Easy Chicken White Bean Soup with Kale and Lemon

This Easy Chicken White Bean Soup will become a staple for your family. It’s easy to make and is a healthy and comforting meal! 

We are officially in soup season and I’m here for it. Before the runny noses and scratchy throats begin, I thought it was time to start sharing comforting soup recipes. (Too late? 🤧Try this Cold-Busting Soup.)

This white bean chicken soup recipe has been one I’ve wanted to create for a while and I’m excited to share it with you today. It’s a great way to get everyone in the family to eat veggies and beans, is high protein with lean chicken, and it doesn’t make a mess in your kitchen.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easiest One-Pot Soup Recipe: I love that this soup uses minimum kitchen essentials—it makes it easier to clean up after dinner. All you’ll need is a large pot (or a Dutch oven), a cutting board, a knife, a bowl, and a spatula. Once you’re done chopping and slicing the veggies, all the cooking happens in the pot.

Gets Ready Within an Hour: This soup takes very little time and effort to get ready – like about an hour max! If you’re using leftover chicken, you can skip the step of shredding the chicken, but even that is super easy.  I like to chop and slice the veggies in advance, so all I have to do is add them in when it’s time to cook. It’s a perfect meal for busy weeknights or lazy weekends.

Healthy and Hearty: With good-for-you ingredients like veggies, protein-loaded beans, lean chicken breast, and chicken broth, this soup is just as healthy as it is tasty. If you’re following the OG recipe, it’ll effortlessly fit into a low-calorie diet.

Ingredients Needed

Avocado Oil: I use avocado oil for its high smoke point, but olive oil works, too. We’ll only need a little for sauteeing the fresh veggies.

Vegetables: You’ll need chopped yellow onion, sliced carrots, sliced celery stalks, and chopped kale. These fresh veggies will add flavor variety to the soup and boost its nutritional value.

Garlic Cloves: There’s no better way to scent a delicious white bean chicken soup than with garlic cloves. Use fresh produce for maximum flavor and fragrance. A bonus is that garlic has anti-inflammatory properties and can have antioxidant and lipid-lowering affects. (source)

Spices and Herbs: Season this easy soup with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and paprika. Adjust the seasonings to suit your taste buds. I love combining oregano and marjoram for their peppery, sweet, and fresh vibe. You can make your own combinations with thyme, basil, or dill to switch things up. Fresh herbs can also be used if you have them on hand.

Chicken Stock: Grab boxed chicken stock or low-sodium broth from the grocery store to simplify the recipe. If you have homemade frozen stock, even better! Use my recipe for homemade bone broth in the slow cooker or Instant Pot Bone Broth.

Cannellini Beans: You can use whatever white canned beans you have on hand, like white kidney beans or great northern beans. I like Cannellini beans for their creamy texture and high protein content.

Lemon Juice: A squeeze of fresh lemon juice to enhance all the flavors and add a bit of zing. Fresh lemon juice also have anti-inflammatory properties and can boost your immune system!

Optional: Serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

Find more details and the complete ingredient list in the recipe card at the bottom.

How to Make Chicken White Bean Soup

This chicken white bean soup is filling, tasty, and quick to make. It even works with leftover chicken and store-bought stock! Let me show you how easy it is to make this great recipe.

1. In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, and marjoram. Sauté about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.
3. Add the chicken stock and chicken breasts and bring to a boil.
4. Lower the heat to a simmer and allow to simmer unit the vegetables are soft and the chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove the chicken breasts, add them to a bowl, and shred them.
6. Add the shredded chicken, beans, kale, and lemon juice and cook until kale is wilted and everything is hot.
7. Optional: serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

Variations

• Replace kale with baby spinach for a sweeter bite. Just make sure you’re using fresh spinach.
• Add some sun-dried tomatoes for a subtly sweet and smoky flavor.
• If you’d prefer more of a creamy texture, make these easy changes to the recipe: First, leave out one can of the beans and blend it in a blender. Then add a few cups of the soup and blend that as well. Add everything back into the soup and you’ll have a little thicker, creamier soup. This is a healthy, delicious way to enhance this recipe of creamy soups are more your jam.
• Spice things up with a dash of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Use Leftover Chicken for This White Bean Soup Recipe?

Absolutely! Shred the leftover rotisserie chicken and add to the broth. Any leftover chicken will work; if you already have cooked chicken on hand, go ahead and use it!

What Can I Serve the Soup With?

For me, a bowl of hearty soup with crusty bread is the best comfort food, especially during the colder season. For a fuller meal for a bigger crowd, serve it with the ultimate grilled cheese sandwiches, balsamic roasted vegetables, or your favorite healthy salad.

Can I Freeze This Soup? 

Yes, you can freeze this Chicken White Bean Soup. Cool it before freezing and store it in an airtight, freezer-safe container. It will be good for up to 3 months.

If you make this soup or any of my other healthy recipes,  I’d love to see! Share a pic on Instagram and tag me and I’ll feature you in my stories. It also helps so much when you leave a review and star rating right here on the blog post in the comment section. I appreciate you!

If you’d like more healthy chicken soup recipes, scroll below the recipe card for some favorites. (Click for ALL my —> healthy soup recipes <—)

Easy Chicken White Bean Soup with Kale and Lemon

---

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

• Author: Maryea Flaherty of Happy Healthy Mama
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Diet: Gluten Free

Print Recipe

Print Recipe

Description

This Chicken White Bean Soup is easy to make in one pot and is healthy comfort food at its finest!

---

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon marjoram
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
• 4 cups chopped kale
• Juice from 1 lemon

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

1. In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, paprika, oregano, and marjoram. Sauté about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and sauté another minute.
3. Add the chicken stock and chicken breasts and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and allow to simmer unit the vegetables are soft and the chicken is cooked, about 15 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken breasts, add them to a bowl, and shred them.
5. Add the shredded chicken, beans, kale, and lemon juice and cook until kale is wilted and everything is hot.

Notes

Optional: serve with freshly shaved parmesan cheese.

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: soup recipes
• Method: stove top
• Cuisine: american

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
• Calories: 458
• Sugar: 5 grams
• Fat: 9 grams
• Saturated Fat: 2.4 grams
• Trans Fat: 0 grams
• Carbohydrates: 52 grams
• Fiber: 12 grams
• Protein: 49 grams

More Healthy Chicken Soup Recipes

We love chicken soup over here! I have a lot of great recipes for you to try. See the list below and happy cooking!

Chicken Quinoa Soup (pictured above)

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup (super high protein!)

Greek Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Vegetable Soup

Anti-Inflammatory Chicken and Rice Soup

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

Chicken Pumpkin Chili