This chicken and butternut squash soup is warming, comforting, and finished with a sage-infused coconut milk.
Rich, savory, with a little sweetness from butternut squash and sage-infused coconut, this chicken and butternut squash soup needs to be on your autumn soup roster.
Who doesn’t love a bowl of chicken soup on a cold day? In this very autumnal iteration, herbal rosemary, ginger, and turmeric deliver warming spices in each bite. A rich homemade chicken broth, tender butternut squash soup, and a drizzle of sage coconut milk at the end tie it all together.
What you need
- Chicken broth: Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, celery, and garlic
- Soup: Butternut squash, onion, fresh rosemary, ground ginger, turmeric powder, paprika, crushed red pepper, and orzo
- Sage-infused coconut milk: Fresh sage leaves, coconut milk, kosher salt
How to make it
Step 1: Make the broth.
Boil the chicken in water and salt with garlic and celery. Remove the chicken and pick the meat from the bones. Pop the cloves of garlic from the paper and mash them into a paste. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids.
Step 2: Start the soup.
Heat a little oil in the pot and add the squash and onion. Season with all the spices and sauté briefly. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the shredded chicken and mashed garlic. Simmer until the squash is fork-tender.
Step 3: Make the coconut milk.
Fry the sage leaves in a scant amount of oil briefly until fragrant. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Add a pinch of salt before straining the milk into a small bowl. Discard the sage leaves.
Step 4: Cook the orzo.
Return the soup to a boil. Add the orzo and cook 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Add more water as needed if the orzo absorbs too much,
Step 5: Serve it up.
Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle the coconut milk on top.
Chicken & Butternut Squash Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken broth:
- 1½ pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 8 cups water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 ribs celery (rinsed and cut into thirds)
- 1 head garlic (top cut off and cloves left in paper)
Soup:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ pounds butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and cut into bite-sized cubes)
- 1 yellow onion (peeled and diced)
- 1 teaspoon rosemary (freshly minced; or use ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- ½ cup orzo (uncooked)
Sage coconut milk:
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 12 sage leaves
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can full-fat coconut milk
- Pinch kosher salt
Instructions
Make the broth:
- Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, celery, and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the liquid has reduced slightly. Turn off the heat.
- Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Scoop the head of garlic out of the pot and transfer to a small bowl.
- Strain the broth into a bowl through a fine-mesh sieve. You should have 6 to 7 cups of broth depending on how rapidly the liquid simmered. Discard the solids, wipe out the pot, and return it to the stovetop.
- Once the chicken cools, remove the skin and shred the meat using your fingers or two forks. Discard the skin and bones and set the meat aside.
- Carefully pop the cloves of garlic from the paper and mash into a paste. Set aside.
Start the soup:
- Heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil in the pot over medium heat. Add the cubed butternut squash and diced onion and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Add the rosemary, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon paprika, and ¾ teaspoon kosher salt. Add a pinch of crushed red pepper and sauté for 30 to 45 seconds or until fragrant.
- Pour the reserved broth into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low. Add the shredded chicken and garlic paste. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes or until the squash is fork-tender. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference. See Note 1.
Make the coconut milk:
- Heat 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Once hot, add the sage leaves and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant. Pour the coconut milk on top and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and add a pinch of kosher salt. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes to infuse the sage into the milk. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Strain the coconut milk into a small bowl through a sieve and discard the sage leaves. Keep warm.
Finish the soup:
- Return the soup to a boil and add the uncooked orzo. Boil for 10 to 12 minutes until tender. Turn off the heat.
To serve:
- Ladle the soup into bowls and drizzle the coconut milk on top. Enjoy!
