Best Chicken Soup For A Picky Eater With Autism

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Best Chicken Soup for a Picky Eater with Autism: A Personal Journey

Food. It is such a basic part of life, but for many families with a picky eater with Autism, it can feel like a battleground. I did not fully grasp how complex and challenging this could be until I was in the thick of it with my own child.

Texture, color, smell, temperature – you name it. Every meal felt like navigating a minefield of potential sensory triggers.

For us, this struggle became very real when my picky eater with autism child’s eating habits narrowed down to just two foods: apples and fries.

That was it.

No vegetables, no proteins, nothing else.

It was not just picky eating – it was survival mode for them, and it sent their BMI plummeting to dangerously low levels.

Watching your child lose weight and strength while refusing everything you offer is terrifying. I spent countless nights worrying and trying to figure out how to help.

Eventually, we brought in an specialist for my picky eater with autism, and food therapy became part of our routine.

If you have ever faced this challenge, you know how overwhelming it can be. Food therapy helped us slowly, gently introduce new foods, but it was not an overnight solution.

The journey was long and exhausting, but it also taught me a lot about patience, creativity, and resilience – not just in my child, but in myself.

If you want to read more about that journey, or you wish to start doing some food therapy with your picky eater with autism at home, you can read my post on how I did it here

But, during this time I was finding recipes with little to no texture and adding all types of food in it that would still keep it delicious but also very nutritious.

Some of the recipes that I have come up with that are acceptable and eaten by my picky eater with autism I have put below.

Feel free to check them out!

The Link Between Being A Picky Eater With Autism

When I think about how it started with my picky eater with autism, it all comes back to their unique sensory world.

Foods that seemed perfectly fine to me like a crunchy apple or mashed potatoes can feel completely overwhelming to them.

The textures, smells, or even the way the food looks might just be too much for their system to handle. I have noticed that sticking to familiar foods is their way of finding comfort and predictability in a world that often feels chaotic.

Understanding these challenges has helped me be more patient and creative in introducing new foods, always respecting their boundaries and celebrating even the smallest progress.

ARFID

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a condition that often comes up when talking about being a picky eater with autism.

For some picky eater with autism, eating challenges go beyond just being selective about food – it can feel like a daily battle.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder is not about being a picky eater with autism who is being stubborn; it is a deeply rooted issue tied to sensory sensitivities, anxiety, or past negative experiences with food.

For my picky eater with autism, mealtimes used to feel overwhelming. Certain textures like mushy or slimy foods made them gag, while others, like crunchy foods, were their safe haven.

I later learned this could be linked to Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, where the fear of certain food experiences (like choking or vomiting) can make someone avoid entire food groups.

Combined with my picky eater with autism’s sensory challenges – where smells, colors, and even the way food is presented can feel too intense – it all started to make more sense.

In our case, understanding Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder and its connection to autism helped me approach eating habits with more empathy and patience. It also taught me to celebrate small victories, like trying a new food or even tolerating it on the plate.

Food therapy and working with professionals helped immensely, but the key was realizing that picky eating was not about defiance.

It was about navigating a world that often feels overwhelming.

My Breakthrough: Chicken Soup

During those tough times, I dove deep into the kitchen, determined to find something nutritious that my child could tolerate and enjoy.

The key was to create meals that were gentle on their senses – no overwhelming textures, no jarring contrasts, just smooth, consistent flavors.

I experimented with everything from custards to soups to puddings, and along the way, I found a few recipes that became absolute lifesavers.

One of those was this chicken soup. It is simple, but it is magic.

Why?

Because it ticks every box for a picky eater with autism who struggles with sensory issues:

Texture-friendly: I carefully prepare the ingredients so they are uniform in texture. No chunky surprises or mushy bits – it is all smooth and consistent.
Nutrient-rich: Packed with vitamins, minerals, and proteins, this soup is a powerhouse of goodness. For a picky eater with autism who was not eating much, this was vital.
Soothing and easy to eat: It is warm, gentle on the stomach, and perfect for days when they needed comfort without overwhelm.

Texture Troubles: Why This Soup Works

I will be honest: texture issues are not just my child’s challenge because they are mine too. I completely understand how overwhelming it can be to eat something with multiple textures in one bite.

Runny soup with hard chunks?

No, thank you.

So, I made sure this recipe avoided those pitfalls entirely.

By dicing the vegetables and shredding the chicken finely, I created a soup that feels uniform.

The result is a bowl of warm, flavorful nourishment that does not overwhelm the senses.

My child loved it and for the first time in months, they actually asked for seconds. I can not describe the relief I felt.

Beyond the Soup: Hope for Picky Eater With Autism

This recipe was more than just a meal – it was a turning point for us.

It showed me that with patience, creativity, and a willingness to adapt, it is possible to break through the barriers for my picky eater with autism. My child’s food world has expanded so much since then, but this soup remains a staple in our house.

If you are in the trenches with your picky eater with autism, know that you are not alone.

It is tough, but there is hope. Start small, find what works for your child, and celebrate every tiny victory.

Recipes like this chicken soup might not change everything overnight, but they can be a step in the right direction – a delicious, comforting step forward.

From one parent to another: hang in there. You have got this. And if this soup helps even a little bit, it is worth sharing my story.

What you will need for this recipe.

Ingredients

1 Chicken breast
3 Large Carrots
1 Large Onion
2 Cloves of Garlic
4 Large Mushrooms
Curry powder
Turmeric Powder
Salt to taste
1 tsp Pepper

Use 2 separate pots.

One for the chicken and one for the other ingredients.

To start making the chicken soup

Very finely slice the onion into small pieces and fry it in 2 tablespoons of oil.

Keep the heat on medium/low and stir on occasion so it does not burn.

In another pot you can very finely chop the chicken breast in very small pieces also and fry it in another tablespoon or two of oil.

When I say small pieces, I mean really small pieces.

Because we do not want to overwhelm anyone with large chunks of anything in their mouth.

Having said this, we still want to know that the ingredient is chicken.

Cuz, chicken soup!

But do not make the chicken pieces so small that you cannot even discern what it is anymore.

Leave this on low heat whilst you sort out the rest of the ingredients.

And do not forget to keep stirring your chicken occasionally, to make sure it does not burn.

Alright, so next you can shred the carrots.

Or you can use a peeler to peel thin layers of the carrot.

Add it to the pot of onions and fry them together.

Carrot for chicken soup

While it is somewhat unconventional to use carrot, the vitamins that carrots bring are very good for you!

If you want to read more about the benefits of carrots read this, “MAGICAL BENEFITS OF CARROT“

If you do use a peeler then make sure to cut the strings of carrot short.

Otherwise you will end up with long string of carrot in your soup.

Which is just a big no.

Even for those who do not have issues with textures that is just not a nice thing to try to eat.

Its not bloody spaghetti is it.

Mushrooms in Chicken Soup

There are a lot of people who do not like mushrooms and do not want to eat anything which contains mushrooms.

The reason why I decided to add mushrooms into this recipe, is because it has the same texture and feel as chicken.

And if you incorporate them into each other well enough, the difference can rarely be told.

Also, mushrooms are very good for you.

If you want to read more about the benefits of mushrooms on the body read this book, “Healing Mushrooms: A Practical and Culinary Guide to Using Mushrooms for Whole Body Health“

Next you want to cut the mushrooms into very small slices.

Make sure to cut the mushroom slices to about the same size as the chicken slices and the carrot slices.

Small and thin.

Then add this to the pot with the onions, the carrots and the mushrooms and fry it all together.

Once all of this has been incorporated you can add the chicken from the other pot into the pot which you started the onions with.

Making everything be in one pot.

You must know that the carrots will begin to turn the mixture into and orange colour.

But it is at this point that you want to add the spices.

Adding the spices to the Chicken Soup

Once you have added the spices I like to give it a good stir and have the spices incorporate into the soup.

The reason why I like to keep the mixture in the heat for a long time and I finish everything, adding the water at the last resort is because it helps makes all the ingredients soft.

Boil some water and add this to the soup.

You want to add enough to create a nice layer of water that sits on top of the ingredients in the pot.

And also enough water to bring the desired consistency of soup.

And have it be slightly watery.

Because, you know. It is soup after all.

Bring this entire mixture to a boil and really let all the flavours sit with each other to really combine fully.

Remember the longer that you leave this mixture over the heat, the softer the ingredients become.

This also helps the soup become more monotone is texture.

And THIS is what we want and what we try to aim for.

Disclaimer

So this one is on you.

If you like a thinner more runnier soup then you can leave it as is.

However, I like to thicken the soup up a little bit to reduce the difference between the water and the ingredients.

If you thicken the soup up a little bit and make it less runny, it will align better with the ingredients in the soup.

This way you will not have such a huge texture difference.

How to thicken up your Chicken Soup

I like to use corn starch.

My Mother in Law likes to use flour.

The method is the same, really.

You get a tablespoon or two of flour or cornstarch in a bowl.

Add some water to make it runny. Mix it really well to not have any lumps.

Make sure that the water you add to the flour or cornstarch is cold.

Not ice cold obviously. But cold.

The reason for this is because if you use warm water the flour wil become lumpy and it will be unbelievably hard to get out all the lumps.

Impossible even.

Once you have your white water mixture, add it into the soup.

You want to keep boiling the water mixture for 3 more minutes or so.

And please do not forget to keep stirring.

Especially as the mixture starts becoming thicker and the soup starts to thicken up keep stirring.

Food Therapy For A Picky Eater With Autism

Food therapy has been life-changing for us, and I say that as a parent who has been in the trenches with a very picky eater with Autism.

My child’s diet used to be so limited that I worried constantly about their health, growth, and overall happiness. Every mealtime felt like a battlefield, with tears, refusals, and frustration from both of us.

But food therapy helped us turn a corner. The process was not quick or easy, but it was very successful. It taught me how to take baby steps – introducing new foods in ways that were not overwhelming, like pairing them with something familiar or exploring textures at their own pace.

The therapists gave me tools I never thought I would need, like turning food into fun, low pressure sensory play, which completely changed my child’s relationship with eating.

Slowly, their diet began to expand, and so did their willingness to try new things.

The best part?

Mealtime is no longer a source of stress but a chance to bond. Watching my picky eater with Autism grow braver with food choices has been a beautiful journey, and it has made me so grateful for the power of patience, creativity, and support.

My Take

Navigating life with a picky eater with Autism can feel overwhelming at times, but it is also a journey full of learning, growth, and small victories that mean the world.

This chicken soup recipe has been a cornerstone of our progress, proving that even the simplest meals can have a big impact when they are tailored to your child’s needs.

Remember, every picky eater with Autism is unique, and what works for one picky eater with autism might not work for another picky eater with autism.

The key is patience, creativity, and persistence.

You are not just feeding your picky eater with autism – you are building trust, providing comfort, and paving the way for new possibilities at the table.

If you have a picky eater with Autism in your life, I hope this recipe and our story inspire you to try something new and find your own breakthroughs.

You are not alone in this journey, and every step forward is worth celebrating.

Keep going – you have got this!