Quick Look at This Ginger Turmeric
Chicken Soup Recipe
- Ready In: 30 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Main Ingredients: Chicken thighs, vegetables, turmeric, fresh ginger, lemongrass, and orzo.
- Dietary Info: Can be made dairy-free and gluten-free with substitutions.
- Why You’ll Love It: We’re always looking for ways to keep dinner interesting, and this soup does just that with the fresh, warming flavors of ginger, turmeric, and lemongrass. Think your favorite homemade chicken noodle soup recipe, but with a little more zip!
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Familiar Soup, Fresh Flavors – I love our slow cooker chicken noodle soup, but with cold and flu season approaching, I wanted to make a comforting variation with ingredients like ginger and turmeric. I kept everything my family loves about classic chicken noodle soup (pasta, chicken, and veggies) and added a fresh, bright, and earthy flavor profile for a fun twist!
- Freezable: I purposely cook the pasta and soup separately to make this soup freezer friendly! Store extra turmeric chicken soup in a freezer safe container, place in the freezer for up to 3 months, thaw, add cooked orzo and enjoy!
- A New Kind of Noodle – There are a lot of different noodle varieties used in chicken noodle soup, and I love orzo pasta because it all fits on my spoon nicely alongside all the other soup ingredients. Plus, since it’s a smaller pasta variety, it cooks in just 8 minutes!
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
Be sure to see the recipe card below for a full listing of ingredients, instructions, and estimated nutritional information.
- Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs: Searing skin-on chicken thighs develops delicious flavor before they simmer in the chicken broth. Cooking the chicken with the bone adds even more rich, savory chicken flavor to the soup. You can also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but they’ll cook faster, so use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
- Chicken Bone Broth: Chicken stock will do, but chicken bone broth has a more full and richer flavor that will make your soup feel extra special.
- Aromatics: Ground turmeric adds warm, earthy flavor, lemongrass brings brightness, and fresh ginger adds a little zippy, peppery warmth. We used lemongrass paste to keep things easy, but fresh works too!
How To Make Ginger Turmeric Chicken Soup
Step 1 – Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
Step 2 – Sear chicken thighs on medium-high heat for 2 minutes per side in a Dutch oven and remove to a clean plate.
How To Store Fresh Ginger
If you’re like me, ginger isn’t an everyday ingredient, but when I need it, I want it to be fresh! I store extra fresh ginger in the freezer in a Stasher Bag for up to three months. Plus, frozen ginger is so much easier to grate directly into recipes like this soup or our sesame ginger dressing!
Step 3 – In the same Dutch oven, sauté onions, carrots, and celery for 2-4 minutes or until beginning to soften.
Step 4 – Add turmeric, ginger, lemongrass, lemon juice, Better than Bouillon, and chicken bone broth and stir.
Step 5 – Add thighs back to the pot and bring to a simmer for 15 minutes or until internal temp of chicken reaches 165 degrees F.
Step 6 – Remove cooked chicken thighs, shred and return to pot, discarding chicken bones and skin.
Step 7 – Cook orzo al dente in a separate saucepan per package instructions.
Step 8 – Divide the orzo between individual bowls, top with turmeric chicken soup, sprinkle with chopped parsley, and enjoy!
What We Learned Testing this Recipe
- Chicken Variety – We tested this soup with both chicken breasts and bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. While the chicken breasts cooked faster, we found that the soup lacked the rich chicken flavor we were looking for. Switching to bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs made all the difference!
- Why We Cook Orzo Separately – During our first test, we cooked the orzo directly in the broth. When we tried the leftovers the next day, the orzo had become mushy! That’s why we now cook it separately and add it to individual bowls just before serving.
Ginger Turmeric Chicken Soup FAQ & Tips
Ground turmeric has a bold, warming, and slightly earthy flavor, and after testing different ratios, we landed on 1 teaspoon. This amount balances out the ginger and lemongrass without being too bold.
Yes! Place your soup in a freezer safe container leaving some room at the top for expansion. Keep it in the freezer for up to three months. Once thawed, add freshly cooked orzo on top or your favorite cooked noodle variety.
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided (sub plant-based butter)
- 1.5 – 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon lemongrass, grated (sub lemongrass paste)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon Chicken
- 6 cups chicken bone broth
- 8 oz orzo pasta, optional*
- optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley
- serving: serve with crusty bread and butter
Instructions
- Sear Chicken: Bring a large dutch oven to a medium-high heat and melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Sear chicken on both sides for about 2 minutes. Then set aside on a plate.
- Sauté Veggies: Return the soup pot to medium high heat, melt remaining butter and then add the onions, carrots, and celery to sauté for 2-4 minutes.
- Seasoning + Broth: Add 1 teaspoon ground turmeric, 2 1/2 teaspoons ginger, 1 tablespoon lemongrass, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, and Better than Bouillon to the pot and mix everything together. Pour the bone broth into the pot.
- Simmer: Bring the soup to a simmer and add the chicken thighs back to the pot. Let simmer for about 15 minutes or until their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F (use a meat thermometer).
- Shred + Pasta: Remove the chicken thighs from the pot, discard the skin, and shred the meat. Return shredded chicken to the pot. Keep the soup warm on a low heat and bring a separate pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the orzo pasta and cook to al dente according to the package directions. Drain pasta. (Note: orzo is optional – see Note 1).
- Taste + Adjust: Taste soup and add additional salt, lemongrass, ginger or lemon – as desired.
- Serve: Divide the cooked orzo between individual bowls and ladle the chicken soup on top. Option to garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
- *Orzo: feel free to use another type of pasta or omit entirely.
- Dairy Free: use a plant-based butter instead of regular butter.
- Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free pasta or omit completely and a gluten-free Better Than Bouillon variety.
- Storage: leftover soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Highly recommend storing the soup separate from the orzo, otherwise the pasta will continue to soak up the broth of the soup.
Liz Sipley says
One of my favorite winter soups!