This Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup recipe is a delicious, creamy, dairy free, and healthy butternut squash soup recipe made with added chicken and bacon.

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Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup in two bowls with bacon and coconut cream on top.

I’m super excited about this butternut squash soup with chicken.

It is a warm and creamy soup with a rich roasted butternut squash flavor. It has extra protein thanks to the added grilled chicken. It also has an amazing savory taste from the bacon, chicken stock, sage and thyme.

Note: this post was originally published in October 2016. It was updated with new photos and recipe tweaks in September 2020.

I partnered up with US Wellness Meats for this post and had the pleasure of testing out several of their grass-fed and all natural meat and poultry items.

Table of Contents

Why this recipe works

  • This dairy-free butternut squash soup is a cozy protein packed meal with added chicken and bacon.
  • It is versatile and can easily be adjusted to fit various diets.
  • It is FULL of vitamins and minerals. Butternut squash is a wonderful source of Vitamins A and C.
  • It is a gourmet soup that will be a crowd pleaser. Add these almond flour crackers to this soup for a nice treat!

Recipe ingredients:

Ingredients needed to make butternut squash and chicken soup.
  • butternut squash– a medium sized fresh one is perfect here.
  • shallots– you can also use regular onions, but shallots have a rich taste.
  • garlic– fresh organic garlic.
  • chicken breast– use a good quality chicken.
  • dried thyme, rubbed sage, red pepper flakes, cumin, ground nutmeg– all of these herbs and spices give this soup it’s wonderful flavor.
  • chicken stock or bone broth– either one works but bone broth has a lot more protein in it.
  • coconut cream– a high quality coconut cream adds a creamy element to the soup.
  • honey– boosts the flavor of the soup.
  • bacon– a wonderful topping for the soup, but can be optional.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

The Smoked Uncured Bacon I received from US Wellness Meats is nitrate free, has no preservatives, and only 2 ingredients–pork and salt–as it should be! It works perfectly for a butternut squash soup with bacon!

Their Chicken Stock is naturally Paleo and their chicken breast is all natural with no hormones or antibiotics, and from free range chickens that have been fed a vegetarian diet.

Side note: I was offered products from US Wellness Meats, but they did not ask me to share my opinions on my blog. My opinions are 100% my own.

Aerial view of butternut squash soup with chicken in bowls.

Easy ingredient swaps:

  • Instead of the shallots: you can use regular onions or onion powder.
  • Instead of coconut cream: you can use heavy cream, coconut milk or almond milk.
  • Instead of honey: you can use maple syrup.
  • Instead of chicken stock: you can use beef stock or vegetarian stock.
  • Instead of fresh garlic: you can use garlic powder.

Step by step soup instructions:

Butternut squash roasted on a pan.
Step 1

Step 1: Roast the butternut squash.

Cut the butternut squash in half, slather it in some olive oil and sprinkle it with some thyme, rubbed sage, salt and pepper.

Then bake it face down.

Grilled chicken with onion and garlic.
Step 2

Step 2: Cook the chicken.

Sautée the shallot and garlic in a large soup pot. Add the chicken, thyme, sage, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Once the chicken is cooked, set it aside but leave behind the onion and garlic in the pot.

Butternut squash mixed with an immersion blender.
Step 3

Step 3: Make the butternut squash soup.

Cut the roasted butternut squash into cubes and remove the skin.

Add the butternut squash cubes to the soup pan, along with chicken stock, coconut cream, honey, sage, thyme, cumin, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Boil everything together.

Then use an immersion blender or regular blender to puree the soup.

Bacon freshly cooked in a microwave.
Step 4

Step 4: Prepare the bacon.

Microwave the bacon until the bacon is crispy.

Butternut squash soup with bacon and chicken inside of it.
Step 5

Step 5: Put it all together.

  • Add the cut chicken to the soup. You can either add it all to the whole soup or add it to each individual bowl.
  • Top each bowl with crushed bacon and other toppings.

Best toppings for this chicken butternut squash soup:

Aside the crushed bacon and chicken from this recipe, there are many toppings you can add.

  • a splash of coconut cream
  • fresh herbs
  • pumpkin seeds
  • bread crumbs or croutons
  • goat cheese crumbles

FAQs:

Is butternut squash soup healthy?

Yes! It is made with simple real food ingredients. Butternut squash is low in calories but full of vitamins and minerals. Its high in vitamin A, C and magnesium.

What goes well with butternut squash soup?

Garlic bread! Salad, roasted veggies, sandwiches.

How do you store and freeze this soup?

To store: put soup into airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

To freeze: let the soup cool completely and then pour it to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for 2 months. To reheat, let the soup thaw in the refrigerator, then heat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Side view of chicken butternut squash soup in a bowl.

Other healthy soup recipes you may enjoy:

This Dairy-free Sweet Potato Broccoli Soup has a creamy sweetness thanks to the sweet potato and great broccoli flavor.

This Paleo and Whole30 Tomato Vegetable Soup is loaded with veggies and herbs and tastes just amazing!

This ground turkey and rice soup is a BOMB gluten-free and dairy-free soup full of ground turkey, rice and herbs.

This Carrot Ginger Soup by Foolproof Living is made by roasting carrots and seasoned with ginger. YUM

Other butternut squash recipes:

This Roasted Butternut Squash from Healthy Seasonal Recipes is seasoned with paprika and turmeric and is an amazing Paleo and Vegan side dish.

❤️ Check out a list of all of my soups and stews. ❤️

Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!

Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup (Paleo) | Perchance to Cook, www.perchancetocook.com

Butternut Squash and Chicken Soup (Paleo)

Dominique
A delicious creamy dairy-free butternut squash soup recipe made with added chicken and bacon.
4.42 from 17 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 55 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Course dinner
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 296 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 large butternut squash ( about 3-3.5 lbs), cut in half and with the seeds removed
  • ½ Tbs olive oil
  • 1/2 cup diced shallots (2 large shallots)
  • 1.5 Tbs diced garlic (4 cloves)
  • 1 pound chicken breast
  • 1 1/4 tsp salt divided
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper divided
  • 3/4 tsp dried thyme divided
  • 3/4 tsp rubbed sage divided
  • a pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups chicken stock ( or bone broth)
  • ½ cup coconut cream (canned)
  • 1/8 tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 Tbs honey
  • 5 strips of bacon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a cookie sheet in aluminum foil. 
  • Cover the cut sides of the butternut squash with 1/2 Tbs olive oil, a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, a pinch thyme, and a pinch sage. Place the squash face down (cut sides down) on the cookie sheet. Bake the squash in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until soft ( the time it takes to soften depends on how thick it is). Set aside to cool.
  • Put ½ Tbs of olive oil into a large soup pot over medium heat. Cook the diced shallots and garlic, until fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the chicken to the pot and cover it with 1/4 tsp salt, ¼ tsp ground black pepper, 1/4 tsp rubbed sage, 1/2 tsp thyme, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook the chicken until cooked through (4-6 mins per side depending on how thick your chicken breast is). Remove the chicken from the pan, leaving the garlic and onions in the pan.
  • Remove the butternut squash peel, and cut the butternut squash into cubes. Add the squash to the soup pan along with 4 cups of chicken stock, ½ cup coconut cream, 1/8 tsp cumin, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground pepper, 1/4 tsp dried thyme, ½ tsp rubbed sage and 1 Tbs honey. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat.
  • Puree the soup using an immersion blender or a blender. Taste and season with more salt and pepper or thyme and sage if you think the soup needs it.
  • Put 5 strips of bacon on a plate lined with paper towels and cover the top of them with paper towels. Cook for 5 minuets in the microwave. Once the bacon has cooled, crumble it up.
  • Cut the grilled chicken into bite sized pieces.  Add the diced chicken to the soup or to each individual bowl of soup. Then sprinkle soup with crumbled up bacon.

Notes

This recipe is inspired by this butternut squash soup recipe.
  • Instead of the shallots: you can use regular onions or onion powder.
  • Instead of coconut cream: you can use heavy cream, coconut milk or almond milk.
  • Instead of honey: you can use maple syrup.
  • Instead of chicken stock: you can use beef stock or vegetarian stock.
  • Instead of fresh garlic: you can use garlic powder.

Nutrition

Calories: 296kcalCarbohydrates: 17.3gProtein: 24.4gFat: 15g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!