Creamy Chicken Sweet Potato Soup is a hearty soup perfect for fall or winter dinners. It is a twist on the classic chicken soup which warms you from the inside. Make it in under 50 minutes using simple ingredients (gluten-free).
Here are some more soup recipes that you may like – Butternut Squash Sweet Potato Soup, Pumpkin Apple Soup, Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup, Thai Pumpkin Noodle Soup, Chicken Clear Soup, and Tomato Basil Soup.
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About Chicken Sweet Potato Soup
Chicken Sweet Potato Soup is a twist on classic chicken soup with the addition of tender sweet potatoes, mushrooms, and fresh spinach.
This thick and creamy soup has a subtle sweetness from sweet potatoes and carrots that make it absolutely delicious. It tastes like “fall in a bowl”!
It is a perfect comfort meal that can be either served for weekday lunch or dinner on its own or with refreshing salad or homemade bread on the side.
It is easy to make, hearty, freezer-friendly, naturally gluten-free, and will keep you warm from the inside out on a cold fall or winter night.
The best part is that this soup recipe is super customizable! If you do not prefer to add any particular ingredient, just skip it or add your favorite veggies or protein to it. You can also add couscous, noodles, pasta, drained chickpeas, drained black beans, orzo, farro, etc to the soup to make it more filling and hearty.
You can scale the recipe up or down as per your requirement.
Health Benefits Of Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes surely taste delicious, but along with taste they also have many health benefits,
- Sweet potatoes are said to be rich in carotenoids, which might reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
- They also help in controlling blood sugar. Try to include them in your diet if you are diabetic.
- Sweet potato lowers down bad cholesterol, which can help avoid any heart problems as well.
- Regular intake can also give you good skin and healthy vision.
- They also strengthen the immune system.
- They are rich in fiber, and thus keep you full for longer. A great ingredient to include in your weight loss diet.
- Sweet potatoes are excellent for fighting colds as well.
Health Benefits Of Turmeric
Another great ingredient added to this soup is turmeric. This superfood adds a slightly sweet and earthy flavor to the soup and has many health benefits.
Turmeric is anti-inflammatory and helps fight foreign invaders and is said to repair damage in your body.
It is an antiviral and helps the body fight cough and cold.
Turmeric boosts immune-cell activity and enhances antibody responses.
Ingredients
Chicken – I prefer using boneless skinless chicken breasts to make this soup. You can use chicken thighs for a richer soup.
If you have some leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken, then shred and use it in place of raw chicken to save time.
Oil – Light olive oil is my preferred choice for this soup! Having said that, feel free to use any cooking oil that you prefer.
Veggies – It is loaded with lots of veggies. I used onions, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, button mushrooms, and spinach. You can choose to skip the veggies you don’t like and add the ones that you do.
Sweet potatoes can be replaced with butternut squash too.
You can replace spinach with kale or green onions.
Unsweetened Heavy Cream – It makes the soup creamy and richer. You can choose to skip it or replace it with milk or half and half to make the soup healthier.
Stock – Use chicken stock (chicken broth) to make the soup. It adds a lot of flavors.
Others – You will also need garlic, dried oregano, salt, turmeric powder, freshly ground black pepper, cayenne pepper, and freshly squeezed lime juice (or lemon juice).
How To Make Chicken Sweet Potato Soup
Poach The Chicken
Rinse 1 pound (500 g) of chicken breasts.
Add them to a medium saucepan, and cover with about 2 inches of water.
Add 2 teaspoon salt and bring the water to boil over medium-high heat.
Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is poached and cooked through.
Tip – Don’t overcook your chicken otherwise it will become chewy. Cooking time will vary on how thick the chicken breasts are and how rapidly the water is boiling.
Remove the cooked chicken breasts using a tong onto a chopping board and let them rest for 5-10 minutes. Shred the chicken using two forks and set it aside.
Tip – You can use the poaching water by replacing some of the stock with it.
Make The Soup
While the chicken is poaching, heat 4 tablespoon light olive oil in a large dutch oven, soup pot, or stockpot over medium-high heat.
Once the oil is hot, add
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 2 cups cubed carrots
- 1 stalk of celery (chopped)
- 1 pound (500 g) sweet potatoes (peeled and cubed)
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
and saute the vegetables for 5-7 minutes, stirring intermittently.
Now add 2 teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and mix well.
Add 8 cups (64 fl oz) of chicken stock and stir well.
Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
Add 7 oz (200 g) button mushrooms (sliced) and the shredded chicken and mix well. Cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
Turn off the heat, and stir in 2-3 cups of chopped spinach. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the spinach is wilted.
Stir in ½ cup of unsweetened heavy cream and 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice. Check for salt and add more if needed. Serve hot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Making this soup in a crockpot is even easier. You just have to add all the ingredients to the crockpot (slow cooker) except spinach, and heavy cream. Cover and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours, or low for 6-8 hours. lime juice Shred the chicken, add in the spinach, lime juice, and heavy cream, and cook on low for an hour. Serve hot.
To make this recipe in an instant pot, press SAUTE button and add oil to the pot. Then follow the recipe until adding the chicken broth. Add chicken breast and close the lid. Set the valve to the sealing position. Press PRESSURE COOK and set the timer to 4 minutes at high pressure. Once the pressure goes off, release the pressure naturally. Open the lid and take out the chicken. Shred it and add it back to the pot along with mushrooms. Press SAUTE button again and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add spinach, heavy cream, and lime juice, and cook for a minute. Serve!
Pro Tips By Neha
Chicken stock has added salt so be careful while adding any extra salt to the soup.
Make the sweet potato chicken soup spicier by adding 1-2 tablespoons of canned chipotle peppers in adobo or some red pepper flakes.
If using kale in place of spinach, then add it along with sweet potatoes and not later as they take longer to cook.
Add some pasta, couscous, noodles, chickpeas, orzo, brown rice, quinoa, or farro to the soup to make it more filling.
Serving Suggestions
This is a great soup for the whole family and can be served on its own or with crusty bread.
You can also serve it with noodles, couscous, or quinoa for a filling meal. A light salad on the side is also a great option.
Storage Suggestions
This chicken and sweet potato soup will last for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Store it in a clean and dry air-tight container.
It is also freezer-friendly! You can store it in the freezer for about 4 months. Thaw and reheat it in a pan over the stovetop or microwave until nice and warm and serve it again.
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Recipe Card
Creamy Chicken Sweet Potato Soup Recipe
Ingredients
To Poach The Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts (500 g, rinsed)
- 2 teaspoons salt
To Make The Soup
- 4 tablespoons light olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onions
- 2 cups peeled and cubed carrots (¼-inch cubes)
- 1 stalk celery (chopped)
- 1 pound sweet potatoes (500 g, peeled and cubed, ¼-inch cubes)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 64 ounces chicken stock (8 cups)
- 7 ounces button mushrooms (200 g, sliced)
- 2-3 cups chopped spinach
- ½ cup unsweetened heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
Instructions
Poach The Chicken
- To a medium saucepan, add chicken breasts and cover with about 2 inches of water. Add salt and bring the water to boil over medium-high heat.
- Boil for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken is poached and cooked through.
- Don’t overcook your chicken, otherwise, it will become chewy. Cooking time will vary on how thick the chicken breasts are and how rapidly the water is boiling.
- Remove the cooked chicken breasts using a tong onto a chopping board and let them rest for 5-10 minutes. Shred the chicken using two forks and set it aside.
- You can use the poaching water by replacing some of the stock with it.
Make The Soup
- While the chicken is poaching, heat light olive oil in a large dutch oven or a stockpot over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add onions, carrots, celery, sweet potatoes, and garlic and saute the vegetables for 5-7 minutes, stirring intermittently.
- Now add dried oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper, and mix well.
- Add chicken stock and stir well.
- Reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Add mushrooms and shredded chicken. Cover and cook for another 8-10 minutes until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.
- Turn off the heat, stir in the spinach and cook for about 1 minute, or until the spinach is wilted.
- Stir in heavy cream and lime juice. Check for salt and add more if needed. Serve hot.
Pay
So good and hearty!!! I would add more cheyanne or pepper flakes for heat! Perfect for winter ♡
Karyn Herrera
Easy to make, colorful and so good! Perfect for a rainy day
Stacie
Delicious!!
Courtney
This was delicious. I used chicken thighs & raw cashews in the blender with stock instead of cream.