Chicken Detox Soup with Cannellini Beans and Kale is a delicious one-pot soup made with chicken, beans, and vegetables, and is perfect for cold winter days.
Continuing on with my detox recipes, I give you this delicious soup recipe. I can honestly already tell in the last week of eating healthier and how my body is responding. If you’ve been following me then you know I have an infatuation with soup, and this one is a sure-fire winner.
Will It Help You Lose Weight
In addition to a balanced diet, exercise is also key. With that being said you will often see a chicken in diets because it is an extremely lean protein that can also enhance the flavor of a recipe and in addition, it can also help fill you up so you’re not snacking on bad foods.
What Does Clean Soup Mean
Eating clean anything means you are using natural products free of any artificial flavors or preservatives. In this soup, I used a lot of whole fresh ingredients like vegetables, chicken, and herbs.
How to Prepare It
The great thing about preparing this is getting to use fresh in-season vegetables. I say this because this recipe is malleable and can be manipulated based on what’s in season, and what’s on sale. Since we are in peak-winter season, root vegetables and strong leafy greens like kale are what’s on my mind for this.
- Onions – small dice
- Carrots – small dice
- Celery – small dice
- Garlic – fine mince
- Mushrooms – cut into wedges
- Butternut Squash – medium dice
- Kale – julienne
How to Soak Beans
The first thing you must do for this recipe is to soak the beans.
- The easy, but long-way is to add your beans to a container and cover them with water by six inches and let them soak overnight.
- While you may not have that kind of time, a quicker way would be to submerge the beans in boiling water and let them stand for 1 hour.
Just a quick little trick there to help you on your to making this up.
How to Make It
- I usually start making this by searing off the chicken.
- During the chicken searing process, this should give you plenty of time to slice and dice up your vegetables.
- Once the chicken is perfectly golden brown on each side, remove it from the pot and add in your vegetables and saute for 10 to 12 minutes over low heat. Doing this will help bring out some flavors plus cook down the veggies a little, so you’ll have room for everything else in it.
- After the vegetables are done sautéing, add back in the chicken, the drained soaked beans and stock and slow cook your life away until the chicken easily pulls apart and the vegetables are tender.
- It will probably take about 60 to 90 minutes to get to this point. Adjust the seasonings and let it ride!
How to Serve
This soup is much more like a stew. It’s hearty, it’s chunky and it is dang good. Because I like crisp kale, I actually serve it up per order so that it stays nice and green and crisp when serving it. Nothing worse than wilted brownish kale at the bottom of a soup.
Recipe Chef Notes + Tips
Make-Ahead: Soup always tastes better the next day so if you’d like you can make this soup up to 3 days ahead of time. Follow these exact instructions and cover it and keep it cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve it with the fresh kale.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a large pot and cook over low heat until hot. You may also add your desired amount to a microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave until hot.
How to Store: Cover the soup and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
How to Freeze: The soup will hold in the freezer covered for up to 2 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating, or add directly to a pot from the freezer and cook over low until hot.
Additional Vegetables: You can also use vegetables such as spinach, collards, scallions, peas, rutabaga, parsnips, turnips or cabbage.
Other Detox Recipes
If you dig this and want to follow along, check out the recipes below!
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Pinterest and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!
Video
Chicken Detox Soup with Cannellini Beans and Kale
Ingredients
- 2 cups of cannellini beans
- 6 cups of water
- 3 8- ounce chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon of healthy cooking oil
- 2 peeled and small diced yellow onions
- 3 peeled and small diced carrots
- 3 small diced stalks of celery
- 4 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 2 cups of cremini mushrooms sliced into wedges
- 1 medium-sized peeled seeded and medium-diced butternut squash
- 96 ounces of chicken stock
- 1 bunch of julienne kale
- 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
- sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the beans to a large container and cover with water. Let sit overnight.
- To speed this process up, boil the water and cover the beans and let sit for 1 hour. Drain before using it.
- Next, season the chicken breasts on all sides with salt and pepper.
- Add the oil to a large pot over medium heat and sear the chicken breasts on both sides and cooked throughout, about 8 to 10 minutes per side.
- Set the chicken to the side and add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and squash to the pot and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes or until a light brown.
- Add the chicken back in, along with the drained beans and chicken stock.
- Cook over low heat for 60 to 90 minutes or until the chicken pulls apart with ease.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and shred. Add back to the pot along with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Serve each bowl with a small handful of sliced kale.
Notes
- Make-Ahead: Soup always tastes better the next day so if you'd like you can make this soup up to 3 days ahead of time. Follow these exact instructions and cover it and keep it cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve it with the fresh kale.
- How to Reheat: Add the desired amount to a large pot and cook over low heat until hot. You may also add your desired amount to a microwave-safe bowl and cook in the microwave until hot.
- How to Store: Cover the soup and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- How to Freeze: The soup will hold in the freezer covered for up to 2 months. Thaw for 1 day in the refrigerator before reheating, or add directly to a pot from the freezer and cook over low until hot.
- Additional Vegetables: You can also use vegetables such as, spinach, collards, scallions, peas, rutabaga, parsnips, turnips or cabbage.
Dawn M Bivens says
Do you think this would work well with an Instapot? Any tips you can think of? Just looks amazing and I’m anxious to try it.
Chef Billy Parisi says
You probably could but honestly, I don’t mess with instant pots too much so I won’t be able to give you any advice there.
Lori Fasciano says
I have been following you for a month and I love all the videos you make. Your Chicken Detox was delicious and my entire family thought it was excellent.
I used the Northern Beans instead of the Cannellini. I would of given this soup ten stars!!!1
Chef Billy Parisi says
Thank you so much for the kind words and so glad you are liking everything!
María Zavala says
Delicioso 😋
Chef Billy Parisi says
Thank you so much!
Becky says
This looks tasty, so I’ll be trying it this week, but adapting it to the slow cooker! I can’t wait.
Chef Billy Parisi says
It is really tasty, you will love it. Good luck and let me know if you have any questions.
Vicki says
Will it be good if you can’t use Garlic & Mushrooms because of food allergies?
Chef Billy Parisi says
It could be yes
Kathleen Arceo says
I made the soup today and posted on Instagram @mom23lanis
Love your recipes! Thank you.
Chef Billy Parisi says
I saw it and liked it on Instagram! I am so happy you like it, thanks for coming to my site!
Sommer says
Perfect recipe for those New Year resolutions! Doesn’t taste like detox soup at all!
Chef Billy Parisi says
Totally agree, thanks for checking out the recipe!
Courtney says
This soup is fantastic! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Chef Billy Parisi says
Thanks Courtney, it’s my pleasure!
Steph says
I’m so glad I found this recipe. I’ve been trying to eat better lately and it’s tough finding recipes that look good and are good for you. Thanks!
Chef Billy Parisi says
You and I both Steph. All this month and a bit into February I am going to be doing detox recipe so be sure to come back!
Becky Hardin says
Such a bowl of complete comfort. This soup looks so amazing!!!
Chef Billy Parisi says
Indeed it is, and it is so dang tasty!!