Spicy Chicken Soup

With half a chicken & two types of chili this is THE soup you need when you're craving something cosy and spicy. Done in under an hour, packed full of flavor & textures and low in carbs - this is a soup you don't want to miss!

Course Soup

Cuisine North American

Diet Gluten Free

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 55

Active cooking time 30

Total Time 1

Servings people

Calories 638kcal

Author Emmeline Kemperyd

Cost $5

Equipment

Ingredients

Chicken and chicken stock

1 whole chicken
½ tablespoon salt
4 garlic cloves chopped
4 cups water should cover or almost cover the chicken

Cream sauce

¼ cup butter salted or unsalted; or olive oil
1 red bell pepper chopped; or other color
1 cup white button mushrooms sliced; or other mild mushroom
1 tablespoon olive oil optional
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoon Aleppo chili flakes* or other chili flakes, adjust amount according to taste & spice level
½ tablespoon chili powder adjust amount according to taste & spice level

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chicken and chicken stock

Start by cooking the chicken. Place the chicken in one piece in a large pot and add the salt and chopped garlic.
1 whole chicken, ½ tablespoon salt, 4 garlic cloves
Pour over the water - it should cover, or almost cover, the chicken. If not, turn the chicken once while cooking. Place the pot over high heat and boil for 30 minutes.
4 cups water
After 30 minutes, check that the chicken is cooked through - that is, the meat is white and when cutting into the chicken the juice is clear. Then take the pot off the heat and place the chicken on a plate or chopping board to cool.
When the chicken has cooled down a bit, peel the meat of the bones and chop the meat roughly.

Cream sauce

When the chicken is done and cooling, place a skillet over medium-high heat and add in the butter.
¼ cup butter
When the butter has melted, add in chopped red bell pepper and sliced mushroom and mix. Cook for 5 minutes, mixing often.
1 red bell pepper, 1 cup white button mushrooms
After 5 minutes, add the olive oil and mix. Then add the cream and mix again. Follow with the chili flakes and chili powder. Mix well, then cover and let simmer for 10 minutes.
1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 cups heavy cream, 2 tablespoon Aleppo chili flakes*, ½ tablespoon chili powder

Combining chicken, chicken stock and cream sauce

When both the chicken and cream sauce are done, add the chicken to the cream sauce and mix. Then add the chicken stock. Mix well and let simmer for 5 minutes. Taste test and add more chili flakes and/or chili pepper if needed. erve!

Video

Notes

Full fat cream - you really need to use full fat or heavy cream here, or else it might curdle
Chili flakes - I use Aleppo chili flakes* which are high in flavor and low in spice. The chili flakes you're using might be a lot spicier - if you're unsure, start with half the amount stated.
Whole chicken - bones are what we're after so you could swap it for another bone-in type like drumsticks. You can also use boneless chicken like chicken breasts, but you won't get as much chicken flavor.
Adjust the ratio of cream to chicken stock to suit your taste. I like it super creamy, but some like it less so. Just add more of one or the other to adjust!
You can blend this soup if you want to - it's just as delicious this way! This is easiest done using an immersion blender.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an air tight container for up to 4 days
Freeze leftovers to keep them for up to 3 months. For best results, thaw slowly before reheating.
Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1 minute increments
Reheat leftovers stovetop in a sauce pan on low heat, until heated through

Nutrition