Hearty and Easy Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

Warm, comforting, and full of wholesome ingredients, this chicken and pumpkin soup is a perfect blend of hearty and easy. With tender vegetables, shredded chicken, and a touch of turmeric, it’s a simple, flavorful meal for any day of the week.

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With Halloween behind us, I found myself with an abundance of pumpkin. Instead of letting it go to waste, I decided to put some to good use. While I appreciate the local ranches and farms that often take donations, they'd already received plenty—and, honestly, I wasn’t up for a 10-minute drive to drop off a few $2 pumpkin.

So I turned to ChatGPT:

I have pumpkin potatoes sweet potato five chicken drumsticks, onion, celery and also parsley. I want to make chicken soup out of it please help me write a recipe. The way I used to do it in the past is by first searing the chicken a little bit and then just adding everything else with some cumin and salt. And then cook it for a long time. Please help me with the recipe. PS the celery does not have the leaves.

It responded:

Here's a chicken soup recipe using your ingredients and your preferred cooking method:

Hearty Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 5 chicken drumsticks

• 1 small onion, chopped

• 1 stalk celery (without leaves), diced

• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cubed

• 1 cup pumpkin, peeled and cubed

• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• Salt, to taste

• 8 cups water or chicken stock

Instructions

1. Sear the Chicken

   • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.

   • Place the chicken drumsticks in the pot and sear them on all sides until they’re lightly golden.

2. Add Aromatics

   • Add the chopped onion and diced celery to the pot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they start to soften and become fragrant.

3. Add Vegetables and Seasonings

   • Stir in the potatoes, sweet potato, and pumpkin. Sprinkle with cumin and a generous pinch of salt. Mix everything together briefly.

4. Simmer the Soup

   • Pour in the water or chicken stock, ensuring the drumsticks and vegetables are fully submerged.

   • Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

5. Final Touches

   • Taste and adjust salt as needed. Add the chopped parsley during the last 5 minutes of cooking.

6. Serve

   • Remove the drumsticks from the pot, shred the meat off the bones, and return the meat to the soup (optional).

   • Ladle the soup into bowls and enjoy!

This soup is wholesome, aromatic, and perfect for using your ingredients! Let me know how it turns out.

I wanted more veggies for more flavor so I said:

2 onions. More potatoes also. Also more pumpkin. And parsley should be added towards the end. I actually prefer the onion in larger cuts, like quarters.. I usually take out the chicken and clean it from skin and bones and then put back in the soup.

So it updated:

Here's the revised recipe with your method:

Hearty Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 5 chicken drumsticks

• 2 medium onions, quartered

• 1 stalk celery (without leaves), diced

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

• 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed

• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

• Salt, to taste

• 10 cups water or chicken stock

Instructions

1. Sear the Chicken

   • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.

   • Place the chicken drumsticks in the pot and sear them on all sides until lightly golden.

2. Add Aromatics

   • Add the quartered onions and diced celery to the pot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.

3. Add Vegetables and Seasonings

   • Stir in the potatoes, sweet potato, and pumpkin. Sprinkle with cumin and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well.

4. Simmer the Soup

   • Pour in the water or chicken stock, ensuring all ingredients are submerged.

   • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

5. Prepare the Chicken

   • After simmering, remove the chicken drumsticks from the pot. Allow them to cool slightly, then carefully remove the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat and return it to the soup.

6. Final Touches

   • Taste and adjust salt as needed. Add the chopped parsley during the last 5 minutes of cooking for a fresh flavor boost.

7. Serve

   • Serve hot and enjoy the comforting flavors of your homemade chicken soup!

This matches your preferred cooking method. Let me know if you'd like any other tweaks!

Oops! Cumin in soup.. Yuck. So revised:

I meant turmeric not cumin 

And it updated:

Here's the revised recipe with turmeric instead of cumin:

Hearty Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 5 chicken drumsticks

• 2 medium onions, quartered

• 1 stalk celery (without leaves), diced

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

• 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed

• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• Salt, to taste

• 10 cups water or chicken stock

Instructions

1. Sear the Chicken

   • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.

   • Place the chicken drumsticks in the pot and sear them on all sides until lightly golden.

2. Add Aromatics

   • Add the quartered onions and diced celery to the pot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.

3. Add Vegetables and Seasonings

   • Stir in the potatoes, sweet potato, and pumpkin. Sprinkle with turmeric and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well.

4. Simmer the Soup

   • Pour in the water or chicken stock, ensuring all ingredients are submerged.

   • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

5. Prepare the Chicken

   • After simmering, remove the chicken drumsticks from the pot. Allow them to cool slightly, then carefully remove the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat and return it to the soup.

6. Final Touches

   • Taste and adjust salt as needed. Add the chopped parsley during the last 5 minutes of cooking for a fresh flavor boost.

7. Serve

   • Serve hot and enjoy the rich flavors of this comforting soup!

Let me know if you'd like any more adjustments!

Carrots! I accidentally bough a bag when we already had one. So had to put them to use:

I forgot I also have a lot of carrot

So it revised the recipe:

Here's the updated recipe with carrots included:

Hearty Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 5 chicken drumsticks

• 2 medium onions, quartered

• 1 stalk celery (without leaves), diced

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed

• 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed

• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds

• 1 handful fresh parsley, chopped

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• Salt, to taste

• 10 cups water or chicken stock

Instructions

1. Sear the Chicken

   • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.

   • Place the chicken drumsticks in the pot and sear them on all sides until lightly golden.

2. Add Aromatics

   • Add the quartered onions and diced celery to the pot. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until they begin to soften.

3. Add Vegetables and Seasonings

   • Stir in the potatoes, sweet potato, pumpkin, and carrots. Sprinkle with turmeric and a generous pinch of salt. Mix well.

4. Simmer the Soup

   • Pour in the water or chicken stock, ensuring all ingredients are submerged.

   • Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

5. Prepare the Chicken

   • After simmering, remove the chicken drumsticks from the pot. Allow them to cool slightly, then carefully remove the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat and return it to the soup.

6. Final Touches

   • Taste and adjust salt as needed. Add the chopped parsley during the last 5 minutes of cooking for a fresh flavor boost.

7. Serve

   • Serve hot and enjoy this hearty and colorful chicken soup!

Let me know if you'd like to make any more changes!

I then wasn't in the mood to wash parsley (although it's a great addition to soup, so feel free to add it to yours). I also wanted something super simple, no frying. So I asked-

Drop parsley. Also not going to fry the onion. Only chicken and then throwing all of the veggies in. Also I only have a Small sweet potato. Question- No oil to sear chicken? Also, sweet potato just cut in 2 because otherwise it falls apart in long cooking.

It responded:

Here's the adjusted recipe:

Simple Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 5 chicken drumsticks

• 2 medium onions, quartered

• 1 stalk celery (without leaves), diced

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut in half

• 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed

• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• Salt, to taste

• 10 cups water or chicken stock

Instructions

1. Sear the Chicken

   • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.

   • Place the chicken drumsticks directly into the dry pot and sear them on all sides until lightly golden.

2. Add Vegetables and Seasonings

   • Add the quartered onions, celery, potatoes, sweet potato halves, pumpkin, and carrots directly into the pot. Sprinkle with turmeric and salt.

3. Simmer the Soup

   • Pour in the water or chicken stock, ensuring all ingredients are submerged.

   • Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and let it simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Prepare the Chicken

   • After simmering, remove the chicken drumsticks from the pot. Allow them to cool slightly, then carefully remove the skin and bones. Shred the chicken meat and return it to the soup.

5. Serve

   • Serve hot and enjoy a simple and hearty chicken soup!

No oil is used for searing the chicken in this recipe, following your preference. The chicken will release its natural fat as it sears, preventing sticking and adding flavor to the soup. Let me know if you'd like to adjust this!

As I was cooking, I tasted, and saw it missed a bit of flavor. So I asked:

Add to bay leaves and a little bit of black pepper

And here is the recipe:

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Servings: 6

Calories per Serving: ~220 kcal

Total Time: 2 hours (10 minutes prep + 1 hour 50 minutes cooking)

Hearty and Easy Chicken and Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients

• 5 chicken drumsticks

• 2 medium onions, quartered

• 1 stalk celery (without leaves), diced

• 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

• 1 small sweet potato, peeled and cut in half

• 2 cups pumpkin, peeled and cubed

• 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds

• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric

• 2 bay leaves

• A pinch of black pepper

• Salt, to taste

• 10 cups water or chicken stock

Instructions

1. Sear the Chicken

   • Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.

   • Place the chicken drumsticks directly into the dry pot and sear them on all sides until lightly golden.

2. Add Vegetables and Seasonings

   • Add the quartered onions, celery, potatoes, sweet potato halves, pumpkin, and carrots to the pot.

   • Sprinkle in the turmeric, bay leaves, black pepper, and salt.

3. Simmer the Soup

   • Pour in the water or chicken stock, ensuring all ingredients are submerged.

   • Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Prepare the Chicken

   • Remove the chicken drumsticks from the pot. Let them cool slightly, then remove the skin and bones. Shred the meat and return it to the soup.

5. Serve

   • Enjoy hot, savoring the warmth and nourishment of this hearty soup.

Nutritional Information (Per Serving)

• Calories: ~220 kcal

• Protein: 15g

• Carbohydrates: 28g

• Fat: 5g

• Fiber: 5g

• Sodium: 500mg (varies by salt and stock used)

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Ingredients

Sear the Chicken

Sear the Chicken

Add Vegetables and Seasonings

Add Vegetables and Seasonings

Add Vegetables and Seasonings

Simmer the Soup

Simmer the Soup

Simmer the Soup

Adjust taste

Prepare the Chicken

Prepare the Chicken

Prepare the Chicken

Prepare the Chicken

Serve

Serve