This Chicken Cauliflower Soup is incredibly easy to make and just so delicious! This is pure healthy comfort food. This creamy soup is loaded with veggies and lean chicken. It is dairy-free and gluten-free, low-carb and low in calories.... but it doesn't taste healthy. This chicken cauliflower soup is kid-friendly and great for dipping crusty bread into the delicious creamy broth.
The directions to make this soup have just 3 main steps and it can be made with rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken breast. EASY!
Healthy cauliflower chicken soup
This chicken cauliflower soup is LOADED with veggies: it has onions, carrots, celery, and half a head of cauliflower. But it certainly doesn't taste healthy, with its flavorful creamy broth and loads of fresh herbs. The soup itself is pretty low in calories and low-carb.
I love adding cauliflower to soup because it absorbs all the delicious flavors of the broth and becomes so tasty. It also has a great mild flavor that's perfect for soup.
More healthy cauliflower recipes: Air Fryer Cauliflower Steak
This soup is a good soup for the beginning of the year when you want to eat a little bit lighter but still need warming foods. It's also a great spring soup, when it is still cold outside but you're ready to take a break from all the heavy casseroles and stews you've been making all winter.
I used cooked shredded chicken (from a rotisserie chicken), but you can make this soup from scratch starting with uncooked chicken breast if you want to.
Protein, veggies, and deliciousness all in one! So good, especially when served with a toasted baguette or some homemade air fryer focaccia for dipping into the broth. This soup is one of the few ways I can sneak veggies into my picky son.
Related recipe: Chicken and Sweet Potato Black Bean Soup
Coconut broth soup
This soup uses a secret ingredient to make a super delicious savory creamy broth without any dairy: coconut milk. I use a can of lite coconut milk, which is a great balance between creamy and flavorful without being too fatty. Do NOT use Goya coconut milk. It is always just a little bit curdled so I stopped buying it. Any other brand of canned lite will work!
The simple combination of 1:1 coconut milk with chicken broth is SO GOOD! I hope you trust me on this and give it a try. I use this broth for my dairy-free zuppa toscana, and use it as a base for my shrimp and sweet potato coconut curry.
Don't worry about the coconut milk sounding like an exotic ingredient that doesn't belong in comfort food chicken soup. The addition of chicken broth plus classic soup veggies (diced carrot, onion) makes the coconut milk taste delicious, familiar, and cozy.
I love using better than bouillon chicken base for broth. This way I don't have to keep jars or cans of broth in my pantry. I use 2 teaspoons of the chicken base + 2 cups of water and stir directly into the soup to make an easy chicken broth. But of course you can use regular broth for this soup.
Related recipe: Spiced Moroccan Lentil Veggie Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, diced or sliced
- ½ head cauliflower, cut into florets or smaller bite size pieces (if your cauliflower has long leaves on it, don't throw them out! Make these roasted cauliflower leaves!)
- 3 celery ribs, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 14 oz canned coconut milk (reduced fat/lite, see notes)
- 2 cups chicken broth (such as 2 teaspoons better than bouillon + 2 cups water, or other broth)
- 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
- ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from ½ small lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano, or more to taste
- ¼ cup fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, and/or oregano (or use 1-2 teaspoon dried herbs), chopped
Related recipe: Creamy Potato Turnip Soup
Ingredient notes and soup add-ins
Here are a few ingredient tips and ideas for what you can add to this soup. Just don't go adding all the things at once, that would be too much!
Coconut milk: I think coconut milk + chicken broth makes the BEST creamy but not heavy broth for soup. It's super savory and doesn't taste strongly of coconut. I use canned lite coconut milk here because the full fat one just contains a lot of fat, while coconut milk from a carton just doesn't have enough fat in it, plus it often contains other flavors and additives. I recommend ANY brand other than Goya, because Goya coconut milk is always a little curdled/chunky in the can.
If you prefer not to use coconut milk, you can just skip it and use more broth, or use heavy cream instead, or a combination of heavy cream and half and half. Oatmilk also makes a good option for a dairy-free creamy soup broth.
Make the soup thick and chowder-like: If you want a thicker broth, make a roux by using more olive oil (or butter) and flour and make a paste in the pot after sautéing the onion, celery, and garlic. Or stir in a little slurry of water + cornstarch (about 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 2-3 tablespoons water).
Add potatoes: Diced potatoes can be added in step 3.
Add noodles: You can add noodles in step 3 (egg noodles, orzo, smell shells would be great!), and they will cook along with the cauliflower and carrots. If using noodles, add a little more broth or water and keep on eye on the soup to make sure the noodles don't absorb all the water.
Add more veggies: Stir in some fresh or frozen peas or corn, or frozen veggie mix containing green beans.
Add beans: Great northern beans or other cooked white beans would make a great addition to this soup.
Add some heat: Stir in some red pepper flakes at the end, if you like.
Related recipe: Creamy Vegan Carrot Soup with Parsley Pistou
Instructions to make cauliflower chicken soup
Step 1: Heat the olive oil in a ~3 quart pot, and, sauté the diced onion and diced carrots for 5 minutes.
Step 2: Add the cauliflower florets, sliced celery, and minced garlic Stir and sauté for 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, chicken, salt, and pepper. Stir, and allow to come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the carrots and cauliflower are cooked to your liking.
Step 4: Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice, dried oregano, and fresh parsley. Season with additional salt, if needed. Serve hot.
Related recipe: Crispy Pan-Fried Cauliflower
If you enjoyed this easy healthy soup recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Chicken and Cauliflower Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 2 carrots - peeled and diced
- ½ head cauliflower - chopped into florets or bite-size pieces
- 3 celery ribs - sliced
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- 14 oz canned lite coconut milk - (reduced fat coconut milk)
- 2 cups chicken broth - or 14-oz can broth
- 1 cooked chicken breast - shredded or diced
- ½ teaspoon salt - or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - or to taste
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice - (from 1/2 small lemon)
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano - or more to taste
- ¼ cup fresh herbs - chopped, such as parsley, tarragon, and/or oregano (or use 1-2-teaspoons dried herbs)
Special equipment
- Soup Pot
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a ~3 quart pot, and, sauté the diced onion and diced carrots for 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower florets, sliced celery and minced garlic. Stir, and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk, chicken broth, chicken, salt, and pepper. Stir, and allow to come to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the carrots and cauliflower are cooked to your liking.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice, dried oregano, and fresh parsley. Season with additional salt, if needed. Serve hot.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.
Yelena vVarshal
Saturday 28th of October 2023
Great recipe, Kate!