Ginger Chicken Soup
This Ginger Chicken Soup recipe is simple and cozy, light yet filling. With an easy homemade chicken broth that’s flavorful with fresh ginger, lemon, and garlic, plus shredded chicken, pasta, and sweet potatoes, this soup is a comfort food win!
Easy Ginger Chicken Soup Recipe
I turn to this simple, cozy Ginger Chicken Soup recipe whenever I’m looking for a lighter meal that’s still comforting. It’s full of fresh lemon, ginger, and garlic – I adore that wonderful ginger and garlic kick! And tender chicken and sweet potatoes, plus little chewy bites of ditalini pasta add heartiness and texture. Along with my mom’s chicken noodle soup, this is one of the best homemade chicken soup recipes – perfect for a chilly day or when nursing a cold!
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Ginger Soup
Blake and I always welcome a steaming bowl of soup – and this one’s particularly wonderful when we’re craving bright, fresh flavor. Here’s why you’ll love this soup:
- An easy 1-pot meal. I love how you cook the chicken and make the broth at the same time. Then you add the rest of the ingredients to the soup pot to cook. EVERYTHING is cooked in ONE POT!
- Hearty yet light. The combination of chicken, pasta, and sweet potatoes in a light, flavorful broth makes this soup a satisfying one-bowl meal that doesn’t weigh you down.
- So flavorful. The fresh bright lemon, zingy ginger, and pungent garlic give delicious flavor to the chicken broth. Add to that, tender shredded chicken thighs (more flavorful than chicken breasts), pasta, and yummy sweet potatoes = a simple soup that’s big on flavor!
What You’ll Need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients needed to make ginger chicken soup. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.
- Chicken – For the most flavor, use skinless chicken thighs. If desired, use bone-in thighs, which will also add flavor – you’ll just have to remove the meat from the bone when shredding.
- Garlic – Add more garlic if you like a lot of kicky garlic flavor!
- Ginger – Fresh ginger is essential in this soup, do not substitute for dried ginger.
- Water – To cook the chicken in + create the soup broth.
- Salt & pepper – I use kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Sweet potatoes – You can use any variety of sweet potato or yam you prefer.
- Ditalini pasta – Or use another small, tube pasta such as macaroni.
- Lemon juice & zest – Use only freshly squeezed lemon juice for the brightest, freshest flavor.
- Soy sauce – I regularly use soy sauce in my cooking because I like different layers of salty flavor.
- Chicken bouillon – This is an optional addition that’s nice to have on hand if you’d like a bit more chicken flavor to your broth. I always keep Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base on hand.
- Cilantro leaves – Or substitute flat-leaf parsley.
How to Make Chicken Ginger Soup
Start by making the broth, which will cook the chicken at the same time. I’ve outlined how to make this ginger chicken soup below. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Make broth / cook chicken. Bring a pot of water just to a boil, with the chicken, garlic, and ginger.
- Simmer. Add salt, then reduce heat to simmer until chicken is cooked. Then remove chicken from the pot.
- Add sweet potatoes and pasta. Cook the sweet potatoes and pasta in the broth until softened.
- Shred the chicken. Using two forks, shred the chicken.
- Finish. Add the shredded chicken to the pot. Then stir in the lemon juice, lemon zest, and soy sauce. Taste test and add more salt if needed. Stir in chicken bouillon if you’d like more chicken flavor.
- Serve. Ladle soup into individual bowls. Offer fresh cilantro and black pepper alongside, for individuals to add as they like.
Tips & Variations
This is a forgiving soup recipe, ready to take on all sorts of substitutions. Check out some of my ideas below:
- Boost the chicken flavor. In my opinion, chicken thighs are the best chicken pieces for flavor – and they do impart a lot of flavor to this broth. But I also like to keep some quality chicken bouillion on hand, for adding even more cozy chicken soup flavor. I use Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base.
- If you’ll have leftovers… Like any soup that includes pasta, know that the pasta will continue to absorb the soup’s broth the longer it sits. If you know you’ll have leftovers when making this soup, consider cooking the pasta in a separate pot and then adding it to individual bowls of soup.
- Add turmeric. Like ginger, turmeric has strong antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic properties. These are all excellent qualities to look for when our immune system is needing a lift. If you’re a turmeric fan, this is a great soup for it!
- Try a different pasta shape. I prefer a small pasta for this recipe, and most often use ditalini. Some other options are orzo, rings, or small macaroni.
- Use rice instead of pasta. You can swap out the pasta for white or brown rice by cooking the rice right along with the chicken. Or if you have any leftover cooked rice from a previous meal, just add it to the soup broth toward the end of cooking, just to warm it up.
- Add white beans. Or, try white beans in place of (or in addition to) the pasta. A can of (rinsed and drained) great northern beans, cannellini beans, or navy beans would work well.
- How about quinoa? Gluten-free quinoa is a complete protein, a nice alternative to pasta, rice, or beans. Add 1-2 cups of cooked quinoa to the soup.
- Spice it up. Sprinkle a few chili flakes over your bowl if you’re feeling spicy!
- Cilantro substitute: Not a cilantro fan? Swap it out for parsley, or chopped scallions or chives.
Serving Suggestions
You can pair up a variety of other things with bowls of chicken ginger soup. I’ve included some of my favorites below:
- Grilled cheese. This always gets everyone to the table fast! An air fryer grilled cheese sandwich is my family’s favorite accompaniment to ginger chicken soup.
- Fresh bread. Toast slices of whole-grain bread and spread them with salted butter for a super simple, cozy side. Or pick up a loaf of freshly baked bread or make Texas toast.
- Homemade rolls. Make a batch of tender Rhodes rolls to go with bowls of chicken soup, or bake up my simple honey cornbread muffins.
- Popovers. My family adores popovers – and they’re so easy to make! If you have a sourdough starter on hand, sourdough popovers are a delicious choice as well.
- Salad. For the ultimate Soup & Salad meal, make a fresh winter apple salad or arugula beet salad.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
Save your leftovers for a quick lunch later in the week, or stash portions in the freezer for the next time you’re craving chicken soup. Just know that the pasta will continue to absorb the broth the longer it sits. If you’re planning for leftovers when making this soup, you could always cook the pasta in a separate pot and then add it to individual bowls of soup. Here’s how to store soup leftovers:
- Fridge – Place cooled soup in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer – To make individual portions, place personal-sized portions of ginger chicken soup in freezer-safe containers or bags, and freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrost the soup in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- To Reheat – You can reheat soup in a pot on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. Or, place the soup in a microwave-safe bowl and heat it in the microwave in 1-minute increments. Give the soup a stir after 1 minute, then keep heating and testing until the soup is heated through.
More Chicken Soup Recipes to Try
- Coconut Curry Chicken Soup
- Thai Chicken Soup
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Lemon Chicken Tortellini Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ginger Chicken Soup
Yield: 8 servings
This Ginger Chicken Soup recipe is simple and cozy, light yet filling. With an easy homemade chicken broth that's flavorful with fresh ginger, lemon, and garlic, plus shredded chicken, pasta, and sweet potatoes, this soup is a comfort food win!
Print
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs
- 6 large garlic cloves sliced crosswise into very thin rounds
- 4 ounces fresh ginger peeled and sliced crosswise into thin rounds
- 10 cups water
- ½ teaspoon Morton kosher salt
- 1 pound small sweet potatoes peeled and sliced crosswise into 1/4″ thick rounds
- 6 ounces ditalini pasta
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- zest of 1 large lemon
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 to 2 teaspoons or more Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base, if needed
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large pot over high heat, bring chicken thighs, garlic, ginger, and water to a boil.
- Add salt and reduce heat to medium to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until chicken is firm and cooked, about 10-12 minutes. Remove chicken to a cutting board and let cool a few minutes.
- Add sweet potatoes and pasta to the pot, and stir occasionally until sweet potatoes are just softened and pasta is al dente, about 10 minutes or so.
- Meanwhile, shred the chicken using two forks. Once sweet potatoes and pasta are done, add shredded chicken to the pot.
- Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, and soy sauce. Taste test. If soup needs more salt, add a bit more kosher salt and/or soy sauce. If you want a more pronounced chicken flavor, stir in some Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base.
- To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls and top with cilantro leaves and freshly ground black pepper.
Nutrition Information:
Serving: 1 Calories: 225kcal Carbohydrates: 23g Protein: 20g Fat: 6g Saturated Fat: 2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g Cholesterol: 77mg Sodium: 671mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 5g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by Spoonacular. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee accuracy. If your health depends on nutrition information, please calculate again with your own favorite calculator.
Did you make this recipe?Please leave a comment below. And share a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #afarmgirlsdabbles or tag @farmgirlsdabble!
This post was originally published in 2020, then updated in 2024.
1
First time trying this and loved it.
I made a few changes like using chicken broth instead of water, no pasta since I am keeping carbs lower and added spinach.
Hey!How much tumeric would you put in?
Hi Amy – depends on how much you like turmeric! I would start on the smaller side (1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) and increase in small increments until it’s to your liking.
Made this and it was yummy!
Awesome!! xo