Just like Mom's homemade chicken noodle soup only with fewer calories and zucchini noodles! This easy comfort food recipe is big on cozy flavors and low on calories. It's easy to make, freezes great and is perfect to have on hand in the cold weather season.
As far as comfort foods go, chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food. This low carb, low calorie version doesn't disappoint. It has all the classic delicious flavors along with fresh herbs and lemon to keep you cozy in the cold winter months.
Like our low calorie vegetable soup this version of chicken noodle soup recipe is perfect for meal plan prep, taking in a thermos to work for a perfect lunch and great for a low calorie diet.
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What makes this skinny?
- Instead of traditional egg noodles we've swapped in 'zoodles'. These are noodles cut from zucchini squash using a spiralizer or other tool. Spiralized zucchini give all the satisfying texture of pasta noodles but have the calories of vegetables (hardly any).
- Using lean meat (skinless chicken breasts) versus dark meat which has more calories
- Lots of vegetables (adds volume, flavor, nutrition with lower calories)
Recipe Ingredient Notes
Yellow onion. Use one medium yellow onion chopped.
Carrots. Two medium size carrots peeled and chopped or sliced (your choice).
Celery. Three medium celery stalks chopped or sliced (your choice).
Rosemary. A sprig of fresh rosemary boosts the aromatic flavor of this chicken zoodle soup recipe. Remove the leaves from the stem and chop dice them.
Chicken broth. Use low sodium chicken broth or chicken stock. Homemade chicken stock can also be used.
Boneless skinless chicken breasts. You'll use 1 pound. See Variations below for other options.
Zucchini. Use medium size zucchini to make zucchini noodles. We recommend using a spiralizer (see below). The zucchini does not need to be peeled before making zoodles.
How to make Zoodles
I recommend using a spiralizer. They are inexpensive and a great gadget to have on had to turn fruits and vegetables into different shapes for pasta substitutes or for salads. They come with multiple cutting blades to create different size noodles, ribbons and more.
For this recipe a ⅛-inch or 3MM noodle blade should be used.
There are multiple brands of sprializers. I have a crank version I've had for a number of years most similar to this model recommended on Amazon.com (with 24,000 5 star reviews).
Julienne peelers also work or this special cutter that's used to make shreds of green papaya for salad.
How to make Chicken Zoodle Soup
STEP 1. Sauté
Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots (photo 1). Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
Stir in minced fresh garlic and rosemary. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute (photo 2).
STEP 2. Make the chicken soup
Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil (photo 3). Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add bay leaves and chicken breasts (photo 4). Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
When chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot (photo 5), chop or shred it (see Expert Tips for a great shortcut).
Add the zucchini noodles and shredded chicken back to the pot (photos 6-7); reduce heat to a simmer and cook until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste (photo 8).
Serve the hot soup immediately, garnished with rosemary, lemon slices, and fresh parsley.
Expert Tips
Shred the chicken with a stand mixer. This is a life changer for shredding cooked meat. When the chicken is cooked remove and place in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.
Mix on low speed just until shredded (if it mixes too long it will create very tiny shredded pieces). It just takes a minute and no mess!
Prep ahead! You can spiralize the zucchini noodles up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Cut the zoodles. If you've used a long zucchini the zucchini noodles will be very long. For easier serving and eating cut them into smaller lengths (cut in half or thirds).
Variations
Using bone-in chicken breasts. Typically bone-in poultry has more flavor because of the bone. You can use bone in breasts but be careful of any smaller bones becoming loose in the soup and be sure to remove them. To keep calories low we recommend removing the skin before adding the chicken.
Substitute pre-made zoodles. You can buy them fresh in many stores (produce or grab-and-go ingredients area) or frozen. To save some time you can substitute these. Use 4 ½ cups.
Like it spicy? I always add a sliced jalapeno pepper to my chicken soup recipes. Especially during cold season I feel like just a little bit of heat that gets a low grade sweat going helps purge the system (this could just be in my mind lol).
Substitute cooked chicken. You can use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken instead of cooking chicken in the soup. If doing so add the cooked chopped chicken when the zucchini noodles are added. NOTE: the soup will have more chicken flavor if cooking the chicken in the soup versus using already cooked chicken.
Shredded cabbage instead of zoodles. You can substitute shredded cabbage instead of zucchini noodles for a different spin on the recipe.
Use leftover holiday turkey. This is a great leftovers recipe. Substitute leftover Thanksgiving turkey instead of chicken!
Add some new flavors! Try one or more of these: Ground turmeric, fresh minced ginger, orzo or rice, thyme instead of rosemary, thin rice noodles (like used in these spring rolls), chickpeas, lentils, etc. Lots of ways to change it up!
Timesaver tip. Use a bag of frozen mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) instead of fresh vegetables.
How to make it vegetarian or vegan. Omit the chicken and use vegetable broth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just add them to the soup. The cooking time will be longer. Monitor for when the chicken is cooked before removing to chop or shred.
How to Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to Freeze
Allow the soup to fully cool. Add to an airtight freezer container leaving ½-inch on top for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat.
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Recipe
Chicken Zoodle Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 medium stalks celery chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cloves garlic diced
- 1 sprig sprig fresh rosemary chopped
- 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 medium-sized zucchini spiralized into noodles (4 ½ cups zoodles)
- juice from one lemon
- Fresh parsley leaves chopped for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until tender. Season with salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Stir in garlic and rosemary. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and add bay leaves and chicken breasts; Cover and cook for 15 minutes.
- Once the chicken is cooked, remove and chop or shred.
- Stir in zucchini noodles and chicken; reduce heat to a simmer and cook until zucchini is tender, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice; season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately, garnished with rosemary, lemon slices, and parsley.
Notes
- Easily shred your cooked chicken in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
- Shredded cabbage is also a great substitute if you don’t want to use zucchini noodles.
- Try using leftover turkey from the holidays instead of chicken breast.
Optional add-ins: ground turmeric, fresh minced ginger, orzo, thyme, thin rice noodles, chickpeas, lentils. - Make this soup vegetarian or vegan by omitting the chicken and using vegetable broth.
- Prep ahead: spiralize the zucchini and chop the vegetables up to 2 days in advance. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
- If using pre-cooked chicken instead of cooking chicken in the soup, add it to the soup when you add the zucchini noodles.
- Using a bag of frozen mirepoix (onions, celery, carrots) will reduce the prep time.
Leftovers will store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Dannii says
Such a great lighter alternative to chicken noodle soup. So comforting too.
Sharon says
I was looking for a recipe like this, thank you for sharing! It was absolutely delicious. My whole family loved it (and no complaints about the vegetable noodles)!
Katherine says
I love this healthy twist on chicken noodle soup! Zoodles are such a great idea!
Jen says
This was my first time using zoodles in a recipe and I loved it! I can't wait to explore all the zoodle recipes out there!
Dana says
You don't even miss the noodles in this recipe! Still tasty slurp-worthy goodness, and it's so satisfying!
Kali Alexandria says
Love the added zoodles to this soup! So tasty!
Ieva says
This was yummy! And surprisingly filling! Perfect lunch for an autumn day and it's been ; long due I used the spiralizer I forgot I had 😀