
• Uncooked quinoa – Any quinoa will work, but I love the tri-colored. Butternut squash soup with quinoa is such a hearty soup! A good substitution for quinoa is orzo.
• Chicken stock – You can also use chicken broth or bone broth
• Spices – garlic, paprika, salt, black pepper, thyme

How to Make Chicken Butternut Squash Soup

If you need to cut your butternut squash, do that first.

Start the soup by sauteeing your shallots and chopped carrots over medium heat in a large pot. Then, add in the butternut squash, uncooked quinoa, broth, water and spices, and give it a good stir.

Bring the quinoa to a slow boil and then simmer with the lid on. You don’t need to let the quinoa absorb all of the liquid since we’ll add more ingredients.

Lastly, add in the spinach and your cooked chicken, and cook until the spinach starts to wilt and the chicken is cooked through.

Top with any other fresh herbs you may like, such as basil, cilantro or thyme.

Again, you can add more or less liquid to achieve a more brothy or creamier soup.

With chilis, I like my chili thick, but with a soup like this butternut squash and chicken soup, I like some broth and liquid to sip up.

If you really love broth-based soups, try this sweet potato and white bean soup or vegetable lentil barley soup.

Side Options for Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup

• Roasted veggies – Any roasted veggies go great alongside – like roasted sweetpotatoes and carrots and roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots.
• A salad with bread – I’ve also done a grain salad, green salad, and of course, bread!
• A sandwich – Pair chicken soup with butternut squash with your favorite sandwich – Half of this Greek yogurt tuna salad is a hearty option!

Storage

Store your butternut squash chicken soup in a tight tupperware in the fridge for up to 4 days.

You can also freeze if for up to 3-4 months – it’s one of my favorite postpartum freezer meals! I love to freeze it in souper cubes, so it’s easy to heat up individual servings as needed.

Servings 4 servings

Easy One Pot Butternut Squash Chicken Soup

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN

Looking for a nourishing and delicious soup recipe for meal prep? This quick butternut squash chicken soup uses pre-cooked chicken as a shortcut, and is a balanced fall recipe for lunches and dinners, and freezes beautifully.

5 from 3 ratings

Print Pin

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 1 Tbsp Olive oil or avocado oil
• 2 shallots, diced
• 5 large carrots, diced
• 1 lb about 4 cups Butternut squash, cut into 1” cubes*
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups water, divided
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 3 cups spinach
• 4 cups cooked chicken, diced

Instructions 

1. In large pot, heat oil over medium high heat.
2. Add in shallots and chopped carrots, and cook until shallots start to become translucent and carrots soften. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Add in butternut squash, uncooked quinoa, broth, 2 cups of water, garlic and spices. Bring to a boil and add the lid. After quinoa is completely cooked (10-12 minutes), remove pot from heat. You don’t necessarily have to let the quinoa absorb all the liquid since we will be using it – if it does you can add more later.
4. Add in spinach and cooked chicken, and 1-2 more cups of liquid, as needed, depending on how you like your soup (I like to do 1 cup broth and 1 cup water). Bring heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, until spinach wilts and chicken is heated through.
5. Adjust seasonings as necessary.

Notes

I recommend buying pre-chopped butternut squash to save time but you can also chop your own.

STORAGE: Store your butternut squash chicken soup in a tight tupperware in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze if for up to 3-4 months – I love to freeze it in souper cubes, so it’s easy to heat up individual servings as needed.

Equipment

BetterBody Foods Refined Non-GMO Cooking Oil, Kosher, Keto and Paleo Diet Friendly, for High-Heat Cooking, 100% Pure Avocado Oil, 1 Liter, 33.8 Fl Oz

Happy Andes Tri-Color Organic Whole Grain Quinoa Non-GMO, Non Gluten, Ready to Cook Food for Oats & Seeds Recipes, Healthy Meal with Vitamins & Protein, Best Value, 3 lb

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 484kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 36gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 105mgSodium: 976mgFiber: 7gSugar: 5g

Did you make this recipe?Let us know how it was!