Chicken soup in a pumpkin

Bone-in chicken and vegetables bake inside a whole pumpkin until it makes its own broth. A cozy, viral fall soup with just 10 minutes of prep.

Course Soup

Cuisine Mediterranean-Inspired

Keyword chicken soup, pumpkin

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 2 30

Total Time 2 40

Servings -6 people

Calories 452kcal

1 large (shorter, rounder) pumpkin, washed, cut a lid in the top, clean out the seeds and the stringy pulp
6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (or mix of drumsticks and thighs)
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper
4 large garlic cloves, smashed
2 cups roughly chopped green cabbage
2 tbsp Better than Bouillon chicken base
2 large carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 large leek, trimmed, light green and white parts chopped
2 shallots, quartered
1 medium yellow onion, cut into 1/6th or 1/8th's
2 bay leaves
2- inch piece of lemon peel
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 360F.
Prepare the pumpkin - wash, cut a lid in the top, clean out the seeds and the stringy pulp.
Place the chicken pieces at the bottom of the pumpkin. Layer on top of the chicken the kosher salt, ground pepper, smashed garlic cloves, chicken base, chopped carrots, chopped potatoes, chopped leek, chopped shallots, chopped onion, bay leaves, lemon peel and sprigs of fresh thyme. Drizzle everything inside liberally with olive oil.
Place the top back on the pumpkin. Coat the outside of the pumpkin with olive oil and then place the pumpkin in a large high-sided baking dish or cast-iron skillet.
Bake for 2 ½ - 3 hours, until the pumpkin is very tender; the pumpkin skin is very dark; and, the broth is at the top of the pumpkin cavity.
Remove lemon peel, thyme sprigs and bay leaf before serving.
Scoop out soup, chicken and some of the pumpkin from the inside into a bowl and serve. Season with salt to taste.

A shorter, rounder large pumpkin works best so that it fits well in the oven.
The broth doesn't start to produce in the pumpkin until the pumpkin has been in the oven for at least 2 hours.
You can use boneless chicken BUT keep in mind the bone-in, skin-on chicken provides much more flavor.