Ground Chicken Soup

This ground chicken soup is an even-easier take on classic chicken noodle soup, loaded with veggies and al dente pasta. Seasoned simply and brightened up with a touch of lemon juice and lemon zest, it’s a warm and cozy meal that’s perfect for chilly days or anytime you’re feeling under-the-weather.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• I love a good kitchen shortcut, and believe me – this is a good one! Budget-friendly ground chicken replaces shredded pieces of chicken in this chicken noodle soup recipe, making it (amazingly) even easier to make than traditional versions.
• It’s seasoned beautifully, with garlic powder, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice. Couple that with the fresh carrots, onions, celery, and minced garlic, and you’ve got a soup that’s brimming with incredible flavor.
• Ground chicken soup is super versatile and really adaptable, which makes it a great dish for fridge or pantry clean-out day. You can add any of your favorite vegetables, use a combination of pasta types, throw in canned white beans, season it with any spices you’ve got on hand.

Chef’s Tips

• Ground chicken cooks quickly, so don’t brown it too long to start. Cook it just until it starts to crumble, then add in the spices.
• After you brown the chicken, pack it really tightly into a small bowl, then cover the bowl with a lid or a clean kitchen towel. That way, the meat sits in its own juices, retaining as much moisture as possible. Make sure you include those juices when you add the chicken to the soup later – that’s delicious flavor you’d be leaving behind!

Soup’s On! Check Out These Other Tasty Soup Recipes

• Spaghetti Soup
• Beef Noodle Soup
• Popcorn Soup
• Hazelnut Soup with Parsnips
• Chickarina Soup
• Chicken Velvet Soup
• Lasagna Soup
• Keto Egg Drop Soup
• Creamy Everything Bagel Chicken Soup
• Turnip Green Soup
• Escarole Soup

Ground Chicken Soup

An easy, budget-friendly version of classic chicken noodle soup using ground chicken.

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Recipe Makes: 6 servings

Approximate Cost: $10.74 (approximately $1.79 per serving)

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Equipment

• large, heavy-bottomed pot
• large wooden spoon
• slotted spoon
• small bowl (with lid, or kitchen towel to cover)

Ingredients

For the Ground Chicken

• ▢ 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
• ▢ 1 pound ground chicken
• ▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

For the Ground Chicken Soup

• ▢ 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or vegetable oil)
• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced garlic (approximately 4 large cloves)
• ▢ 3 large stalks celery (halved lengthwise, then sliced into ½-inch-thick pieces)
• ▢ 2 medium carrots (peeled, chopped into ½-inch cubes)
• ▢ 1 cup chopped white onion (approximately 1 medium onion)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt (more or less to taste)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper (more or less to taste)
• ▢ 7 cups chicken stock (plus more as needed)
• ▢ 4 ounces small pasta (orecchiette, ditalini, etc.)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon lemon zest (zest from 1 medium lemon)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 medium lemon, plus more to taste)

Serving Suggestions (All Optional)

• ▢ ½ cup minced fresh parsley

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Instructions

 

• Place large pot on stovetop over medium-high heat. Add 3 tablespoons avocado oil to pot and heat oil until hot and shimmery.
• When oil is hot, add 1 pound ground chicken to pot. Cook chicken 3 minutes, stirring occasionally until meat begins to break into small pieces.
• When ground chicken begins to crumble, add ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper to pot and stir to incorporate. Cook chicken, stirring frequently, approximately 2 minutes or until meat is cooked through.
• Using slotted spoon to drain liquid, transfer ground chicken to small bowl, packing chicken into bowl tightly to retain moisture. Cover bowl with lid or kitchen towel and set aside.
• Add 1 tablespoon avocado oil to pot. Heat oil over medium-high heat until warm, then add 2 tablespoons minced garlic, 3 large stalks celery, 2 medium carrots, 1 cup chopped white onion, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper.
• Stir ingredients together and cook, stirring frequently, approximately 5 minutes or until onion is translucent.
• When onion is translucent, add 7 cups chicken stock to pot. Stir to incorporate, then increase heat under pot to high. Bring chicken stock to rolling boil.
• When stock begins to boil, add 4 ounces small pasta and reduce heat under pot to medium-high. Boil pasta 1 to 2 minutes less than time indicated on package instructions. Note: If pasta absorbs too much liquid, add ½ to 1 cup additional chicken stock to taste.
• When pasta is al dente, return ground chicken to pot, along with any juices that accumulated in bowl while meat rested.
• Cook ground chicken in soup 2 to 3 minutes or until chicken is heated through, stirring soup frequently.
• Once chicken is heated through, add 1 teaspoon lemon zest and 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to pot. Stir to incorporate, then taste soup and adjust salt and/or pepper if desired.
• Ladle ground chicken soup into serving bowls. Garnish with ½ cup minced fresh parsley divided evenly between bowls and serve immediately.

Notes

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Recipe costs provided are approximate. Actual cost per recipe & serving will vary by location, store, brand, etc. Approximate cost shown does not include costs for any optional ingredients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 294kcal | Protein: 18g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 438mg | Potassium: 650mg | Total Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Added Sugars: 0g | Sugar Alcohols: 0g | Erythritol: 0g | Allulose: 0g | Net Carbs: 19g | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 42mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes. Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used. To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

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Recipe by Cheryl Malik