This turmeric chicken soup is warm, golden, and perfect for cool days. The broth is rich with tender chicken, soothing spices, and just the right amount of earthy turmeric to help you feel nourished from the inside out. Whether you’re under the weather or just craving something cozy, this easy soup is the kind you’ll come back to all season long.
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This homemade chicken soup recipe is just what you need when you are feeling under the weather. If you love homemade soups that taste like what your grandma used to make, this soup and my popular Homemade Chicken Soup are the best. They are both Jewish penicillin for the soul.
When you see the ingredients in this turmeric chicken soup recipe, you might think I’m crazy. This soup has a vibrant yellow color that really stands out!
More Delicious Recipes with Turmeric:
If you haven’t added turmeric to your cooking, you may be surprised how good it can be. Check out more of my family’s favorites:
- Turmeric Chicken Wings – Just wash your hands well because the turmeric stained my fingers and baking sheet bright yellow!
- Turmeric Curry Lime Cauliflower makes an incredible side dish!
Ingredient Notes and Easy Swaps:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth – Feel free to use regular if you prefer not to use low-sodium. You can also use chicken bone broth.
- Chicken Breasts or Whole Chicken – Use any cut of chicken you have on hand. Feel free to use bone-in chicken if you want to add some of the nutrients from bone broth.
- Turmeric – Choose your turmeric carefully. Turmeric from foreign countries can contain lead. Make sure to buy turmeric labeled lead-free.
- Vegetables – Use the basics, such as onions, celery, and carrots. Peas, parsnips, potatoes, or sweet potatoes also taste good. Use what you have on hand.
A Note From My Kitchen
This is one of those surprise recipes that I created when our family was down with a nasty cold. I was trying to find a way to sneak in some cold-busting ingredients into my kids. I think they were surprised by the bright yellow color, but they were brave enough to give it a try. This cozy soup has been a family favorite ever since.
I tested this soup using both boneless chicken and a whole chicken. The longer simmer time using a whole chicken gives the broth extra richness, but both versions are deeply flavorful. I also played with the turmeric amount to find the right balance, just enough for warmth and color without overpowering the broth.
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How to Make Turmeric Chicken Soup (Step-By-Step)
This chicken soup with turmeric can be made in two ways. I’ve made this recipe easy, so you can use what you have in the refrigerator.
If you are using chicken breast or boneless chicken thighs:
- In a large soup pot, heat olive oil on medium heat.
- Add onion and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add other vegetables and cook for 5 minutes, or until they are tender.
- Add raw chicken breasts, water, broth, and spices.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the chicken breasts are fully cooked.
- Remove the chicken, and then shred it with two forks.
- Return the chicken shreds to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes so the flavors soak into the chicken.
If you are using bone-in or whole chicken:
- Using bone-in chicken parts or a whole chicken means this soup will require longer cooking time.
- Think of this more as a slower dump-and-go type of soup. Add everything to the pot.
- Fill the pot with water above the chicken. Cover and bring the ingredients to a boil.
- Allow the soup to boil for about 20 minutes, then turn the heat to simmer for another hour. This slow simmer allows the flavors to really build.
- This soup will taste even better the next day!
Vary the flavor by adding different vegetables:
Add some greens to make this cold-busting soup even healthier. Kale and spinach are great additions to this soup. You can also add diced pieces of winter squash or sweet potato.
Storage and Freezing Tips:
- This soup will keep fresh for up to 4 days in an airtight container or up to 4 months in the freezer.
- I love freezing this soup in Souper Cubes, which freeze the soup in individual portion sizes. Once frozen, I store the blocks of frozen soup in a freezer-safe freezer bag.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can easily omit the potatoes if you can’t eat nightshades, or try to make this soup lower-calorie. You really can use any vegetables!
I love to make a big pot of turmeric chicken soup during cold and flu season. This homemade turmeric soup freezes well, too, so be prepared this winter!
More Delicious Soup Recipes:
My family is a big fan of soup. I have a lot of hearty gluten-free soup recipes on the blog. If you enjoy soup, here are some of our favorites to try:
- Gluten-Free Matzo Ball Soup – More delicious comfort food!
- Chicken Soup with Mushrooms and Wild Rice
- 30 Minute Chicken Taco Soup
Love This Chicken Turmeric Soup Recipe?
💬 Did you make this gluten-free recipe? I’d love to hear how it turned out. Your feedback helps others (and helps me keep improving these recipes for you). ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Easy Turmeric Chicken Soup (Cold Weather Favorite!)
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth
- 2 large chicken breasts * see notes
- 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoons salt I added more later so you may want to taste and add salt as needed
- 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
- ¾ cup chopped onion dice
- 4 chopped parsnips
- 1 cup diced potatoes
- ½ cup chopped zucchini
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- cilantro for garnish
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Instructions
Using Boneless Chicken Breasts
- In a large soup pot, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat.
- Add the 3/4 cup chopped onion and cook until they become translucent.
- Add 1 cup frozen or fresh peas, 4 chopped parsnips, 1 cup diced potatoes, and 1/2 cup chopped zucchini and cook 5 minutes until soft.
- Add 2 large chicken breasts (raw), 6 cups water, 32 ounces low sodium chicken broth, and 1 tablespoon ground turmeric, 2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 bay leaf, and salt to taste.
- Cover and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce heat to medium low and cook until the chicken breasts are done.
- Remove the chicken and with two forks, shred the chicken.
- Return the chicken shreds to the pot and simmer for 10 minutes so the flavors soak into the chicken.
- Garnish with cilantro.
Using A Whole Chicken or Bone In Chicken
- *Please note that if you use a whole chicken, the cooking time will be significantly longer.
- Add all of the ingredients to a large soup pot. Fill with water and broth to cover the chicken. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Allow the soup to boil 15-20 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low and cook an additional hour.
Notes
- You can use any vegetables in this soup. I like to use what I have on hand in my refrigerator, so sometimes traditional soup ingredients like carrots, onions, and celery, as well as others like parsnips and peas, are used.
- You can use boneless chicken breasts, bone-in chicken breasts, or even a whole chicken. Just know a whole chicken will have a much longer cooking time.
- This soup will keep fresh for up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or up to 4 months in the freezer. To freeze the soup, pour cooled soup into Souper Cubes (for individual portion blocks) or a freezer safe container.
SPECIAL NOTE
Please know that every gluten free flour blend has a different starch to grain ratio. If you use a blend I didn’t test, my rule of thumb is to add more flour if your dough or batter is wet and add more liquid if the dough or batter is too dry!
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
I made this soup for my mom who came down with COVID. I wanted her to have all the good foods that help the immune system. I started out by preparing the base for Grandma’s Chicken Soup recipe with the whole organic free range chicken, carrot, onion and celery and cooking for 2 hours then saw this recipe for Turmeric Chicken Soup. I followed that pathway at midstream. I added leeks, garlic, zucchini, carrots, fresh peas, butternut squash, kale for the veggies because I had them. Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Dani, I love that you were able to combine both recipes into something delicious. I hope your mom is feeling better soon.
This is a delicious soup and soooo easy to make. My husband and my brother rave about it. Brother even wanted the recipe so that says something
I am so glad everyone loved this soup. It is one of my favorites on a cold day!
What a wonderful easy flavorful recipe. I made some for my neighbor who has been fighting a cold for three days I am sure she will enjoy this. Thank you
That is so nice of you to make this for your neighbor. I hope they are feeling better!
Hello. Is there a reason why you don’t include garlic in this recipe?
I didn’t think this recipe needed it, but please do try adding some and let me know what you think :-).