This Keto Chicken Noodle Soup is delicious, comforting, and the perfect cure-all for whatever ails you. Made with zucchini noodles, it's gluten-free, whole30, keto, and paleo compliant!
This soup can be made the old-fashioned way by boiling a whole chicken or can be made quicker by using shredded chicken (or rotisserie) and store-bought stock.
This paleo and keto chicken noodle soup is comfort in a bowl! It's a perfect meal for cold winter nights or when someone is sick.
It has all the traditional components of chicken noodle soup. It has beautifully flavored broth, shredded chicken, & sauteed vegetables - but it's made with zucchini noodles to keep it low-carb and keto.
It's great for sickness because it has natural hydration from the salt, the steam helps clear nasal passageways, and it has immune-boosting nutrition from the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.
It's also easy to stomach, soothing, and gives you your chicken soup fix without the excess carbs!
Frequently asked questions
No! While I prefer zucchini noodles for chicken noodle soup, feel free to use any noodle you prefer. Cooked spaghetti squash or store-bought noodles can be substituted.
Traditional chicken noodle soup is not gluten-free or keto due to the pasta. However, this recipe is made with zucchini noodles keeping it low-carb and keto.
While I highly recommend using a whole chicken, no, you do not have to make it completely from scratch. Feel free to use shredded or leftover chicken and storebought broth.
How to get clear broth
While the broth won't be completely transparent, there are a few tricks to keep the broth clearer:
- Gently simmer (don't boil!) the chicken. There should be steam coming up and the water should be slightly moving, but not boiling.
- Scoop the scum off the surface as it simmers.
- Let the broth settle (or refrigerate overnight). Then gently pour or scoop out the broth, leaving behind the darker broth that settled to the bottom.
- Don’t brown the sautéed veggies. Brown veggies = brown broth!
From scratch - using a whole chicken
While you can use cooked, shredded chicken (or rotisserie) with store-bought or homemade bone broth, making your soup from scratch is SO worth it!
It creates a beautiful, flavorful broth and the chicken is a mix of dark and white meat that is tender and juicy - never dry!
Here are the easy steps:
- Simmer (don't boil!) a whole chicken with broth flavorings for 1.5 to 2 hours. The flavorings include onion, garlic, carrots, celery, salt, bay leaf, or whatever else you prefer.
2. Remove any scum that floats to the top and top off the water as needed.
3. Transfer the chicken from the broth to a cutting board and shred with 2 forks. You won't need all of it. Save the rest for salads and other recipes.
💭Tip: Easily transfer the chicken to a cutting board by using placing the handle of a wooden spoon into the chicken cavity.
5. Use a strainer to separate the liquid broth from the veggies. Set the broth aside.
💭Tip: Clarify the broth to remove excess fat and make it clearer! To do this, refrigerate the broth so the fat hardens on the surface (4 to 8 hours), then scoop it off.
Soup instructions
Start by cutting up an onion, celery, and carrot. Then, spiralize a zucchini.
While carrots aren't always considered keto, they're perfectly fine in small amounts in a soup like this.
If you don't have a spiralizer, you can use a julienne peeler or simply cut the zucchini as thinly as possible.
Then, add some oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots, cook for 5 minutes or until softened, don’t let them brown.
Add broth, spiralized zucchini, thyme, basil, oregano, and dill to the pot.
After that, bring to a light boil and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Once the zucchini noodles are almost tender, add the shredded chicken just to heat up. Be sure not to overcook the zucchini or it could become mushy!
Add salt and pepper. Then, taste and adjust the seasonings to your liking and serve!
How to store
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 5 to 7 days BUT…. The zucchini can get a little soggy. You can store zucchini noodles separately if desired.
The soup can be frozen for 2 to 3 months IF you freeze before adding the zucchini noodles because freezing ruins the texture of the zucchini.
To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, add to a large pot and bring to a light boil. Add the zucchini noodles and boil until tender.
Top tips
- Be sure to gently simmer (not boil!) the chicken.
- Even though the instructions are for stove-top, this can also be made in an Instant Pot using the "Saute" setting.
- While I highly recommend making this recipe from scratch using a whole chicken, you can substitute shredded chicken and store-bought or homemade bone broth.
Looking for more keto soup recipes?
I think you'll love these...
Or this Sweet Potato Soup Recipe and Lemon Chicken Soup from Clean Eating Couple look delicious too!
If you’ve tried this Paleo Keto Chicken Noodle Soup or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Keto Chicken Noodle Soup (Paleo And Whole30)
Ingredients
Homemade Broth:
- 3.5 Pound Whole Chicken - cleaned
- 1 Head Garlic - cut in half
- 1 Whole Carrot - cut into chunks
- 1 Whole Onion - cut into chunks
- 2 Ribs Celery - cut into chunks
- 2 Whole Bay Leaves
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1 tablespoon Black Peppercorns
- 9-10 Cups Water - or enough to cover the chicken
Chicken Noodle Soup:
- 2 tablespoon Avocado Oil - or oil of choice
- 1 Medium Onion - Finely Chopped
- 1 Large Carrot - Halved Lengthwise and Cut Diagonally Into ½ Inch Thick Slices
- 2 Large Celery Ribs - Halved Lengthwise and Cut Into ½ Inch Thick Slices
- 3 Cloves Garlic - Minced
- 8 Cups Chicken Stock - above
- 1 Large Spiralized Zucchini - click link for instructions
- ¼ tsp. Ground Thyme
- ¼ tsp. Dried Basil
- ¼ tsp. Dried Oregano
- ½ tsp. Dried Dill
- 2 Tbsp. Dried Parsley or ¼ C Fresh and Finely Chopped
- 1.5 Cups Shredded Chicken - from the homemade broth
- Salt and Pepper - to taste (I used about 1 ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper)
Instructions
Broth:
- Place the chicken in a large pot. Add remaining broth ingredients. Then add enough water so the chicken is just covered.
- Cover with a lid and bring the water to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Then adjust the heat so it’s simmering GENTLY. Simmer, covered, for 1.5 hours or until chicken is tender and easily comes off the bone.
- Scoop scum off the surface as needed during the first 30 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken from the broth to a cutting board and shred with 2 forks, discarding the bones. You won't need all of the shredded chicken. Save the rest for salads and other recipes. Tip: Easily transfer the chicken to a cutting board by using placing the handle of a wooden spoon into the chicken cavity.
- Use a strainer to separate the liquid broth from the veggies. Set the broth aside.
- Optional: Clarify the broth to remove excess fat and make it clearer! To do this, refrigerate the broth so the fat hardens on the surface (4 to 8 hours), then scoop it off.
Keto Chicken Noodle Soup:
- Chop the onion, carrot, and celery. Set aside. Then spiralize the zucchini. *Note- If you don't have a spiralizer, use a julienne peeler or cut it as thin as possible.
- Add the oil to a large pot and heat over medium heat. Once hot, add onion and garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots, cook for 5 minutes or until softened, don’t let them brown.
- Add the chicken broth, leaving behind any residue settled in the bottom of the broth. Then add the spiralized zucchini, thyme, basil, oregano, and dill.
- Bring to a boil and boil 10 to 15 minutes, or until the zucchini noodles are tender. Once the zucchini noodles are almost tender, add the shredded chicken just to heat up. Be sure not to overcook the zucchini or it could become mushy!
- Add the parsley, then the salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.
Add Your Own Notes
Notes
- Be sure to gently simmer (not boil!) the chicken. When simmering, there should be steam coming up and the water should be slightly moving, but not boiling.
- Even though the instructions are for the stove-top, this can also be made in an Instant Pot using the "Saute" setting.
- While I highly recommend making this recipe from scratch using a whole chicken, you can substitute shredded chicken (or rotisserie) and store-bought or homemade bone broth.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 5 to 7 days BUT…. The zucchini can get a little soggy. You can store zucchini noodles separately if desired.
- The soup can be frozen for 2 to 3 months IF you freeze before adding the zucchini noodles because freezing ruins the texture of the zucchini. To reheat, thaw in the fridge overnight. Then, heat in a large pot and bring to a light boil. Add the zucchini noodles and boil until tender.
Nutrition
NET CARBS = Total Carbs - Fiber
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary. Sugar alcohols are included in the total carbs and fiber.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out my
Carol says
I love the idea of putting zucchini noodles in place of GF noodles! 🙂 Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!
Cassidy says
Thanks so much Carol 🙂 You have a great week too!!!
-Cassidy