Roasted garlic soup with hearty chunks of chicken. This low carb chicken soup recipe makes the perfect winter warm up meal!
I feel as though I have gained a much greater understanding of the lack of personal hygiene in centuries gone by, particularly in the winter months. It has been so chilly here in New England lately, I’ve been tempted to sew myself into some winter-weight long underwear and not take them off until the first signs of spring. Whenever I have to dig myself out of my mountain of warm blankets in the morning, I am struck by how warm the jammies that I am wearing are, and how cold the clothes are that I have to put on for the day. Just imagine in the 17th, 18th, 19th centuries, prior to central heating, how nice that warm layer of woolen long underwear would be, how it would provide a buffer against the chilly undressing and re-dressing in the early morn. Sure, you might be a little stinky come April, but you wouldn’t have had the torture of putting on cold jeans in the early morning hours!
Comforting Low Carb Chicken Soup Recipes
Alas, I am fairly certain that such behaviour would get me committed to the nearest psychological ward. So my defense against the cold weather comes in the form of low carb soup. Hot soup and plenty of it, please! I’ve actually been eating a fair bit of soup for breakfast. Or rather, second breakfast, after I come home from dropping the kids off at school and the house has that extra empty, chilly feel.
I pop something like Chicken Roasted Garlic Soup or Paleo Thai Chicken Zoodle Soup into a pot to heat. Then I pour it into a bowl and settle down at my computer, sipping and slurping my way to warmth. A bowl of soup so infinitely satisfying and warms me right down to my toes. It’s like an internal set of woolen long underwear and it has the added advantages of tasting delicious and not offending the olfactory senses of friends and family.
The idea for this Roasted Garlic Soup Recipe actually came to me while I was very sick over Christmas. Sadly, Santa decided to bring me a case of strep throat for Christmas, and I was trying to battle it through natural means, which meant eating a large amount of raw garlic (talk about offending the olfactory senses of my loved ones!).
Health Benefits of Roasted Garlic Soup
Garlic has plenty of antibiotic properties, but only really in its raw form. Still, the idea of roasted garlic as the base of a low carb chicken soup lodged in my fevered brain and I kept mulling it over for a while. I knew I wanted big, hearty chunks of chicken in the soup as well, preferably thigh meat. I came across a recipe on Epicurious.com for the garlicky, creamy base. I made a few changes that suited me and broiled some boneless, skinless chicken thighs to add to the mix. It made an incredibly satisfying, warming dinner. And a great second breakfast the next day…no long underwear needed.
If you have never roasted garlic before, it’s not difficult at all. If you want to roast an entire head of garlic, Crunchy Creamy Sweet has a post that explains how to roast garlic, and Savory Sweet Life has one that explains how to roast cloves of garlic.
- 20 cloves garlic unpeeled
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion thinly sliced
- 12 cloves garlic peeled
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1 ½ lbs cooked chicken thighs or breasts cubed
- Salt and pepper to taste
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Preheat oven to 350F and place unpeeled garlic cloves in a shallow baking dish. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss to coat.
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Roast until garlic is golden brown, about 35 minutes.
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Cool and squeeze out garlic with fingers into a small bowl.
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In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and cook until translucent, about 6 minutes.
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Add roasted garlic, additional garlic cloves, and thyme and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant.
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Add chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes.
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Puree using a blender or immersion blender. Stir in whipping cream and cooked chicken and season with salt and pepper.
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Warm through and serve.
Serves 6. Each serving has 7 g of carbs.
Katharine says
I have been making your spicy italian sausage soup from your cookbook WEEKLY. I LOVE soup and that was is perfect!! I like garlic, but don’t love it when it’s all I can taste. Does this soup taste like straight garlic, or is it just part of the flavor? I shall be brave and take a risk! 🙂 btw – my acupuncturist had my husband eating 10+ raw cloves a day for 10 days when he had an intestinal parasite! Unfortunately it didn’t work to clear the parasite (stubborn booger), but we figured the health benefits were great anyway. Hope the raw garlic kicked your strep!
Carolyn says
It’s not all that garlicky because of roasting it first. It’s definitely mellow, not like raw garlic at all. And it’s rich and creamy to boot!
Brian @ A Thought For Food says
HA! I feel the same way. Some days I REALLY don’t want to go outside. This soup looks so incredibly comforting.
[email protected] says
Oh my, wish I had a big pot of this simmering away right now…
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Even though we’ve had a spell of warmth here, I am totally down for shoving myself into some super warm clothes and not coming out, while eating this soup. But alas I must work. And I don’t think hoodies and sweatpants are lab-attire
Kiersten @ Oh My Veggies says
Roasted garlic is pretty much the best ingredient ever, in my humble opinion. Especially in soup!
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc. says
oh my! Must try this! Bookmarked
helen says
Wow….looks gorgeous & yummy..:-)
Alice @ Hip Foodie Mom says
This soup looks so delicious. . my husband and I love roasted garlic anything so definitely will try this!! Love it!
Sarah says
Hello! I just wanted to let you know you have readers all across the globe who appreciate your work, I’m in Sweden and found your blog just some days ago. You are an amazing cook. Such an inspiration! It makes my transition from eating high carb to low carb so much more appealing now that you’ve shared some of your delicious recipes 🙂 THANK YOU!
Kind regards,
Sarah
Susan says
The LOTR nerd in me loves that you used the term “second breakfast.” 🙂 What a great soup, I wish I had this earlier in the week when I was suffering from a sore throat myself! Will have to keep it in mind next time for some natural remedies!
Aileen says
I love garlic., smell and all. In fact, most of our native dishes are never without it. Wow, if you’re having that dilemma over winter, I wonder how I would fare. I’d probably just freeze into a ball. I have very low tolerance for cold weather. Even the rainy season here in the tropics sometimes gives me chills already.
zena says
For a stronger garlic taste double the roasted garlic but don’t let it get brown that makes it bitter. Just soften it in the oven maybe 20 minutes. Half the bullion and double the cream. Add garlic powder as well. Really spin in a food processor or blender, not for a short time but longer than suggested. I then returned it to the pot added mushrooms peas and the big chuncks of chicken. Loved it….Thanks for the idea!
Carolyn says
Great tips!
The Mom Chef ~ Taking on Magazines One Recipe at a Time says
You sound like me. I don’t have to leave the house in the morning, but I’ve made the decision to get fully dressed right away anyhow. Otherwise, yeah, I’d be that stinky jammy-bound girl. Our heat pump is worthless so the house stays pretty cool. After I’ve had my morning coffee, I’m always on the hunt for something to warm my tummy. And, since I love creamy soups, you’re talking straight to me. I’m sold; this looks fantastic (as always).
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
This soup looks so dang delicious, hope your strep is gone!
MarciaH says
I’m wondering where the “high” carb count comes from. Doesn’t seem like a very high carby bunch of ingredients–especially compared to some of the yummy baked goods you come up with. And yet it’s about twice the average count for one of your recipes (albeit not in “net carb” form). Looks very yummy and I just happen to have all the ingredients on hand. I’m in the Greater Boston area, so I’ve also been soldiering on through the bitter cold snap we’ve been having. Definitely soup weather. Today, on the other hand, it’s in the high 50’s. Still soup is always welcome. In my book.
Carolyn says
Garlic and onion have a surprising amount of carbs! Really, I was blown away when I first started developing recipes, to find that some of the things I assumed would be high carb are low, and vice versa. Neither have much fiber, so you can’t take anything away to get net carbs. Still, it’s delicious and worth it.
[email protected] says
I remember my Grandpa wearing those jammies! He took them off in 2002! ;-D
I feel you…it’s SO cold! 15 degrees this morning without the windchill.
This soup is going on my weekend menu. My husband is going to flip when he sees this… the man loves garlic so much that he wants me to put it in chocolate cake. I know, I know…freak.
Bethany says
In step 7 it says to puree using blender. I’m a little confused–what exactly is being pureed? Thanks so much! The recipe looks simple enough and so yummy! that I want to try it tonight! 🙂
Carolyn says
You are pureeing the garlic and onion, to get a smooth soup base. I suppose you could leave it as is, but since the garlic cloves went in whole, it would be quite chunky.
Bethany says
Thank you very much for clarifying. 🙂 I’m definitely making this today!
Aimee @ ShugarySweets says
20 cloves of garlic? You speak my language! I LOVE this!!!!
Amy Tong says
I love garlic! I think I’ll love this soup a lot…..but I rather don’t have a cold so I really taste everything, especially the garlic in here. 🙂 This is certainly a heart and tummy warming dinner. 😉
Jeanette says
We love garlic in our house – I use it in almost everything I make. This looks like a really cozy soup Carolyn – I agree, no long underwear needed 😉
Russell van Kraayenburg says
I was trying to decide what to make for dinner tonight with chicken and I think you just helped me decide. Thanks!
Alicia Allard says
This sounds so good but there is one problem. It has whipping cream and I’m lactose intolerant which means no milk or whipping cream though cream cheese is okay.
What would be a good substitute for the whipping cream?
Carolyn says
You could try some full fat coconut milk. Make sure to have it nicely whisked before you even put it in, so it doesn’t clump. Otherwise, you can just skip the cream altogether.
Lisa says
I made this and it is delicious. I never knew roasted garlic could be soooooo good.
AmyLW says
This looks sooooo yummy! 🙂 I can’t wait to try it. I used the sparkpeople.com recipe calculator on this. It calculates the net carbs per serving as 5.6. Just a friendly fyi. 🙂
Carolyn says
Thanks! All systems seem to be a little different, so it can be off by a few here and there.
Jenn says
I made this soup yesterday and it tastes amazing!! This will now be my go-to soup any time I am sick or just want soup for that matter!
I was wondering though if this soup would freeze well? I will thinking of making a double or triple batch and keeping some in my freezer. However, since this is the first soup I have ever made I have no idea if I can freeze it.
Carolyn says
No reason at all…great idea!
KauaiCarolAnn says
This sounds absolutely heavenly! As I was reading, I could smell the roasted garlic….but realized it was probably leftover from roasting 10 heads of garlic yesterday (for a different recipe). Off to the store tomorrow to get more garlic!
Mahalo nui for the great recipe.
KauaiCarolAnn says
Coming back to this delish recipe to add more of a review….
Of course, I had to make it as written and it was indeed heavenly!
Then I did it in the crock pot (sweet Maui onion, raw garlic, butter, thyme & basil) for 3 hours low, then added the roasted garlic, butter + used the immersion blender; adding the chicken & HWC last. Yummo!
Made it a third time sans chicken and used leftover roasted cauliflower (pureed) to thicken the cooked onion/herb/garlic mixture & roasted garlic, topped with a sprinkle of crispy chopped bacon and grated co-jack cheese and it was similar baked potato soup….I thought I was cheating!
Mahalo nui again for such a great recipe AND the inspiration to make two additional hearty soups!
Carol
Sarah says
This soup looks delicious! I’m just wondering if anyone has tried to make it in a croc pot, and if the recipe should be altered in any way if I were to make it this way. Thanks!
AmberQ says
Wow! We LOVED this soup! I’ve been sick the last 3 days and have been living off of it. I’m going to make a big batch to freeze for those times I’m too sick to cook, although it’s so easy that it doesn’t take much effort. Seriously one of the most amazing soups I’ve had! Thanks!
Carolyn says
I hope you’re feeling better and glad my soup could help!
Natalie says
This soup looks amazing! Planning to make it today but just one problem.. I don’t have enough Chicken Stock (crazy, I know). Do you think I could make this with 1 cup chicken stock and half beef stock half water, or with 1 cup chicken stock and 3 cups water?
Thanks so much and I really hope you could help me!
Carolyn says
YOu can try, but it will have a little less flavour and you may need to add a touch more salt.
Becky says
My hubby bought me a blender that also cooks soup – right in the blender pitcher! This will be perfect for that. Instead of roasting the garlic in the oven I’ll peel and cover the cloves with plenty of EVOO and simmer gently on the stove until soft. That will give me a bit of garlic-infused oil to use in dressings as well as a small spoon on top of my soup. Can’t wait to make it!
Carolyn says
Wow, that sounds like an interesting kitchen gadget!
Peewee Furman says
I just discovered this after a search for soup de jour! 🙂 I was checking the spelling,turns out either du jour or de jour is correct. Anyway, your blog is just what I need during this cold snap here in the midwest in early December,on top of me being diabetic.My numbers have been creeping up so low carb and gluten free;that’s for me. I’ll be following you from now on,Carolyn. Thank you!
Carolyn says
That’s such a funny way to have come to my blog, but glad you found it!
Roseann says
Thank you, Carolyn!
I saw this recipe one snowy night and had enough for one half of a batch. I even had enough of the CSA garlic I’ve been hoarding all winter. It was heavenly! The aroma of the roasted garlic filled my house and it was delicious just to breathe it in! I definitely had some for second breakfast the next morning.
I just went shopping, and I’m going to make a whole recipe tomorrow.
This time, I may share . . . or maybe not.
Carolyn says
Glad you liked it!
Keri B. says
I made this Monday night & we loved it (how can you not love something with roasted garlic??), but I just had leftovers for lunch & I swear it was even better! The only problem with this soup is stopping yourself from eating the whole pot! 😉
Just FYI to us it wasn’t near enough for six servings so we made it four servings, & for that amount with my ingredients MFP said 420 calories & 11 net carbs…so worth the carbs though!
Carolyn says
We always pair soup with big salads so that helps. And garlic itself has a surprising amount of carbs so you have to spread it a little more thinly! But yes, worth the carbs!
Mea says
I just made this for lunch and have to say, its probably one of the best soups I have ever had. I can’t stop eating it!! Thanks so much for this!
Melissa Donovan says
Hello, I prepared this on the stove this afternoon and then moved it to the crockpot with the chicken to just continue heating for the rest of the afternoon. What would you recommend to thicken it with as it looks pretty liquidy at this point.
Will it continue to thicken as it cooks or should I try something like gluccomanan or cornstarch…I don’t have any xanthum gum.
Thank you for your assistance.
Carolyn says
It’s not meant to be super thick, but if you want it thicker, I think some starch would be good. I’ve never used gluccomanan.
Melissa Donovan says
I appreciate your feedback. I used Cornstarch and it tasted delightful. I am looking forward to cooking it again!! Blessings~~
tiffany says
Would xanthan gum do it too?
The flavor is amazing but I do wish it was a little more “bisque-y”.
Carolyn says
Probably, but I would tread lightly there, it can really gum it up if you use too much.
Anne O says
Carolyn this is so yummy. I made it today even though I live in so cal and it’s 95 outside. Left out half the garlic added mushrooms and raw spinach at the end–yummy–definitely a keeper! Will be awesome in cold weather. Thanks again for delicious recipes.
Carolyn says
Your changes sound great!
Barbara says
Soooooooooooooo good! Amazingly good. Added the chicken but didn’t really need it. Devine!
Kinzie says
Thank you, thank you!!! I have a friend that has been in the hospital with pneumonia earlier this week. She’s gluten-free; its very cold here; thus, I was hunting for a comforting soup to make for her. I came across your recipe, & from her very grateful follow-up, it sounds like it hit the spot & brought the flavorful comfort for which I’d hoped! Again, can’t thank you enough 😉
dao says
Great soup! I added broccoli and highly recommend throwing in greens. Thinking of trying asparagus next time!
MrsAmyLW says
This is amazingly good. This will now be my standby soup whenever I get sick.
Lori says
I always use Trader Joe’s frozen garlic when I cook. Can you replace the roasted garlic with that or will that not work cause it’s not roasted?
Carolyn says
I use those cubes ALL the time, but I am doubtful they would work in this case.
Bernadette Wheeler says
I recently made this soup and it was delicious. I even had a guest who didn’t like garlic rave about it and ask for the recipe! I did use already peeled garlic and added grated cheese and bacon crumbles on top.
Now on to learning how to make a good keto French bread to go with it!
Thank you so much for this post. It will be a winter staple.
Brenda says
Oh my goodness, I saw this recipe yesterday and thought how I really have to try this asap. Well, it is cooking now, and the smell is just incredible! I can not wait to actually get it in my mouth.
Brenda says
And, now, I can officially say that everyone LOVED it, even the picky 4.5 years old 😉 thank you for such a keeper of a recipe!
Carolyn says
Yay!!!
Foodie says
Just made this and it is everything you think it will be. Delish. A note to some beginner cooks such as myself: My first time roasting garlic today. I did not know they would explode if left for too long. I set a timer and walked away. My oven is now a garlicky mess LOLOL. I will be doing some heavy duty cleaning in the next day or two. I added mushrooms to this soup and used leftover rotisserie chicken from Publix. 4.5 out of 5 stars from me. Thanks for sharing.
Kristin Casebolt says
I only have Chicken broth, what would I need to add if I used this instead of the chicken stock? or would it be better to go out and get some chicken stock?
Carolyn says
It’s fine, you can sub it in.
Jacqueline says
I plugged this recipe into My Fitness Pal and I only get 1g of carbs. Where are your 7g of Carbs coming from?
Carolyn says
I think MyFitnessPal is leading you astray. Every single clove of garlic has 1 g of carbs. That means 32g per the entire recipe. Plus an onion, which has about 10 g of carbs for the whole onion. 42g of carbs for the whole recipe, divided by 6 servings = 7g carbs.
Sandy Stamper says
This was delicious! I did as another suggested and added a box of mushrooms. I sautéed them first in a little butter and added them with the chicken and whipping cream. Thank you, Carolyn!
samantha steven says
Great recipe!!! I made it last night for dinner and both my husband and I loved it!
H says
I love this recipe but I’m trying to diet and there isn’t nutritional detail
Protein, fibre etc
Carolyn says
You can easily run the numbers yourself in MyFitnessPal or other online programs.
Adrienne says
That’s what I did. I modified it too so MFP is great when you change things slightly!
Adrienne says
This was awesome! It will definitely be added to my regular meal preps. I ate it by itself. So I also added cauliflower so it would be more filling. Great recipe!