diff --git a/spring-cloud-netflix-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/netflix/zuul/filters/route/SimpleHostRoutingFilter.java b/spring-cloud-netflix-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/netflix/zuul/filters/route/SimpleHostRoutingFilter.java
index cdefd022..a76a5dd5 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-netflix-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/netflix/zuul/filters/route/SimpleHostRoutingFilter.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-netflix-core/src/main/java/org/springframework/cloud/netflix/zuul/filters/route/SimpleHostRoutingFilter.java
@@ -63,6 +63,7 @@ import org.apache.http.impl.client.HttpClientBuilder;
 import org.apache.http.impl.client.HttpClients;
 import org.apache.http.impl.conn.PoolingHttpClientConnectionManager;
 import org.apache.http.message.BasicHeader;
+import org.apache.http.message.BasicHttpEntityEnclosingRequest;
 import org.apache.http.message.BasicHttpRequest;
 import org.apache.http.protocol.HttpContext;
 import org.springframework.cloud.netflix.zuul.filters.ProxyRequestHelper;
@@ -271,34 +272,13 @@ public class SimpleHostRoutingFilter extends ZuulFilter {
 		URL host = RequestContext.getCurrentContext().getRouteHost();
 		HttpHost httpHost = getHttpHost(host);
 		uri = StringUtils.cleanPath((host.getPath() + uri).replaceAll("/{2,}", "/"));
-		HttpRequest httpRequest;
 		int contentLength = request.getContentLength();
 		InputStreamEntity entity = new InputStreamEntity(requestEntity, contentLength,
 				request.getContentType() != null
 						? ContentType.create(request.getContentType()) : null);
-		switch (verb.toUpperCase()) {
-		case "POST":
-			HttpPost httpPost = new HttpPost(uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
-			httpRequest = httpPost;
-			httpPost.setEntity(entity);
-			break;
-		case "PUT":
-			HttpPut httpPut = new HttpPut(uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
-			httpRequest = httpPut;
-			httpPut.setEntity(entity);
-			break;
-		case "PATCH":
-			HttpPatch httpPatch = new HttpPatch(uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
-			httpRequest = httpPatch;
-			httpPatch.setEntity(entity);
-			break;
-		default:
-			httpRequest = new BasicHttpRequest(verb,
-					uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
-			log.debug(uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
-		}
+
+		HttpRequest httpRequest = buildHttpRequest(verb, uri, entity, headers, params);
 		try {
-			httpRequest.setHeaders(convertHeaders(headers));
 			log.debug(httpHost.getHostName() + " " + httpHost.getPort() + " "
 					+ httpHost.getSchemeName());
 			HttpResponse zuulResponse = forwardRequest(httpclient, httpHost, httpRequest);
@@ -314,6 +294,43 @@ public class SimpleHostRoutingFilter extends ZuulFilter {
 		}
 	}
 
+	protected HttpRequest buildHttpRequest (String verb, String uri, InputStreamEntity entity,
+											MultiValueMap<String, String> headers, MultiValueMap<String, String> params)
+	{
+		HttpRequest httpRequest;
+
+		switch (verb.toUpperCase()) {
+			case "POST":
+				HttpPost httpPost = new HttpPost(uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
+				httpRequest = httpPost;
+				httpPost.setEntity(entity);
+				break;
+			case "PUT":
+				HttpPut httpPut = new HttpPut(uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
+				httpRequest = httpPut;
+				httpPut.setEntity(entity);
+				break;
+			case "PATCH":
+				HttpPatch httpPatch = new HttpPatch(uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
+				httpRequest = httpPatch;
+				httpPatch.setEntity(entity);
+				break;
+			case "DELETE":
+				BasicHttpEntityEnclosingRequest entityRequest = new BasicHttpEntityEnclosingRequest(verb,
+						uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
+				httpRequest = entityRequest;
+				entityRequest.setEntity(entity);
+				break;
+			default:
+				httpRequest = new BasicHttpRequest(verb,
+						uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
+				log.debug(uri + this.helper.getQueryString(params));
+		}
+
+		httpRequest.setHeaders(convertHeaders(headers));
+		return httpRequest;
+	}
+
 	private MultiValueMap<String, String> revertHeaders(Header[] headers) {
 		MultiValueMap<String, String> map = new LinkedMultiValueMap<String, String>();
 		for (Header header : headers) {
diff --git a/spring-cloud-netflix-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/netflix/zuul/filters/route/SimpleHostRoutingFilterTests.java b/spring-cloud-netflix-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/netflix/zuul/filters/route/SimpleHostRoutingFilterTests.java
index 7275e36d..faf5871e 100644
--- a/spring-cloud-netflix-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/netflix/zuul/filters/route/SimpleHostRoutingFilterTests.java
+++ b/spring-cloud-netflix-core/src/test/java/org/springframework/cloud/netflix/zuul/filters/route/SimpleHostRoutingFilterTests.java
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@
 
 package org.springframework.cloud.netflix.zuul.filters.route;
 
+import java.io.ByteArrayInputStream;
+
+import org.apache.http.HttpEntityEnclosingRequest;
+import org.apache.http.HttpRequest;
+import org.apache.http.entity.InputStreamEntity;
 import org.apache.http.impl.conn.PoolingHttpClientConnectionManager;
 import org.junit.After;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -26,6 +31,7 @@ import org.springframework.cloud.netflix.zuul.filters.ZuulProperties;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.AnnotationConfigApplicationContext;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
+import org.springframework.util.LinkedMultiValueMap;
 
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
 import static org.junit.Assert.assertFalse;
@@ -80,6 +86,18 @@ public class SimpleHostRoutingFilterTests {
 		assertEquals(20, connMgr.getDefaultMaxPerRoute());
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void deleteRequestBuiltWithBody() {
+		setupContext();
+		InputStreamEntity inputStreamEntity = new InputStreamEntity(new ByteArrayInputStream(new byte[]{1}));
+		HttpRequest httpRequest = getFilter().buildHttpRequest("DELETE", "uri", inputStreamEntity,
+				new LinkedMultiValueMap<String, String>(), new LinkedMultiValueMap<String, String>());
+
+		assertTrue(httpRequest instanceof HttpEntityEnclosingRequest);
+		HttpEntityEnclosingRequest httpEntityEnclosingRequest = (HttpEntityEnclosingRequest) httpRequest;
+		assertTrue(httpEntityEnclosingRequest.getEntity() != null);
+	}
+
 	private void setupContext() {
 		this.context.register(PropertyPlaceholderAutoConfiguration.class,
 				TestConfiguration.class);