Chicken Quinoa Soup
Published 9/24/2023
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Chicken quinoa soup warms you up from the inside out! This stovetop chicken soup is naturally gluten free, made with simple, healing ingredients, and ready in under an hour.
Make a big pot of hearty and flavorful chicken quinoa soup on the stove to warm up chilly days. It’s packed with protein and a delicious twist on classic chicken noodle soup.
Chicken quinoa soup is ready in under and hour, great for meal prep, and ultra comforting on days you feel under the weather. This one-pot soup recipe is similar in cooking method to our one-pot golden chicken curry soup and features some of the same delicious healing ingredients.
Featured Comment
“I’ve made this soup three times and it’s always a hit! I love the variation on regular chicken soup.” – Tawny
What is in chicken quinoa soup?
Nourishing chicken quinoa soup is full of feel-good ingredients! You’ll need:
- Veggies: We use a classic soup base of carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.
- Herbs + Spices: Healing ingredients like ginger and lemongrass combine with rosemary and bay leaves for amazing flavor. We like to add just 1 tablespoon of hot sauce for a little something extra, too!
- Quinoa + Beans: Versatile ingredients that add a boost of protein.
- Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a wonderful source of lean protein and add texture to the soup.
- Lemon Juice: Brightens and adds freshness to the soup.
Chicken Quinoa Soup Variations
Try any of these variations on chicken quinoa soup:
Vegetables: Up the veggies in this soup recipe with any of your favorites! Here are a few ideas:
Add with carrots + celery: potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet potatoes, or mushrooms
Add with 15 minutes left of cook time: peppers, peas, zucchini, or yellow squash
Lemongrass: If you can’t find grated lemongrass paste in a tube, feel free to use a stick of fresh lemongrass. Add to the soup in step 3 and remove in step 5.
Quinoa: Use any quinoa you have on hand for this chicken quinoa soup. Red, multi-colored, or white quinoa all work well.
Beans: Instead of great northern beans, try chickpeas or navy beans.
FAQ
No. The quinoa cooks in the pot with the other ingredients, making this a simple, low-prep soup recipe.
Either replace the chicken with another can of beans or omit the chicken completely from this soup recipe.
We have only tested this chicken quinoa soup with quinoa. Feel free to test it with farro, barley, or any other grain and let us know how it works.
Storage
Like all of our soup recipes, this chicken quinoa soup is delicious as leftovers or to share with a friend. Let the soup cool completely, transfer to airtight containers, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Freezing Chicken Quinoa Soup
We love keeping a few servings of soup (this chicken soup included) in the freezer at all times. It’s a gift your future self will really appreciate, especially on long work days or when you don’t know what to make for dinner. Transfer completely cooled soup to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Here are all of our tips and tricks for how to freeze soup!
Serving Suggestions
Serve each bowl of chicken quinoa soup with a fresh lemon wedge, sprinkle of parsley, and a hearty hunk of bread. This soup truly warms you from the inside out and is delicious all year round.
Chicken Quinoa Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated lemongrass*
- 3 large carrots, sliced and halved (~2 heaping cups)
- 3 large celery stalks, sliced (~2 heaping cups)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 tablespoon Frank’s Hot Sauce
- bundle of rosemary*
- 15 oz. great northern beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 medium lemon, juiced
- Fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium/high heat. When the olive oil is fragrant, add in the garlic, ginger, lemongrass, carrots, celery, and onion.
- Sauté veggies for about 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Add in the chicken broth, quinoa, hot sauce, rosemary, beans, chicken, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Mix and bring to a rolling boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove the rosemary bundle and discard. Transfer the chicken to a plate or cutting board and shred it with 2 forks. Place the shredded chicken back in the stockpot and mix.
- Turn off the heat and mix in the juice from one whole lemon. Serve with a lemon wedge and fresh parsley.
Tips & Notes
- Storage: Transfer soup to airtight containers and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing Instructions: Let the chicken soup cool completely, transfer into freezer-safe containers, and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Lemongrass: We use grated lemongrass paste in a tube, but feel free to use a stick of fresh lemongrass. Add to the soup in step 3 and remove in step 5.
- Rosemary: To make a rosemary bundle, use baker’s twine to 4-5 sprigs of rosemary together.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Can you skip the lemongrass? Or can you substitute something else for it?
Lemon zest would be a great substitution!
Whoops my kids are 10 and 7 ( not 20 yet!🤣)
This soup is now a staple in our house!
My boys (20 &7) love it! It’s our immunity booster soup in winter.
I skip the beans, add extra chicken breast and add 1 cup of quinoa.
I also add cilantro at the end instead of parsley.
I’ve made this soup three times and it’s always a hit! I love the variation on regular chicken soup.