Creamy Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup
This butternut squash and chicken soup combines roasted carrots and butternut squash, tender shredded chicken, and cottage cheese for a creamy and satisfying dinner. The cottage cheese adds extra protein and gives the soup a rich, creamy texture without needing heavy cream. It's an easy dinner that feels comforting and filling without being too heavy.
Equipment
- Fork - To poke holes in the butternut squash for the first bake
- Large knife
- Cutting board
- Vegetable peeler
- Baking Sheet
- Stock Pot
- Silicon spatula
- Parchment paper
- Immersion blender/regular blender
Ingredients
- 1 Butternut squash
- 1 cup Carrots 1 cup
- 1 Yellow onion
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tbsp Garlic powder
- ½ tsp Cayenne
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- 1 box Chicken broth (2 - 3 cups)
- 2 tbsp Cottage cheese - as a topping
Instructions
1. Prep Work & Bake the Chicken
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and poke holes in your butternut squash with a fork.
- Set the whole butternut squash on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Squash can be very hard to cut on its own, and this will help soften the squash to make it easier for chopping later.
- While the butternut squash is baking, chop your carrots and onions. Set your carrots aside and start cooking your onions in a sauce pan with butter on low-medium heat until they are fragrant.
- Once the chicken is done baking, shred with a fork or use your stand mixer with the paddle attachment and set aside.
Tip: I recommend baking the chicken the day before to make this recipe even quicker, but if you have to cook the chicken same day, throw the chicken (with spices) into the oven at the same time you're baking the butternut squash (on a separate rack) and bake for 35 minutes.
2. Bake & Blend
- After the butternut squash is done baking and has fully cooled down, peel the skin off and start chopping the squash. None of the chopping for the veggies needs to be perfect because we are going to blend everything later.
- Add your chopped squash and carrots to a baking sheet, top with olive oil and spices, and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
- If you're using an immersion blender, add your carrots and squash to the stock pot you cooked the onions in.
- Pour a box of chicken broth to the stock pot and use your immersion blender to blend everything in the pot. Be sure to start blending from the bottom and work your way to the top to avoid veggie puree going everywhere.
- If you're using a regular blender, add your veggies to the blender and a box of chicken broth and blend. After everything is blended, add the soup back to the stock pot.
Tip: Add more or less chicken broth to your soup based on your consistency preference. The more broth you add, the smoother the soup will be. It will also make A LOT of left overs. Perfect for feeding a crowd.
3. Simmer & Serve
- Add the shredded chicken to the soup and let everything simmer for 5 minutes before serving.
- Top your butternut squash and chicken soup with cottage cheese for extra creaminess and protein and enjoy!
Notes
Storage
Fridge - I recommend storing this soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Freezer - You can freeze this soup without the chicken or cottage cheese in an airtight container for up to 1 month.Tips
- Poke holes in your butternut squash with a knife or fork, and bake it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. This is going to make chopping your squash much easier before you actually bake it.
- I recommend peeling the skin of the butternut squash since we're going for a smooth consistency.
- Add the cayenne based on your spice preference. A little goes a long way.