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Keto Creamy Chicken Soup

This chicken soup formula combines cream cheese and heavy cream with a broth seasoned with thyme, salt, and pepper. It is not kitchen-tested, developed through culinary reasoning only, so use the doneness checks below rather than assumptions about texture or thickness.

Recipe status: This fixed editorial formula is not kitchen-tested. The pictures are conceptual illustrations, not photographs of a cooked result. Finished yield, preparation time, texture, storage quality, and nutrition have not been measured or calculated.

Food safety first: Keep the raw chicken board and utensils separate from the spinach and other ready-to-eat ingredients. Check the largest chicken pieces in several parts of the pot with a food thermometer and continue cooking until those pieces read 165°F (74°C). Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat them to 165°F (74°C). See cooking chart four steps leftovers.

Concept illustration of chicken soup with spinach and celery in a bowl; no tested result is implied
Illustrated finished-dish concept for this untested formula.

Ingredients​

Illustration of chicken thighs, butter, broth, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, cream cheese, cream and spinach for proposed soup
Illustrated ingredients for the proposed fixed formula; use the measured amounts in the list below.
  • 28 g unsalted butter (2 tablespoons)
  • 80 g diced yellow onion (about 1/2 cup)
  • 100 g diced celery (about 2 stalks)
  • 6 g minced garlic (about 2 cloves)
  • 680 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed (about 1.5 lbs)
  • 1420 g chicken bone broth (about 6 cups)
  • 1 g dried thyme (about 1 teaspoon)
  • 3 g salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 1 g black pepper (about 1/4 teaspoon)
  • 113 g cream cheese, softened and cubed (4 oz)
  • 240 g heavy cream (1 cup)
  • 30 g fresh spinach, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)

Equipment​

  • Large pot or Dutch oven
  • Instant-read food thermometer
  • Cutting board and chef's knife
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Whisk
  • Wooden spoon
  • Ladle
  • Shallow containers for refrigerated leftovers

Method​

  1. Melt the 28 g of butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, then add the diced onion and diced celery and cook for about 4 to 5 minutes until softened.
  2. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
  3. Cube the raw chicken thighs on a cutting board reserved for raw poultry, then wash hands, the board, and the knife before handling the spinach or other ready-to-eat ingredients. Add the cubed chicken thighs to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to brown some of the surfaces; the chicken finishes cooking in the broth.
  4. Pour in the chicken bone broth and stir in the dried thyme, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered.
  5. Insert a food thermometer into the thickest part of the largest chicken pieces, checking in several locations around the pot; begin checking around 15 minutes and continue simmering until the largest pieces you check read 165°F (74°C). Checking every individual piece isn't practical, so rely on the largest pieces in multiple spots as your indicator.
  6. Reduce the heat to low, then whisk in the cubed cream cheese a few pieces at a time, stirring to combine each addition into the broth before adding more.
  7. Stir in the heavy cream and chopped spinach and simmer, stirring occasionally; begin checking after a minute or two and continue until the spinach has wilted, if needed.
  8. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve hot.

Practical notes​

  • Use a food thermometer on the largest chicken pieces in several locations in the pot to confirm they reach 165°F (74°C); checking every piece individually isn't practical.
  • Keep hands, the cutting board, and utensils used for raw chicken clean and separate from the spinach or other ready-to-eat produce.
  • Add the cream cheese gradually and off high heat, whisking to help it incorporate into the broth; full melting and final thickness are not guaranteed and depend on heat and stirring.
  • Divide leftover soup into shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking, or within 1 hour if the surrounding temperature exceeds 90°F (32°C); reheat leftovers to 165°F (74°C).

This formula contains dairy from butter, cream cheese, and heavy cream; it contains no egg, tree nut/almond, or fish ingredients based on the ingredient list above.

The ingredient choices follow a lower-carbohydrate style, but no nutrient calculation or individual keto-fit verdict has been approved for this formula.

Article history

  1. Restored as an editorially developed, not kitchen-tested recipe with a fixed formula and no measured yield, timing, sensory, or nutrition claims
  2. First published

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