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Deliciously creamy, rich, and full of flavor, this Cajun chicken soup is quick and easy to make but restaurant-quality in taste. Positively delicious and naturally low carb.
🍗 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Bright, bold, delicious Cajun flavors shine in this recipe, highlighted by tender chicken, tangy tomatoes, and rich heavy cream. It’ll earn a permanent spot in your soup-season meal rotation for sure. It has one in mine!
- Every bit of this creamy Cajun chicken soup is robust, hearty, and satisfying. Packed with lean protein and naturally low carb, this is one soup that won’t have you raiding the pantry shortly after dinner.
- It keeps well and reheats even better. Just refrigerate it in an airtight container and it’ll last 5-6 days. When you’re hungry, just reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave, whatever’s handy.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- To get the juiciest, most flavorful chicken in your creamy Cajun chicken soup, use thinly sliced chicken breasts or even chicken tenders. I like to use 4 thin chicken breasts that weigh roughly ¼ pound each, or I’ll take 2 thicker chicken breasts and halve them into cutlets. That gives me more Cajun seasoning per chicken breast, and also helps them cook faster and more evenly.
- For a thicker, creamier soup, add 2 ounces of softened (room temperature) cream cheese when you add the heavy cream. For a thinner, more broth-like soup, use an additional ½ cup chicken stock.
- You can make your own holy trinity (onion, celery, and bell pepper blend) or you can probably find a frozen, pre-packaged blend at your local grocery store. It might be called mirepoix or even Cajun-style mirepoix.
🥣 Must-Make Soups for Fall
- 15 Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Creamy Keto Taco Soup
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Crockpot Zuppa Toscana (Whole30)
- Old-Fashioned Potato Soup
- Whole30 Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot French Onion Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Italian Meatball Soup with Homemade Meatballs
- Cheeseburger Soup (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy-Free)
- Smoked Turkey and White Bean Soup
Creamy Cajun Chicken Soup
Equipment
- large dutch oven or other large heavy-bottomed pot
- Large wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Cutting board
- small skillet
- Tongs
- Sharp knife
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ cups holy trinity see Notes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning divided
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes do not drain
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced thin
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil avocado, canola, etc.
- 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half, at room temperature
- chopped green onions optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat large dutch oven over medium-high heat. When pot is hot, add butter and let butter melt completely.
- Add holy trinity blend to dutch oven. Stir, then sauté blend until veggies are tender and fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.
- When vegetable blend is tender, add minced garlic to dutch oven and stir to incorporate. Sauté 30 to 60 seconds or until garlic is fragrant, then add 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning and stir until well incorporated.
- Pour 2 cups chicken stock and 1 can diced tomatoes into dutch oven. Stir to incorporate, then let mixture come to low boil. When liquid begins to boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer while preparing chicken.
- Place chicken on cutting board. Season all sides of chicken with remaining 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning. Set aside.
- Heat small skillet over medium heat. When skillet is hot, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and swirl pan to spread oil around. Continue heating skillet until oil is hot and shimmery.
- When oil is hot, place chicken in skillet. Cook 3 to 5 minutes, then flip chicken over and cook another 3 to 5 minutes or until firm.
- Transfer chicken to cutting board and let chicken cool until comfortable to handle. Chop cooled chicken into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- Reduce heat under dutch oven to low. Let mixture cool slightly, then add heavy cream and stir until fully combined.
- Add chopped chicken to dutch oven. Stir to incorporate, then let ingredients simmer and meld 3 to 5 minutes.
- After simmering, taste soup and adjust seasonings as needed. Portion soup into serving bowls and garnish with chopped green onions if desired. Serve warm.
- Holy Trinity: ½ cup chopped onion, ½ cup chopped celery, and ½ cup chopped bell pepper. You can use frozen or fresh vegetables. A lot of grocery stores offer frozen, pre-chopped holy trinity – you might find it called Cajun-style mirepoix.
- Want a creamy Cajun chicken soup with a little something extra? Check out my recipe for creamy Cajun chicken pasta soup.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Any tips to make it less oily?
Hm, you could try cooking the chicken in butter instead of neutral oil, or you might be able to just reduce the amount of oil you use to cook the chicken.
Could I freeze this recipe and if so how long do you think it would keep?
You can, yes, but the vegetables might be mushy after freezing and defrosting. Let the prepared soup cool completely, then transfer it to airtight containers or sealable food-safe freezer bags. Keep frozen up to 3 months. When you’re ready to eat the soup, defrost it overnight in the fridge first, then heat it in a saucepan over low heat until everything’s fully defrosted and warm.
Absolutely loved how easy and delicious this soup was. I added cream cheese & added a bread bowl! So happy with how it turned out!
Ooh, a bread bowl with this sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed it, Ashley. 🙂
Very good my family loved it. Very easily to cook not difficult.
So glad to hear! Thanks for sharing, Claudia. 😊
Amazing soup Thanks for letting me make
So glad you enjoyed it, Jesus! 😊
What brand of Cajun seasoning did you use?
Any will work! We like Louisiana Fish Fry brand, and McCormick has a Cajun seasoning that’s usually pretty easy to find in most stores.
Absolutely delish!!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! 😊
I had to add a lot more flavoring just to get it to have some taste. Cajun seasoning just isn’t enough. 1 Lb. Of chicken is way too much.
So sorry you had that experience, Shar! That definitely wasn’t the outcome on our end. We did note on step 11 to taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Is your Cajun seasoning older by chance? Fresh seasoning will definitely have more potency and might give you a stronger kick that you’re looking for. We appreciate your feedback.
Would it be OK to use coconut milk instead of cream? Cream would give me a belly ache.
I totally get the tummy ache, Lesley. We haven’t tested that out yet, but be sure to let us know if you try it! I’ve made coconut milk/coconut cream swaps to recipes like this before so I’m sure it would be perfectly fine.
This sounds amazing! Can’t wait to try it!
Thanks, Nicole! Let us know what you think!