Chicken and Pumpkin Soup Recipe

This Chicken and Pumpkin Soup Recipe is really more of a chowder...it has corn, too! But, my kids devour it better if it's a soup (what their aversion is to chowder, I'll never know). But this particular pumpkin soup recipe has all of their faves: chicken, pumpkin and corn. It's a great belly warmer.

I based this recipe off of one that I read in the fall issue of Cottages and Bungalows. When I was reading it, I was like..."whaaaa?!? A real pumpkin?!?" I've always put my sister-in-law solely in the awesome baker category because she only bakes with real pumpkins. Me, I pop open more cans of pumpkin that I can keep track of. I mean, cutting a spaghetti squash in half is arduous enough for me...but, chopping up and baking with an entire pumpkin? Sighhhhh. That just overwhelmed me, y'all. I searched on Pinterest for a soup recipe that uses canned pumpkin and just couldn't find any that fit the bill. So, I rose to the challenge and what do you know? I like cooking with real pumpkin. Check out the recipe below...it's a healthy one!

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

I've mentioned before, but I do the Simply Filling version of Weight Watchers. While this recipe has a couple of small items I have to count the points on (like the flour), it can totally work on my plan. It's made with all whole ingredients...so it's perfect for those of you on clean eating plans, too. Those crackers are definitely not a part of my plan...but, I needed some photo props, y'all. ;)

The real pumpkin wasn't nearly as scary to work with as I thought it would be. I used a big, sharp knife and away we went.

I prefer to shred my chicken on this one, but if you like chopped chicken, go for it. The chicken, corn, and pumpkin all make a really creamy soup...without any actual cream! I also like to use the water that the chicken was cooked in as a base for my soup, too. It's not a traditional broth (you can find my homemade chicken broth here), but it's still flavorful and tastes great in this soup.

Chicken and Pumpkin Soup Recipe

Serves 8

Click here for printable recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 cups water
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 red bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 (2 pound) pie pumpkin, skin removed and cut into 1" cubes
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 can corn (with liquid)
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
(garnish): plain Greek yogurt and chopped green onions

Directions:

Place chicken breasts into a large stockpot and cover with 8 cups water. Add bay leaves and one teaspoon of Kosher salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and continue to boil for 30-45 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink. Remove chicken from water and reserve all liquid (remove bay leaves and discard). Shred chicken, set aside, and keep warm...I will cover mine with foil and place in the oven on warm (170º) while I prepare the rest of the soup.

This next step can be done while the chicken is cooking. Preheat the oven to broil. Place red peppers (whole) on baking sheet and place under broiler for 10-15 minutes, until skin begins to blacken. Remove from oven and place peppers into a zip-top bag for 15 minutes. Peel peppers and remove seeds and stem. Rough chop and set aside.

Add one tablespoon of olive oil to large dutch oven or stockpot (I reuse the one from the chicken, but I keep the liquid in a smaller container nearby, ready to use for the soup). Heat over medium high heat. Sauté onions and pumpkin for ten minutes. Add flour, cumin, salt, and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add corn (with liquid), pepper, chicken, reserved liquid from chicken, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes. Mash pumpkin chunks with a mashed potato masher.

Remove and purée 2-3 cups of the soup in a food processor or blender (use extreme caution since soup is hot). Add the purée back into the pot and stir well.

Garnish with Greek yogurt and green onions, if desired.

Click here for printable recipe.