Why we love this recipe 🥰
This thick and satisfying soup is a recipe that I wrote when I was trying out the Whole 30 eating plan, so it has no gluten, no dairy, no sugar, no alcohol 😂 and no legumes!
What is DOES have is a mixture of pureed potatoes and cauliflower and chicken broth and shredded chicken and a couple of herbs and spices, and it is one of my soup faves. Which just goes to show you, things definitely CAN be good and good for you. 🥰
It’s also a snap to make, and a great way to use up any leftover chicken (or turkey) you may have on hand.
Ingredients you need 🥔
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Chicken: This recipe is a great way to use up leftover chicken, or you can use a rotisserie chicken. We like chicken breast meat for this soup, but chicken thighs are fine too! Or even turkey.
- Cauliflower: Look for this good and good for you veggie in your produce aisle.
- Chicken Broth: As always, we recommend the kind in the box for the freshest flavor.
- Potatoes: We like Yukon Golds or butter potatoes for this recipe, but you can also use Russet or Idaho potatoes.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe 👩🏻🍳
STEP 1: First you need to prep your cauliflower. They can look intimidating, but once you get the hang of it, it’s actually pretty easy!
Pull or cut off any of those green leaves, and then cut your cauliflower in half right down the middle, and then in quarters. Now you should be able to break off those cute little cauliflower florets, and you can use a knife to cut off any stubborn ones.
STEP 2: Now! Heat a little olive oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat and saute a peeled and chopped sweet onion until it is tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
STEP 3: Fill a large pot with water and add 4 quartered Yukon Gold potatoes. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add your cauliflower and boil for 5 minutes more until both the potatoes and the cauliflower are tender (you can test by poking both with a paring knife – it should slide in easily). Drain.
STEP 4: Add the cooked onions, potatoes and cauliflower to the blender (you may have to do this in two batches). Pour in 3 cups of broth and a teaspoon of dried thyme and blend it up until everything is nice and smooth.
STEP 5: Pour the soup back into the pot you cooked the potatoes and cauliflower in and stir in two cups of cooked and shredded chicken. Heat it all up over medium high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper – I usually like about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in my batch of soup, but you add what tastes right to you. Ladle into bowls, garnish with a little thyme and serve it up.
Recipe FAQs
Yep! I love the buttery, smooth texture of Yukon Golds, but russets and Idahos will also work just fine.
You can – you will also need to swap out the chicken broth for either vegetable broth or water. It will have a lighter taste, and may need a little extra seasoning.
If you have the time, my favorite way to get myself a pile of cooked chicken is to pop a few chicken breasts in the slow cooker with about 2 cups of chicken broth and let it cook for 8 hours on low. It will be amazingly tender.
Or, you can put the chicken in a pot of water, bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Cover the pot and let the chicken cool completely. This is called poaching the chicken and again…so tender.
OR, you can buy a rotisserie chicken at your supermarket, or use leftover chicken.
I’m here for you. Or actually, the amazing Elise at Simply Recipes is here for you – check out her step-by-step guide with pictures!
You definitely can, and even if you don’t, make some extra for leftovers! Simply reheat over medium low heat on the stove. Leftover soup = happiness!
Pop your question in the comments section under the recipe card and I will answer pronto!
Equipment we used for this recipe 🥣
These are some of my favorite kitchen tools! These are Amazon affiliate links, which means I get a little something if you buy through my links at no extra cost to you. (Which helps pay for all that bacon I keep buying! 😄) And I only share things I use and love. I’m so grateful for your support!
- Measuring Cup: We love these angled cups that show the measurements on both the inside and outside of the cup.
- Cutting Board: These sturdy, dishwasher-safe cutting boards come in all different sizes.
- Bear Paws Shredder Claws: These impressive looking claws are not only perfect shredding cooked chicken or meats, they are also dishwasher safe!
- Ladle: We love this perfectly shaped one for scooping out soup or stew.
- Large Pot: We have a lot of these but this is our fave!
- Strainer: This classic version is just right for these potatoes and your favorite pasta recipe (one of ours is pasta with egg sauce!)
- Measuring Spoons: These handy magnetic spoons are not on a ring, so you can just pick the one you need.
- Blender: This blender is spendy, but it is the best one we’ve ever used! Vroom!
What to serve with this recipe 🍽️
Sometimes we want a sandwich with our soup, sometimes we crave a salad, and sometimes a piece of homemade bread is perfect. And of course we need dessert…homemade applesauce anyone?
Other chicken soup recipes we love! 🥰
We want to know what you think! 🤔
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section below the recipe card.
Hearty Chicken Cauliflower Soup
This easy, healthy recipe for Hearty Chicken Cauliflower Soup will warm you up inside and out. Thick and creamy with exactly zero cream
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for garnish
- 1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
- 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered (you can peel them if you want to, but I just scrub them and leave the skins on)
- 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Two cups shredded cooked chicken, room temperature
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat and saute the onion until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
- Fill a large pot with water and add potatoes. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and boil for 5 minutes more until both the potatoes and the cauliflower are tender. Drain.
- Add cooked onions, potatoes and cauliflower to the blender (you may have to do this in two batches). Pour in broth and thyme. Process until everything is nice and smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper – I usually like about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in my batch of soup, but you add what tastes right to you.
- Pour the soup back into the pot you cooked the potatoes and cauliflower in and stir in two cups of cooked and shredded chicken. Heat it all up over medium high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper – I usually like about 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt in my batch of soup, but you add what tastes right to you. Ladle into bowls, garnish with a little thyme and serve it up. Feel very cozy.
Notes
-
- Chicken: This recipe is a great way to use up leftover chicken, or you can use a rotisserie chicken. We like chicken breast meat for this soup, but chicken thighs are fine too! Or even turkey.
-
- Cauliflower: Look for this good and good for you veggie in your produce aisle.
-
- Chicken Broth: As always, we recommend the kind in the box for the freshest flavor.
-
- Potatoes: We like Yukon Golds or butter potatoes for this recipe, but you can also use Russet or Idaho potatoes.
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