Keto Chicken Zoodle Soup

Why This Is Strictly Keto

This is classic chicken noodle soup with the wheat noodles swapped for spiralized zucchini “zoodles” — no pasta at all. The rich broth comes from simmering bone-in chicken with real vegetables and aromatics, so there’s no added starch or sugar anywhere in the pot.

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 5 medium carrots, chopped
• 5 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 large leek, cleaned and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, grated or finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 medium zucchini, spiralized into noodles
• Fresh dill, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

1. Sear the chicken: Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then sear skin-side down until golden, about 5 minutes. Remove to a plate.

2. Build the base: Add the carrots, celery, onion, and leek to the pot. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 3–5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds more.

3. Simmer: Return the chicken to the pot along with the chicken stock, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for at least 1 hour, until the chicken is very tender and reaches 165°F internally.

4. Shred the chicken: Remove the chicken and discard the thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Once cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones, shred the meat, and return it to the pot.

5. Add the zoodles: Just before serving, stir in the spiralized zucchini and simmer for about 5 minutes, until just al dente — do not overcook or the zoodles will turn mushy and watery.

6. Serve hot, garnished generously with fresh dill.

Nutritional Info (per serving, approximate)

Tips

• Add the zoodles at the very last minute — zucchini releases water quickly and will water down the broth and go soft if simmered too long.
• If serving leftovers, store the broth and zoodles separately and combine when reheating for the best texture.
• A rotisserie chicken carcass can be substituted to make the broth even richer with less active cooking time.