You know those days when you just need food that hugs your insides, but you’re trying really hard to keep things clean and straightforward? I live for those moments, and that’s exactly how this **Chicken Quinoa Soup** came to be! My whole goal here at Top Chicken Eats is proving that healthy food doesn’t have to be fussy or leave you hungry later. You can learn more about my philosophy over at my ‘About’ page!
This soup is the absolute perfect marriage of feeling nourished and truly comforted. We pair protein-packed chicken with the beautiful, naturally gluten-free power punch of quinoa. Trust me, it becomes one of those go-to, effective, and super satisfying meals, especially when life gets a little hectic.
I always recommend this recipe when someone tells me they need a wholesome meal that doesn’t require an advanced degree to pull off. It’s simple, balanced, and just tastes like care in a bowl!
Emma Brooks is Registered Dietitian and Flavor Strategist at Top Chicken Eats. Based in Boston, she brings an balanced and modern vision to comfort food, helping readers savor every bite while nourishing their bodies correctly.
Why This Chicken Quinoa Soup is Your New Favorite Healthy Soup Recipes
Listen, there’s a reason this is one of the most requested Healthy Soup Recipes in my rotation. It just *works*. When you’re looking for something genuinely nourishing that still feels like comfort food, this Chicken Quinoa Soup delivers on every promise. It supports your health goals without feeling restrictive, which is everything to me!
Here’s why you’re going to love having this in your dinner rotation:
- It’s genuinely satisfying. We aren’t talking about a thin broth leftover; this soup is robust enough to be a full meal.
- It’s incredibly versatile, which means you can easily adapt it to whatever veggies you have on hand.
- Total time is under 45 minutes! That makes it a lifesaver on busy weeknights when you need a reliable Healthy Dinner Recipes option.
- It freezes beautifully, making it a superstar for your meal prep plans.
Packed with Protein Meals for Lasting Fullness
This soup is a heavyweight champion when it comes to keeping you full. We’ve got lean chicken working hard, but the real nutritional MVP here is the quinoa. It packs a serious plant-based protein punch. When you combine those two, you get a beautifully balanced meal that wards off those mid-afternoon energy slumps. You eat it, and you *stay* full—that’s the goal!
Simple Preparation: The Ultimate One Pot Meals Solution
Seriously, you only need one big pot for this whole operation. I can’t tell you how much I hate dishes, so keeping everything centered in one Dutch oven is crucial for me. We are talking about a full, hearty meal—vegetables, protein, whole grain—that comes together, start to finish, in about 45 minutes. It’s the definition of efficient cooking for your One Pot Meals collection.
Essential Ingredients for Perfect Chicken Quinoa Soup
Okay, let’s talk about what goes into this magic pot! For the Chicken Quinoa Soup to really sing, we rely on straightforward ingredients that pack a nutritious punch. When you check off these lists, you’re halfway to having one of the best Healthy Dinner Recipes ready for the table. Pay attention to the prep notes—they really make the difference in the final texture!
Ingredients for the Soup Base
This part builds the body and warmth of the soup, setting us up perfectly for that cozy dinner feeling. You’ll need:
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- 2 celery stalks, sliced.
- 3 carrots, chopped—make sure they aren’t too giant!
- 1 cup of yellow onion, diced up nicely.
- 4 garlic cloves, minced fine—don’t skimp here!
- 2 bay leaves for that deep, aromatic background note.
- 1 pound of chicken breast (that’s usually about 2 average breasts).
- 1 cup of quinoa, and this is crucial: make sure you give it a good rinse first!
- 7 cups of chicken broth—keep a splash extra nearby just in case it thickens up too much.
- 2 teaspoons of hot sauce—this is my little secret weapon to wake up the flavors, adjust to your preference.
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt, plus more later if needed.
- Black pepper to taste.
Garnish Ingredients
These finishing touches bring brightness and freshness right before serving. We aren’t making anything complicated here—just simple flavor boosters:
- Lemon juice, just a squeeze to taste once it’s done simmering; this is optional but highly recommended!
- 1 serving of fresh parsley, chopped roughly for sprinkling over the top.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Your Chicken Quinoa Soup
Alright, ready to see how fast this nourishing **Chicken Quinoa Soup** comes together? Since this is a fantastic One Pot Meals solution, cleanup is a breeze. The key here is to layer those flavors beautifully at the start and then just let the pot do the heavy lifting for you. Don’t rush the sautéing, and you’ll be rewarded!
Sautéing Aromatics and Building Flavor
First things first, get that olive oil warm in your big Dutch oven over medium heat. Toss in your chopped onion, carrots, and celery. You want to let these sauté for a good 5 to 7 minutes. We are softening them up and letting them get just a little sweet—that’s where the deep flavor foundation comes from!
Simmering the Chicken Quinoa Soup
Once the veggies are looking happy and translucent, it’s time to add the heavy hitters! Throw in your bay leaves, the whole chicken breasts, the rinsed quinoa, your 7 cups of broth, hot sauce, and salt. Give that a good stir, bring it all up to a rolling boil, and then immediately drop the heat down low. Let it simmer away gently for about 30 minutes, or until that chicken breast is perfectly cooked through. That’s 30 minutes of hands-off deliciousness!
Shredding the Chicken and Final Seasoning
When 30 minutes hits, carefully lift those cooked chicken breasts out using tongs and set them on a cutting board. While they cool for just a second, break out two forks and shred that chicken until it’s nice and stringy. Dump all that shredded goodness right back into the pot with the simmering quinoa. Finally, stir in black pepper to taste and add your lemon squeeze and chopped parsley right before you serve it up hot!
Expert Tips for the Best Chicken Quinoa Soup
We’ve got the solid foundation for a fantastic **Chicken Quinoa Soup**, but you know I always have a few little tricks up my sleeve to make sure your bowl is absolute perfection. These small steps—the ones your nonna might have taught you—are what elevate a good soup into an amazing, deeply satisfying one. Since this recipe is meant to be a cornerstone of your Protein Meals plan, paying attention to the details really pays off in texture and flavor!
Quinoa Rinsing and Cooking
You absolutely cannot skip rinsing that quinoa! I know, I know, it sometimes feels like an extra step, but trust me on this one. Quinoa naturally has a coating called saponin, and if you don’t wash it off well, it can leave your soup with a slightly bitter, soapy aftertaste. I usually stick mine under cool running water in a fine-mesh strainer until the water runs clear—it takes about a minute. Once that’s done, it cooks up fluffy and neutral, perfect for soaking up all that savory broth flavor.
Making This a Great Clean Eating Recipes Option
If you are really serious about keeping this within a strict Clean Eating Recipes framework, the broth is the biggest thing you can control. Store-bought broths can sometimes sneak in surprising amounts of sodium, and honestly, way too many stabilizers. My best advice? If you can swing it, use homemade chicken broth—it tastes a thousand times better! If you have to buy it, look for the lowest sodium version you can find, or even look for bone broth if you want an extra nutrient boost. Being mindful of that one ingredient really cleans up the whole profile of this **Chicken Quinoa Soup**.
Serving Suggestions for this Comfort Soup Recipes Dish
Even though this **Chicken Quinoa Soup** is truly a complete meal on its own—seriously, it’s packed!—sometimes you just want something extra to dunk in that savory broth. I avoid heavy sides because we want to keep that nourishing feeling light, not sluggish. It pairs wonderfully when you think about those easy lunch ideas we all love.
For cozy nights, keep it incredibly simple. A slice of crusty whole-grain bread that’s lightly toasted is perfect for soaking up the last flavorful drops of this Comfort Soup Recipes dish. If you are serving it up for dinner, try pairing a small bowl with a crisp, vibrant side salad dressed with just lemon and a drizzle of good olive oil. That little bit of freshness cuts through the richness perfectly. You truly won’t need much else!
Storage and Reheating Instructions
One of the best things about this **Chicken Quinoa Soup** is how perfectly it keeps! This isn’t like a delicate cream soup where everything separates awkwardly in the fridge. Since quinoa holds up so well, this stays nearly as good on day three as it did on day one. That makes it a dream for leftovers and meal prepping!
When you’re done eating, make sure you let the soup cool down just a bit on the counter before you seal it up. Hot liquid can cause condensation inside the container, which isn’t ideal. Store whatever you have left in a truly airtight container. I use glass ones because I like seeing what’s inside! You should be good to go in the refrigerator for about four to five days.
Reheating is super easy, but you need to be gentle with it. If you dump a huge serving straight onto high heat, the quinoa can get a little too soft. I always recommend reheating the soup slowly on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Give it a gentle stir every minute or so. If it looks a little too thick after simmering, just splash in a little extra broth or even just water—it rehydrates perfectly!
Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Quinoa Soup
I get a ton of questions about tweaking recipes, which is totally normal! When you’re eating this often—like with these fantastic Healthy Dinner Recipes—you want it to fit your life perfectly. Here are the ones I hear most often about adapting this cozy, protein-packed bowl! Before you go too far down the rabbit hole of recipe changes, just remember that all recipes here follow my standard guidelines, which you can see reflected in my standard operational policies.
Can I use brown rice instead of quinoa in this Healthy Dinner Recipes?
That’s a great question about substitutions! You absolutely can use brown rice, though I have to give you a heads-up: the texture and cooking time will definitely change. Quinoa cooks pretty fast, usually right alongside the chicken breast. Brown rice takes longer—closer to 40 or 50 minutes on a low simmer, depending on what kind you use. If you switch to brown rice, you should probably add the rice about 15 minutes *before* you add the chicken, or cook the rice separately until it’s nearly done first. It won’t have that same wonderful, slightly nutty pop that quinoa gives you, but it works in a pinch!
How do I make this soup vegetarian?
Oh, I love making meatless versions of these Protein Meals! The swap is super simple. You’ll need about 2 cups of cooked beans like cannellini or chickpeas to replace the bulk of the chicken, or you can load it up with hearty vegetables. If you go the veggie route, I suggest sticking to heartier stuff like cubed sweet potato or mushrooms added when you sauté the aromatics. For the broth, just make sure you use a high-quality vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. It keeps that comforting flavor profile while still feeling substantial and satisfying.
Is this soup suitable for meal prepping?
Yes! This is one of my favorite Comfort Soup Recipes for meal prepping because it holds up so well. I mentioned it earlier, but I want to stress it again: this soup is perfect for making a big batch on Sunday. If you are preparing for the week, here’s my trick: I sometimes cook the quinoa separately and keep it in a small container. Then, when I reheat the soup base and chicken, I just add the pre-cooked quinoa spoonful by spoonful. Why? Quinoa will continue to absorb the broth even in the fridge, so cooking it separately lets you control the final thickness much better when you reheat individual portions over several days. It keeps the texture spot-on!
Nutritional Information Estimate for Chicken Quinoa Soup
Okay, let’s dive into the numbers, because while flavor and comfort are my main goals, knowing what you’re fueling your body with is super important too! Since this **Chicken Quinoa Soup** is designed to be a powerhouse Healthy Dinner Recipes option, I tracked the components closely.
Keep in mind, these figures are just estimates based on the precise ingredients listed above, divided across 6 generous servings. As always, exact totals vary based on the specific piece of chicken you use or how much salt you decide to add at the end!
For roughly one serving (one bowl) of this fantastic soup, here is what you are looking at:
- Calories: Approximately 320-350 kcal
- Protein: Around 30-34g (That’s the chicken and quinoa working together!)
- Fat: About 10-12g (Mostly healthy fats from the olive oil)
- Carbohydrates: Near 28-32g (Coming from the quinoa and vegetables)
See? It’s perfectly balanced! It hits that sweet spot where you feel completely satisfied, you’ve got all that great fiber and protein, but it’s not heavy or bloated. This makes it an ideal choice if you’re keeping track of your intake, supporting your Weight Loss Soup journey, or just aiming for a consistently balanced diet!
Share Your Experience Making This Chicken Quinoa Soup
Now that you’ve got the recipe for what I consider one of the ultimate Comfort Soup Recipes—my take on the **Chicken Quinoa Soup**—I truly want to hear from you!
Did you try it out? Did you add a little secret spice of your own? Did you swap out the carrots for sweet potatoes? Cooking should always be a dialogue, not a dictatorship! Please take a second to scroll down, leave a rating—I’m hoping for five stars, naturally!—and drop a comment telling me how it went.
Seeing your successes is what keeps me passionate about creating these nourishing, joyful recipes. If you need to reach out directly with questions or feedback, you can always find my contact form available here.
Happy cooking, and remember to savor every wholesome spoonful!
Warmly,
Emma Brooks, RD
Chicken Quinoa Soup
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. Sauté for 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables soften.
- Add the bay leaves, chicken, quinoa, chicken broth, hot sauce, and salt. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Use kitchen tongs to remove the chicken and place it on a cutting board. Use two forks to shred the chicken, then place it back into the pot.
- Add black pepper, fresh parsley, and/or lemon juice to taste and serve.