The temps are getting colder and I’ve got a beautiful soup for you that was inspired by my Grandmother Gloria. If you’ve been reading AK for a while, you know that my Grandma is one special lady. And she’s feisty too! Storytime: a few years ago my Grandma was in a hit-and-run car accident. She was okay but unfortunately, her car had a few thousand dollars worth of damage.
BUT this is where the story gets good: instead of reporting the hit and run to the police, she got back in her car and chased him down so she could get his information. As in, she literally cut him off the road so that she could get his insurance info. By the way, she’s 82 years old.
I told you she was feisty.
Sharing that story and this butternut squash green chile chicken soup together makes the most sense because it’s both fiery and comforting at the same time (kind of like Gloria). My Grandma shared this recipe with me a year ago, and I made a few changes to adapt to where I live and what’s available this time of year. If you’ve had my green chile chicken pozole, also inspired by Gloria, you’re going to LOVE this fall take!
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Butternut squash green chile chicken soup ingredients
This cozy butternut squash green chile chicken soup is filled with nourishing ingredients and warming flavors that are perfect for colder months. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:
- Produce: this veggie-packed soup has butternut squash, green bell pepper, an onion, and corn all simmered together. We’re also adding fresh cilantro, garlic and a squeeze of fresh lime juice for brightness. Learn exactly how to cube your butternut squash with this tutorial!
- Green chiles: you’ll also need a can of mild green chiles to give it a wonderful, unique flavor.
- Herbs & spices: all of those cozy flavors come from ground cumin & oregano. You’ll also need plenty of salt & pepper to season the soup.
- Chicken: this soup packs plenty of protein thanks to boneless skinless chicken thighs that cook right in the broth.
- Broth: you’ll also need some low sodium chicken broth to cook the soup.
Simple ingredient swaps
This butternut squash green chile chicken soup is very easy to customize with produce and other ingredients you have on hand. Here’s what I can recommend:
- Choose your produce. My grandma Gloria typically makes the soup with fresh cubed pumpkin and a Hatch green chile, which are both fantastic! When I originally made this soup I simply didn’t have either of those things, so I opted to use butternut squash and canned green chile.
- Go vegetarian. Feel free to omit the chicken and add a can of chickpeas instead. Then be sure to use low sodium vegetable broth.
- Add more heat. This soup already has a little heat, but feel free to use regular green chiles instead of mild ones if you love spice!
- Keep it paleo. Simply omit the corn to keep the soup paleo-friendly.
Want to make this soup heartier?
I think adding 1/2 cup of uncooked quinoa, rice, or pearl couscous would also be delicious and add wonderful heartiness. Just add it when you stir in the chicken, corn, and broth.
Green chile chicken soup in 4 easy steps
- Saute your veggies. You’ll start by cooking down the garlic, onion, green pepper & cilantro in a large pot with some olive oil.
- Add the squash & spices. Once the onions are translucent, stir in the cubed butternut squash, green chiles, cumin & oregano.
- Chicken time. Next, add in the chicken broth and chicken thighs, along with the corn, salt, pepper & lime juice. Bring it all to a boil, then cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer it.
- Shred & serve. Once the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the pot and shred it with two forks. Get our best tips for shredding chicken here! Then add it back to the soup, taste and adjust your seasonings, and serve.
See how to make the green chile chicken soup
How to store & freeze this soup
- To store: store this butternut squash green chile chicken soup in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Feel free to reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop!
- To freeze: let the soup completely cool and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container (or multiple containers for meal prep purposes). Freeze for up to 2 months. To reheat, first let the soup thaw in the refrigerator, then heat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.
More healthy soup recipes to try
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- The Best Minestrone Soup
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I hope you love this butternut squash green chile chicken soup. Best served with saltine crackers and a smile. If you make it be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked it. P.S. thanks grandma for the recipe inspiration. I love you!
Butternut Squash Green Chile Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large white onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, diced very small
- ¼ cup diced cilantro
- 1 (4 ounce) can of mild green chiles (or use 1/4 cup freshly roasted and seeded chopped hatch green chile)
- 4-6 cups cubed butternut squash
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 4 cups (32 ounces) organic low sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 (15 ounce) can organic corn, drained (leave out if paleo)
- 1 small lime, juiced
- ½ teaspoon salt + more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place a large dutch oven or pot over medium high heat and add in oil. Once oil is hot, add in garlic, onion, green pepper and cilantro; cook for a few minutes until onion becomes translucent.
- Next immediately add in your green chiles, butternut squash, cumin and oregano. Saute for a few more minute to let the spices cook a bit, then add in chicken broth, chicken thighs, corn, salt and pepper and lime juice.
- Bring soup to a boil, then cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20-30 minutes until chicken is fully cooked and no longer pink.
- Once chicken is cooked, remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a cutting board to shred with two forks. Add chicken back to pot, taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serves 4.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
This post was originally published on January 1, 2018, republished on October 22, 2021, and republished with new photos on January 24th, 2024.
Wonderful! I blended a bit of the squash to make a heartier base. If I still lived in Santa Fe, NM. I would have loved to have used Hatch chili. I used chilis I grew in the garden in Portugal and charred them over the stove flames. Delish!
Perfect! A hatch chili sounds delicious, too!
My sister-in-law made this and we loved it! I will make it here very soon!
So happy to hear that!
Wow! Amazing! I did add the half cup quinoa, because I had it. I had chicken cooked leftover. Just delicious! I forgot the lime until I was ready to serve…no problem! So glad to have found this recipe.
Such a great way to use leftovers! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Oh my! This soup is phenomenal and it’s so versatile. I cubed some chicken breast instead of thighs. Used precut butternut squash. Omitted the cilantro (hubby says it tastes like soap) . When serving I added a ladle full of thin queso dip (just velveeta and rotel) a sniffer of sour cream and cubed avocado . Crunched up tortilla chips on top. So so amazingly good!! Don’t be afraid to switch things up a little with the soup . I also added more chicken broth as I had extra veggies and chicken . But the flavor of this stuff is so freaking good! It’s a keeper folks!
This one’s so great for customizing! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
I wish I could give this a higher rating! Absolutely amazing! It’s easy to make, very good, and a definite keep.to make again!
One of my favs, too! Glad you enjoyed!
Delicious. Served with cornmeal muffins for a cozy meal.
The perfect combo!
So easy and quick. Easily substituted with chicken breast instead of thighs, and frozen corn because that’s what I had handy. I also had some leftover cooked rice I heated up and threw in. Super satisfying and balanced!!!
Perfect! So happy you enjoyed!
Awesome soup. The flavors of the Butternut Squash Green Chili Soup were complex and so flavorful. Many layers of delicious yum! My husband and I enjoyed it and will be making it again for dinner gatherings with friends. Did not add the green chili and made my own chicken stock using two boneless chicken breasts. I added the boiled and shredded chicken breasts into soup along with homemade broth. All the spices and veggies I followed exactly and the combination was perfect.
One of our favs, too! So glad you both loved it!
I make this all the time and it disappears quickly. A favorite.
One of my all-time fav soups!
So flavorful and easy to put together. Would make again!
So glad you loved it!
Another delicious recipe from your website! I will definitely be ordering your cookbook for even more tasty recipes.
Glad you loved this! And thank you SO much!
I am planning on making this but do you think frozen cubed butternut squash would work in this recipe?
Yes I think so!
So satisfying and everyone I make it for always wants the recipe
So happy to hear that!
We’ve been looking for a recipe to consume a bunch of butternut squash. Like most, we don’t care for the flavor plain or in soups where it is the dominant component. This recipe neutralizes the squash flavor ( especially if u pressure cook it, pieces reduce) and turns it into more like a small potato chunk. Chicken salt and herbs and spice’s dominate.
Perfect! Glad you found this one!
YUM! This was such a perfect winter weeknight dinner. I added in quinoa and used frozen peppers and corn and it came together quickly. Another delicious dish we will add to our weekly rotation. Thanks, Monique!
Perfect! So glad you loved it!
Butternut chicken yummy
Come back every year and make this amazing soup for the winter. Delicious, filling and super easy to make.
So happy to hear that!