Spicy Ginger and Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

This spicy ginger and sweet potato chicken soup is easy to make with a fragrant, spicy homemade broth and tender sweet potatoes.

A little sweet, a little spicy, and so fragrant, this spicy ginger and sweet potato chicken soup delivers everything you need when you’re under the weather.

With just a few ingredients, you can have a rich, satisfying chicken soup that brings so much flavor! I’m still getting over being sick, and this soup has come in clutch for my sore throat more than once. It has a nice balance of sweet earthiness with heat and aroma from garlic, Thai chili peppers, and ginger. Everything is bound together with a rich, homemade broth and tender, shredded chicken thighs. I also love how easy it is to make.

How to make this spicy ginger and sweet potato chicken soup

What you need

• Chicken: I use bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. You can use a mix of chicken thighs and split chicken breasts as you prefer, just be sure to use bone-in, skin-on chicken for the best flavor.
• Broth aromatics: I add Thai chili peppers, crushed ginger, crushed garlic, and a quartered shallot to the broth.
• Soup: I make the soup with just sweet potato, ginger, garlic, and shallot. I also add minced scallions and sesame oil at the end.
• Finishing touches: I finish the soup with a bit of furikake as the seaweed and sesame seeds add a nice finishing flavor. You can finish with just a sprinkle of sesame seeds or a minced Thai chili pepper for additional heat.

Spicy Ginger and Sweet Potato Chicken Soup

This spicy ginger and sweet potato chicken soup is easy to make with a fragrant, spicy homemade broth and tender sweet potatoes.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Share on Facebook

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Inactive time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 501kcal

Equipment

• Large pot
• Fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

Chicken broth:

• 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
• 6 cloves garlic (peeled and crushed)
• 4 Thai chili peppers (trimmed and halved)
• 2-inch piece ginger root (peeled and lightly crushed)
• 1 shallot (peeled and quartered)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 8 cups water

Soup:

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• 4 cloves garlic (peeled and minced)
• 1 shallot (peeled and small-diced)
• 2-inch piece ginger root (peeled and minced; about 1 tablespoon total)
• 1 pound sweet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 4 scallions (trimmed and minced; white and green parts kept separate)
• Furikake (optional, for serving; or use sesame seeds)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions

Make the broth (see Note 1):

• Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with 8 cups of water. Add more if needed to immerse the chicken. Add 2 teaspoons kosher salt, the garlic, Thai chili peppers, ginger, and shallot. Bring to a boil and skim off any foam from the surface of the broth. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Carefully remove the chicken thighs from the broth using tongs and transfer them to a bowl.
• Carefully strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl. Set aside. Wipe out the pot used for the broth and return it to the stove. Discard the spent aromatics. You should have about 6 cups of homemade broth. If you have less, add enough water to supplement the broth to 6 cups.
• Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the bones and shred the meat with your fingers or dice it with a knife. You should have 4 cups of meat. Set it aside.

Sauté the soup aromatics:

• Add 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to the soup pot. Turn the heat to medium. Once hot, add the garlic, shallot, and ginger. Sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
• Add the cubed sweet potato and a sprinkle of salt. Sauté for 1 minute.

Simmer the soup:

• Add the shredded chicken to the pot. Pour the prepared chicken broth on top. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork—taste and season with salt.

Finish the soup:

• Add 1 tablespoon sesame oil and the white parts of the scallions to the soup. Turn off the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.

To serve:

• Spoon the soup into bowls and finish with the minced scallion greens and a sprinkle of your favorite furikake or sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Notes

Note 1: If you opt to skip this step, simply use a whole rotisserie chicken–you’ll need 4 cups of meat total–and 6 cups of store-bought chicken stock.

Nutrition

Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 31g | Sodium: 1365mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin C: 16mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @triedandtruerecipes or tag #triedandtruerecipes so I can feature you in my feed!

Recipes you may like:

Chicken Noodle Soup with Potatoes My Best Chicken Noodle Soup Spicy Ginger Chicken Soba