Whether you’re trying to get over your latest cold or you just want to give your body a little extra nourishment, this healing chicken soup loaded with nutrient-dense foods like turmeric, ginger, and kale is sure to have you feeling better in no time.
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It’s that time of year again when the cold and flu seems to be getting everyone, which means it is the perfect time to make a big batch of cozy, nutritious soup! There’s nothing like Mom’s homemade chicken soup to cure a cold, and today we’re taking classic chicken soup and upping the ante with loads of immune-boosting ingredients. With its rich turmeric-ginger broth, shredded chicken, sweet potatoes, kale, and bright lemon juice, this soup is also completely crave-worthy. We recommend making a double batch – one to eat now, and one to freeze for later, just in case!
If you’re looking for more incredible, nourishing soup recipes, we’ve got you. Our creamy chicken wild rice soup is definitely a must-try!
Ingredients for Healing Chicken Soup
The nutritionist in me is SO pumped to talk about the magical healing properties of the ingredients in this soup! The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant powers of food are truly incredible.
- Bone Broth – The base of this soup starts with bone broth. Why bone broth over traditional broth? Bone broth is filled with vitamins, minerals, and collagen that can help support a healthy immune system. Whether you make it or buy it, bone broth is great to have in your cold-fighting arsenal!
- Turmeric – Turmeric is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant spice that gives this soup its beautiful yellow color. Turmeric has also been shown to have antiviral properties(1), which is great for fighting off the cold and flu.
- Ginger – Ginger is another spice that has antiviral and antibacterial properties in addition to anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds that can be helpful in healing the cold and flu, and has been shown to be especially good for digestive issues(2). Ginger has also been shown to be helpful for sore throats, and sipping on ginger tea can often provide immediate relief.
- Onion & Garlic – While they may not exactly be trendy veggies, did you know that they actually have strong antibacterial, antiviral, and antioxidant properties? In addition, onion has a wealth of vitamins and minerals that are great for your overall health and for flu-fighting. Garlic contains a compound called allicin that is thought to give it its powerful antiviral and anti-fungal properties(3), in addition to other benefits.
- Celery – Lately celery has become popular thanks to the touted benefits of celery juice, but here we’re using it in its whole form! Celery is rich in vitamins and minerals, including antioxidants like Vitamin C.
- Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes are highly nutritious, rich in antioxidants, and a great source of vitamins, including Vitamins A, C, and B6, and healthy carbohydrates, which can help keep your energy up when you’re feeling under the weather!
- Lacinato Kale – Kale is widely known for being a nutritional powerhouse. It is rich in vitamins A, K, and C, as well as antioxidants. We use lacinato kale here because we love the flavor over curly kale.
- Fresh Thyme – Did you know that many herbs actually have incredibly powerful properties? In this recipe, we chose thyme because we love the flavor. Thyme is antimicrobial, so it is a great option for fighting the cold and flu, and it also has expectorant properties, which can help clear mucus and fight cold and congestion.
- Chicken – You can use either chicken breast or thighs for this recipe, and feel free to save yourself some extra work by buying rotisserie chicken at the store! The chicken will cook in the soup, and then you will simply shred it with two forks.
- Coconut Milk – Coconut milk pairs perfectly with the flavors in this soup, adds a slightly creamy consistency and provides a source of healthy fats.
- Lemon Juice – The juice of one lemon stirred in at the end of cooking helps lend a bright, light flavor to the soup, plus lemon is known to be great for supporting detoxification, as well as being high in Vitamin C.
How To Make Healing Ginger Chicken Soup
This chicken soup is super simple to make! For the stovetop version, just follow the steps below:
- Brown the chicken. First, you’ll brown your chicken breasts or thighs in the same pot that you’ll be making the soup in. You don’t want to cook them all the way through, but searing will help you build flavor.
- Saute the onions, garlic, and celery. Once you remove the chicken, you’ll saute the onions, garlic, and celery until they are just tender.
- Add the remaining ingredients and simmer. Next, you’ll quickly saute the ginger, then add the chicken back to the pot along with the sweet potatoes, broth, and seasonings. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken shreds easily with a fork and the sweet potatoes are fully cooked.
- Stir in the coconut milk and kale. Stir in the coconut milk and the kale and let it cook for 2-3 minutes, until the kale turns bright green, then turn off the heat.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and taste for seasoning. Finally, squeeze in the juice of a lemon and then taste for seasoning, and enjoy!
Chicken Soup Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This soup freezes great. Just pack it into airtight containers, or, if you need to save room in your freezer, ladle it into Ziplock bags then lay the bags flat in the freezer. Once they’re frozen, you can pack them together and stand them up. To reheat, simply microwave a serving for 3-4 minutes, stirring halfway through, or simmer on the stove over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
This soup will work in either the Instant Pot or Crockpot. We recommend cooking it on high pressure for 15 minutes in the Instant Pot and either 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low in the Crockpot. Whichever way you make it, we hope this healing chicken soup helps boost you through this cold and flu season! For more nourishing Instant Pot soup recipes check these out: creamy pumpkin, chicken noodle, chicken tortilla, or cauliflower with leek.
While this soup is totally a meal all on its own (it’s got all of the goods – healthy fats, energizing carbohydrates, and filling protein), feel free to add your favorite crunchy bread as a yummy starchy side or even enjoy this soup overtop white or brown rice! If you’re a soup + salad person, this really simple arugula salad would be a great veggie side.
Video
More Favorite Soup Recipes
Ginger Chicken Soup Recipe with Turmeric
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 3 stalks of celery diced
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 pound) cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 5 cups chicken broth or bone broth
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme chopped
- ½ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 head lacinato kale de-stemmed and roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once the butter is melted, add the chicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes per side until browned, then remove from the pan and set aside.
- Add the onion and celery to the pot and cook for 5-7 minutes, until both are browned and the onion is translucent, then add the garlic and ginger and saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Return the chicken to the pot along with the sweet potatoes, then stir in the chicken broth, thyme, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and turmeric.
- Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30-40 minutes, until the chicken can be easily pulled apart with a fork.
- Pull the chicken from the pot and shred with two forks or with the paddle attachment of a stand mixer. Add the chicken back to the pot then stir in the coconut milk and kale. Cook for 2-3 minutes until kale is fully wilted.
- Add the lemon juice and then taste the soup for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper if needed. Spoon into individual bowls and serve!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
This is the best soup I’ve had in a long time. We just made a triple batch and froze it in single serving containers. Now I get to enjoy it for lunch at work! Love it.
Aweeee! That is so sweet, Britta! We are so happy you loved it!
loved it this is my go to question can this be frozen?
How much kale is in a head? We have frozen kale from our garden, so not sure how to measure it…
Good question, Lindsey! A head of kale averages around 1/2 a pound!
I bought the ingredients to make and freeze some for after my birth on Monday. Is this freezer friendly?
I made this soup for my partners, and they both loved it. One is vegetarian, so, I cooked the chicken separately, swapped in veggie broth for chicken broth, and as a veggie soup, it is also very yummy. Our neighbor just had a hip replacement, so I will be making more. The sweet potatoes are a great add. Happy to have discovered your website. Thanks so much!
We are so glad y’all loved it, Susan! Thank you so much for sharing!
Very tasty recipe! The whole family loved it. I did have to make a few changes because I forgot some items at the store. I did one large stalk of celery, added bamboo shoots (A MUST), and changed the salt to a tablespoon (my stock didnt have any in it). The stock you use is a huge flavor booster and Bona-fide vegetable broth is AMAZING! But I only had a cup left (sad face) so I had to use the bland chicken stock I had as the other 4 cups.
Overall a VERY food recipe, thank you for sharing it!
YUM! Great idea with the bamboo shoots, Ashley! We are SO HAPPY you loved it!!! Thank you so much for taking a moment to share!
I have made this soup at least 25 times by now. It’s my slam dunk for new moms after birth, door deliveries during covid, grieving friends, and my family when we are sick. It’s healing & comforting on every level. Thank you so much for sharing.
I’ve used all kinds of chicken too- bone in thighs, skinless boneless thighs, breast, and even leftover chicken from the day before. All work great, but bone in, skin on thighs are my fave. Makes a thick, jiggly, stand up bone broth the next day!
That is just amazing, Melinda. It makes us so happy you love it so much! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us! We really appreciate it!
Just curious if there is a good way to substitute ground turmeric for fresh. I have a whole bag of turmeric root that I need to use. Thanks!
Can you use dried thyme? If so how much? Thanks!!
You definitely can! 1/2 teaspoon!
This turned out well! I used a rotisserie chicken to save time, and regular kale because I have no idea what the kale (WTK lol) in the ingredients lists is. I didn’t squeeze lemon juice on my first bowl but will on my second. Oh! and I needed to transfer everything from my Crockpot to my Instant Pot because it was too much.
We’re so glad that you enjoyed the soup, TaNicia!
My husband made this for me when I had a ugly cold. It was delicious and I got over that cold lightening fast. Now my daughter is sick and I will be making this yummy soup for her tomorrow.
Aw, that’s awesome, Tonya! I’m so glad this soup helped, and how kind of your husband! I hope your daughter gets better soon!
Hi! I was linked to this recipe from your freezer prep page. On the photo of this soup on the bag it says day of add lemon and kale. Where can I find instructions like this as I don’t see it anywhere except for the photo?
Hi Josie, the instructions for stirring in the lemon and kale are in the slow cooker freezer article, so if you plan on freezing the soup, follow those directions. If you’re prepping and making this soup on the same day, follow the instructions on this recipe page. I hope that helps!
I’ve made this four times now, and I really love it! My partner isn’t the biggest fan of soup (I know, weird), but he absolutely loves this dish.
I make it in the Instant Pot, and the instructions here need tweaking — do NOT cook it for 15 minutes in the Instant Pot, it will be super overcooked. Especially if you’re browning it before cooking under pressure. 8 to 10 minutes is plenty.
I like to add Thai red chili paste, curry powder, and a bit of cayenne as well.
This is so good! Highly recommend!
Thank you for the feedback, Jenn! We’re so glad you both enjoy this recipe!
Hi Jenn! Do you add Curry powder in addition to the 2 tbsp of turmeric? I love curry and see how that would be an amazing swap!
Are the nutrition facts per serving or for the full pot?
Thank you!
Per serving!
Delicious. Perfect for a cold.
We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Jessica! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us.