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    White Bean Chicken Soup

    Brightened with fresh dill, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little jalapeño, this garlicky white bean chicken soup recipe is a fresh, modern take on classic chicken soup.

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    White Bean Chicken soup in a bowl with dill and carrots with a spoon.

    When Is Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup Quick & Easy? When it’s Rotisserie Chicken Vegetable Soup!

    We’re just giving away all of our best secrets here, aren’t we? But seriously—how many times have we talked about how much we love using already-cooked rotisserie chickens from the grocery store? They’re just SO handy. They should be on your list every week. Using an already-cooked chicken (or leftover chicken, if you happen to have it around) means that this white bean chicken soup comes together in just 20 minutes, flat. Whether you’re trying to cure a cold, or just the rainy day blues, 20 minutes is a cook time you can live with, right?

    Fresh vegetables laid out on a counter, lemons, onion, carrots, garlic, kale, sill and jalapeños

    Herby and Lemony and Bright...Comfort Food?

    We still have a little room in our retro hearts for the occasional little red can of chicken and stars, but most of the time our grown-up taste buds win out over nostalgic cravings. Classic chicken soup ingredients like chicken stock, carrots, onions and celery provide a sturdy base for more spritely, modern flavors like fresh dill, lemon juice and jalapeño. Creamy white beans and ripples of dark green Swiss chard provide an interesting and ultra-healthy compliment to meaty pieces of chicken, standing in for the more classic egg noodles. All of this deliciousness, and the (low-carb!) chicken soup recipe is easy, too? YEP! Read on, we’ll walk you through it.

    Swiss chard on the counter
    A white bowl of white beans

    How to Make Chicken Soup

    A hearty, warming bowl of garlicky, lemony chicken-bean soup is just five steps away. Here’s how to make our easy chicken soup (and just about any other chicken or vegetable soup, for that matter—these steps are basically soup 101):

    1. Sauté! Onions, carrots, celery, jalapeño, bay leaf, garlic in oil until they’re soft and fragrant.
    2. Boil. Stir in the chicken stock, white beans, shredded chicken, and dill and bring the soup to a good rolling boil.
    3. Simmer. Turn the heat down a little, and simmer until the flavors have merged—about 20 minutes.
    4. Wilt. Add a squeeze of lemon juice along with the chard, and let it wilt.
    5. Serve. Garnish with more dill, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little parmesan, if you’d like to.
    A stock pot filled with white bean chicken soup with lemon slices
    three bowls of white bean chicken soup with spoons and a linen
    A bowl of white bean chicken soup in a bowl with bread
    White Bean Chicken Soup in a bowl next to a spoon.

    Tools You’ll Need:

    White Bean Chicken Soup in a bowl next to a soup pot

    Five Chicken Soup Recipes to Get You Through Cold Season

    We can’t stop you from getting sick, but we can help make you feel better.

    White Bean Chicken Soup in a bowl
    White Bean Chicken Soup in a bowl with a spoon and crusty bread

    How Are You Feeling?

    We hope this soup cures what ails you! It’s a great one to give as part of a meal train, or to make for yourself on a cold night when you need some bone-deep warming. However you enjoy it, and whomever you share it with, we want to hear about it! Snap a photo of your white bean chicken soup and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

    Related Recipes

    White Bean Chicken Soup

    Originally published: September 20, 2016

    • Serves: 6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  35 min
    • Calories: 312
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    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 onion, finely diced, (1 cup)
    • 2 large carrots, peeled and diced
    • 2 celery stalks, finely diced
    • 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and finely diced (optional)
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 3 garlic cloves, minced
    • 8 cups chicken stock
    • 2 (14 oz cans) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
    • 2-3 cups shredded chicken, poached or from a rotisserie chicken
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
    • 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped (plus extra for garnish)
    • 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped
    • 1 lemon, juiced
    • Parmesan cheese for serving

    Method

    1. Heat the oil in a large pot set over medium heat.
    2. Sauté onions, carrots, celery, jalapeño and bay leaf until vegetables are onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
    3. Add chicken stock, beans, shredded chicken, salt and pepper and dill. Bring to a boil then reduce to a swimmer. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
    4. Add chard and lemon juice and simmer for another 10 minutes. If you like it a little bit more "bright" add more lemon juice.
    5. Serve garnished with dill and shaved Parmesan.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories312
    • Protein24 g
    • Carbohydrates34 g
    • Total Fat6 g
    • Dietary Fiber8 g
    • Cholesterol53 mg
    • sodium1666 mg
    • Total Sugars6 g

    White Bean Chicken Soup

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Shannon

      How much is considered 1 serving? 1 cup? 2 cups? thanks!

      We are working on getting yields added to our recipes but don't have that at this time! Thanks for asking.

    • Alicia

      How can I make this in the instant pot?

      I would heat the oil in the instant pot and cook the onions, carrots, celery, jalapeño until tender. Add garlic and cook a little longer. Add chicken stock, salt and pepper and dill. Seal and cook on manual mode for 10 minutes. release and stir in the beans, cooked shredded chicken, chard and lemon juice and just stir until the chard is wilted. Garnished with dill and shaved Parmesan. If you need to make it with raw chicken breast, use 1 1/2 lbs and cook the raw chicken with everything else for 15 minutes.

    • Melody Leech

      Can I use lime instead of lemon?

      Sure.

    • Patti

      Sounds delicious!
      Could another type of beans be substituted for the cannellini?
      And could I substitute kale for the swiss chard?
      Thank you!

      Yes and yes. You can use almost any bean you have on hand.

    • Donna Turner

      This is a great recipe. Great flavor. However, I dont have any swiss chard or spinach to add. Can I use cabbage?

      Sure! Sounds great.

    • Laura

      This was an easy framework for a delicious chicken soup. Very simple to adapt to whatever you have on hand. Don't skip the lemon / parmesan at the end. Wonderful.

      Thanks Laura, glad you loved it!

    • Liza

      I made this last night for the family. It was a winning recipe that everyone enjoyed!

      Thanks LIza! We are so happy you and your family love this recipe!

    • Sue

      so good! I used the stems from the chard instead of celery but followed the rest of the recipe as presented. Perfect for a cold Dec. day.

      Thanks Sue, glad you loved it!

    • Genie

      This is one of my two favorite soup recipes. It is absolutely delicious. I am making my third batch tonight. I do use spinach instead of chard and it tastes great!

      Thank Genie, we are so glad you love it so much!

    • Midori

      Amazing soup! Such a nice flavour palate, especially with the dill and jalapeno :)

      Thank you so much Midori! We're glad you enjoyed it!