Chicken Quinoa Soup

4.92 from 24 votes
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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.

Chicken quinoa soup in bowls
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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 ingredients

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.

chicken quinoa soup in a pot

FAQ

Do you cook the quinoa first?

No. The quinoa cooks in the pot with the other ingredients, making this a simple, low-prep soup recipe.

How can you make this soup without meat?

Either replace the chicken with another can of beans or omit the chicken completely from this soup recipe.

Can you replace the quinoa with another grain?

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.

chicken quinoa soup in a pot

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!

chicken quinoa soup in a bowl

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.

4.92 from 24 votes

Chicken Quinoa Soup

Wholesome chicken quinoa soup is naturally gluten free, packed with protein, and incredibly flavorful. Make a batch of this soup to enjoy all week long!
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 40 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8
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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.
    A hearty chicken soup packed with nutritious vegetables, quinoa, and beans, served on a stylish marble countertop.
  • 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.
    a pot of chicken soup with lemon wedges.
  • Turn off the heat and mix in the juice from one whole lemon. Serve with a lemon wedge and fresh parsley.
    two bowls of chicken soup on a marble table.

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

Calories: 354 kcal, Carbohydrates: 33 g, Protein: 33 g, Fat: 7 g, Fiber: 7 g, Sugar: 5 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About Lee Funke

Lee is the founder of Fit Foodie Finds and based in Minneapolis, MN. She started this website in 2010 as a way to share her love for real food and wellness. The internet has changed so much since then and so has Fit Foodie Finds. Today we're a female-run recipe website publishing hundreds of tried and true recipes developed and tested by our team.

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Morrgan
Morrgan
November 12, 2020 8:28 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
Love, love, love this soup! I’ve made it three times in the past month, and it has great flavor, especially on a chilly fall evening.
I made two swaps to the existing recipe– 1) I subbed 3/4 of a cup of barley in place of the quinoa, and 2) I used rotisserie chicken. It comes out great, and makes dinner for the week so easy!
Love your site! Thank you ladies for doing what you do!

Katie
Katie
October 27, 2019 10:09 pm
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
This recipe was incredible and so easy! My boyfriend loved it, and he’s not a big soup guy. It’s very warm and filling.

sofyan
September 6, 2019 4:27 am
Recipe Rating :
     

5 stars
delicious recipe, i wanna recommend this diet book for the people who want to be more healthier ,and wanna do more diet recipes http://bit.ly/2lVTUFt

Jenny
Jenny
January 29, 2019 12:33 pm

Are the nutritionals on this for the entire recipe? With the simplicity of the ingredients, I canโ€™t imagine the calories and fat listed would be for one serving. Looks good!

Casey @ Casey the College Celiac
August 13, 2014 9:52 pm

Just to check, is the quinoa cooked before you put it in the crock pot? Looks delicious!

Jenna C.
Jenna C.
May 17, 2014 6:46 pm

I love this recipe, healthy and yummy. Made it four times now! Affordable and delicious!

Alex @ Alex Runs For Food
October 13, 2013 9:17 am

I love everything about fall!! The weather is perfect for running. I love all things pumpkin. And it’s a great time of year for soup and chili.

Leigha @ Minougirl
October 13, 2013 9:06 am

One pot meals are the best! This looks super yummy! I seriously LOVE how easy it is.

Allison
October 13, 2013 8:53 am

Yum!!! I love soup and one pot meals! This looks so great && I can’t wait for more!

Taylor
October 13, 2013 7:19 am

I am so excited for this series! I absolutely love the crock pot but always run low on ideas, so thank you!

I really enjoy fall because of the cooler temps, clothes, leaves changing, but your right, the idea that MN winter could be right around the corner is no fun!