by Kylie PerrottiPosted on January 27, 2023February 2, 2023
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This chicken soup with white beans and kale is a weeknight wonder. This one-pot chicken soup with kale requires very little fussing over the stove, and it can even be made in a crockpot if you like!
There are nights when I don’t feel like cooking and when that happens, I turn to simple, one-pot recipes. This easy chicken and white bean soup with kale is a perfect cure for those nights when you just need a break.
You need just a handful of ingredients, but you can modify this soup endlessly. Here’s what you need to make the basic recipe:
Protein: Boneless, skinless chicken thighs and white beans.
Veggies: Onion, red potatoes, and kale; try it with spinach or escarole!
Finishing touches: A little cream, lemon juice, and fresh parsley round out this one-pot chicken soup’s flavors!
How to make this chicken soup with white beans and kale:
You’ve gathered you’re ingredients and now you’re ready to start cooking! When I tell you this recipe comes together in a jiff, I mean it. Here’s what you’ll do:
Step 1: Brown up the chicken quickly! You just want to get a little Maillard reaction going on the chicken, so you only need to go 5 minutes on the first side. Tip: Make sure you pat the chicken dry and season it with salt and pepper first!
Step 2: Throw in those onions and potatoes and season all over with your garlic pepper, crushed red pepper, and more salt and pepper.
Step 3: Simmer it up! Add the beans and water or veggie stock and bring to a boil. Simmer for 45 minutes until you can shred the chicken.
Step 4: Shred the chicken. You can do this straight in the pot, or you can transfer the chicken to a bowl first. The pieces need not be super small; just break the chicken apart into bite-sized strips.
Step 5: Finish the soup! Add the shredded chicken back in, along with the kale and heavy cream. As soon as the kale wilts, add in the lemon juice and parsley.
Can I make this in a crockpot?
YES. This one-pot chicken soup with kale is super amenable to being made in a crockpot. Throw everything except the kale and cream in the crockpot. Cook it on high for 3–4 hours or low for 7–8 hours. Stir in the kale halfway through cooking. Right before serving, stir in the cream.
This recipe doesn’t require too much fussing over the stove, making it a perfect weeknight wonder recipe.
Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper and add it to the pot. Cook without moving for 5 minutes.
Flip the chicken and add the onion, potatoes, garlic pepper, and crushed red pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat and cook for 5 minutes.
Simmer the soup:
Add the beans and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.
Remove chicken and shred with two forks. They can be big pieces, no need to be fussy about it! Taste and season once more.
Finish the soup:
Add the chicken back to the pot along with the kale and heavy cream. Simmer for 5 minutes until kale is wilted. Finish with lemon juice and parsley. Taste and season once more.
To serve:
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with more parsley if you like. Enjoy!
What is the thickener in a white bean soup? In this recipe, what really thickens up the soup is the 15 oz of white beans that you are mashing and the starches from the potatoes. We aren't using cornstarch or a thickening agent in this recipe, it really doesn't need it!
Fresh Herbs:Add fresh herbs like parsley, dill, or cilantro just before serving for a burst of fresh flavor. Citrus Zest:Grate the zest of a lemon or lime into the soup just before serving to add brightness. Ginger and Turmeric:Add grated ginger and a touch of ground turmeric for warmth and depth of flavor.
Lemons are a chicken soup game changer. Why? They brighten up and balance the salty, rich flavors of the dish, and make all of the ingredients come into line. Like a vinaigrette on a salad, the pickle on a burger, and the sour cream in a coffee cake, a squeeze of lemon gives chicken soup a game-changing brightness.
Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool. Add a few tablespoons of flour or cornstarch to the bowl and whisk until it's blended smooth. Next, bring the soup to a simmer and add the mixture back to the pot. Pro tip: Don't dump in the entire mixture at once.
Consider using methods like making a roux, blending beans or legumes, using bread, adding egg yolk, pureeing vegetables, incorporating heavy cream or coconut milk, adding potato flakes or starch, or making a slurry with cornstarch or arrowroot to thicken soups without sacrificing flavor or texture.
Change up the usual chicken noodle soup completely by adding frozen corn, tortilla chips and avocados to make Mexican chicken noodle soup. You can even add a can of stewed tomatoes to really enhance the flavor.
Add Cornstarch or Flour: Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch or all-purpose flour with a small amount of cold water to create a smooth paste. Stir the paste into the soup and simmer until it thickens. Make sure to stir continuously to avoid lumps. Use Mashed Potatoes: Mashed potatoes can be an excellent natural thickener.
Whether it's white wine or vinegar, a touch of acid added to the simmering pot will create a richer finished product. That's because acid helps break down the cartilage and other connective tissues in the bones of the chicken, which helps speed up the formation of gelatin in the stock.
Vinegar, much like salt, is a flavor enhancer — it not only imparts its own taste and acidity to a soup, but in small quantities, it helps to bring out the brightness of other ingredients as well.
Add aromatics: Enhance the flavor of the broth by adding aromatics such as onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and herbs. Sauté them in a separate pan with a little oil until they are softened and slightly caramelized. Then add them to the broth and simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes to infuse the flavors.
There are several ingredients you can add to thicken bean soup while adding flavor at the same time. Try adding tomato paste, pureed vegetables like carrots or potatoes, or even a spoonful of nut butter. These additions will enhance the thickness and taste of your soup.
The most classic and surefire way to thicken a broth-based soup is with a cornstarch slurry. Whisk together equal parts cornstarch (or arrowroot) and water or broth, then whisk it into the pot of soup. A good ratio to get to a pleasant thickness without your soup tasting goopy or heavy is one tablespoon.
To make the “bean slurry,” I blended together about 1/4 cup of drained cannellini beans with 1/4 cup of the bubbling broth. Once smooth, I added the pureed bean mixture back to the soup and with a quick stir, it disappeared into the minestrone, which no longer rested in tomato-tinged water, but a buttery broth.
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