Keto Chicken Soup

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for my low carb chicken soup recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Olive Oil – For sauteing the vegetables. You can use avocado oil, or butter if you don’t turn up the heat too high.
• Veggies – You’ll need carrots, celery, and onion for that classic chicken soup combination. You could add other veggies, such as peas (for low carb but not keto), zucchini, bell peppers, or cauliflower florets.
• Chicken – You can cook raw chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs right in the keto chicken soup. If you have leftover pre-cooked shredded chicken in the Instant Pot or baked chicken breast, those also work great. Season the chicken with poultry seasoning for more flavor! If you have more leftover chicken, use it to make a low carb chicken salad next.
• Chicken Broth – I prefer to buy reduced sodium or make chicken broth from scratch, but regular broth or bone broth would work as well.
• Italian Seasoning – Make your own Italian seasoning blend in just a few minutes, or simply use store-bought.
• Bay Leaf – For richer flavor in your low carb chicken soup.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper
• Spaghetti Squash – You can either bake spaghetti squash or microwave spaghetti squash, but will only need 1/2 of the squash. Use the other half to make spaghetti squash carbonara, classic spaghetti squash alfredo, or spaghetti squash pad Thai.

VARIATION: Use a different type of low carb noodles!

You can use zucchini noodles, kelp noodles, or shirataki noodles instead of spaghetti squash. You can also omit the squash altogether if you don’t want any kind of noodles (like my noodle-free healthy soup recipe), or add a pound of cauliflower rice in the last couple of minutes.

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How To Make Keto Chicken Soup

I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Saute the veggies. In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, and onions and saute until the onions are translucent.
2. Simmer the soup. Add the chicken, chicken broth, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf. Increase heat to bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer.

TIP: If using raw chicken, shred it once it’s tender.

Remove the cooked chicken from the pot, shred it, and return to the pot to continue simmering.

3. Bake the squash. While the soup simmers, preheat your oven and poke holes in the spaghetti squash. Place it on a baking sheet and bake until a knife can easily pierce through the skin with only a little resistance. When the spaghetti squash is done cooking and cool enough to handle, slice it in half and use a fork to scoop out the strands.

TIP: Don’t overcook the squash.

Don’t overcook to the point where there’s no resistance at all, or the noodles will be mushy.

4. Combine. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the noodles from half of the spaghetti squash. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish keto chicken soup with fresh parsley if desired.

Serving Ideas

This keto chicken soup makes a great starter before just about any keto dinner, but you can also double the serving size to make it a meal if you like. The best pairings for soup are:

• Low Carb Bread – 90 second bread is the quickest option, but classic white keto bread tastes great on the side, too. You can also try chaffles (garlic parmesan is my fave with keto chicken soup), some keto dinner rolls, or crusty keto garlic cheese bread.
• Chips or Crackers – Try my easy keto crackers or flax seed crackers. Each needs just 3 ingredients, or you can customize them with spices.
• Salad – Lighter salad options like a wedge salad or cucumber tomato salad make a light meal with keto soup, or try a chopped antipasto salad for a heartier option.

More Keto Chicken Soup Recipes

I love this classic low carb chicken soup, but there are lots of different ways to make one. Here are some of my other favorites:

Buffalo Chicken Soup

Mexican Chicken Soup

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Keto Chicken Tortilla Soup