Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe
This Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe is packed with tender chicken, hearty beans, and fresh vegetables all simmered together in one comforting pot. I love how easy it is to make and how full of flavor it tastes, especially on chilly days when a warm bowl makes everything better.
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 them 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 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 easily.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and shred them. Add back to the pot along with fresh thyme, salt, and pepper.
- Serve each bowl with a small handful of sliced kale.
Notes
One of my best tips for making my Chicken Vegetable Soup is to always sear the chicken before adding the stock and vegetables. DO NOT SKIP IT! When you take that extra minute to brown it, the flavor deepens and the broth tastes rich and homemade. Those little bits at the bottom of the pot mix into the soup and make it taste so hearty that reminds me of slow-cooked soup made from scratch.
Add more vegetables: I sometimes mix things up by adding spinach, collards, scallions, peas, rutabaga, parsnips, turnips, or even cabbage. Each one brings its own flavor and texture, making the soup even heartier.
Thick and hearty texture: This soup cooks up more like a stew, full of chunky vegetables and tender chicken. I like to keep the kale crisp, so I add it just before serving to keep it bright and fresh.
Quick bean soaking: I pour boiling water over the beans and let them sit for about an hour. It softens them quickly and saves me from soaking overnight.
Season as you go: I taste the broth a few times while cooking and add more salt or herbs if needed.
Cook it slow: I let the soup simmer on low heat to give the chicken time to become tender and the vegetables to absorb the flavors. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes.
Make-Ahead: Soup always tastes better the next day, so if you'd like, you can make this soup up to 3 days ahead. Follow these instructions, cover it, and keep it cool in the refrigerator until ready to serve it with the fresh kale.
How to Store: Cover the soup and keep it in the refrigerator for 5 days. 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.
How to Reheat: Add the desired chicken vegetable soup to a large pot and cook over low heat until hot.
Nutrition
Calories: 116kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 9gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 444mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 5852IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 52mgIron: 1mg