This is the best chicken and kale soup recipe! Made with immune-boosting ingredients like fresh garlic, leafy green kale, bone broth, and golden turmeric. This healthy chicken soup comes together quickly in one pot and is so easy to make.
I love a classic chicken soup, but I also love taking something as simple as chicken soup and jazzing it up a bit with some extra greens, veggies, and spices. It's so easy and really elevates the nutrition and flavor.
Kale is one of my go-to greens for adding into dishes. Kale is a nutrient powerhouse! It contains fiber, antioxidants, vitamin C, vitamin E, and many other nutrients. It's no wonder I love using kale in so many of my recipes. It's great in my pesto, apple kale smoothie, and roasted butternut squash salad.
This soup is like a soothing hug... warm, comforting, and cozy. Make sure to get this chicken and kale soup on your list of things to make as we approach cold and flu season. Or get it made now and freeze some for later. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did!
Reasons to Love This Recipe
- EASY - This soup takes 10 minutes of prep and both the chicken and veggies cook in the same pot, so clean up is a breeze!
- DIETARY NEEDS - This chicken kale soup is gluten free, dairy free, Whole 30, Paleo and made from real/whole foods (for Whole30/Paleo make sure your broth doesn't have any added sugars).
- CUSTOMIZABLE - There are lots of ways to customize to your liking!
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
A complete list of ingredients and the amounts can be found in the recipe card below. Specific notes and substitutions are listed here.
CHICKEN BREASTS - I use chicken breasts, but you could use boneless skinless chicken thighs if you prefer. You could also use pulled rotisserie chicken.
CHICKEN BONE BROTH - I like using bone broth for the added health benefits, but you can use any broth or stock you'd like. For Whole30/Paleo make sure your broth doesn't have any added sugar.
KALE - Curly kale or lacinato kale works best. You can swap for spinach if you prefer.
VEGGIES: This chicken kale soup calls for the soup staples; onions, carrots, and celery. Feel free to add whatever other veggies you have on hand.
I highly recommend buying organic for the kale and celery. Both of these are on the Environmental Working Group's dirty dozen list (meaning they contain the highest amounts of pesticides).
Clean food tip: Opt for organic chicken if you can. Chicken that’s been certified organic has not been given antibiotics and has been fed organic feed. In addition, I like to look for certifications like “Certified Humane Raised and Handled”, “Global Animal Partnership” or “Animal Welfare Approved.” This ensures quality treatment of the chickens.
Clean food tip: Look at the ingredient list on your store bought broth. There are some very clean options out there and some not so clean. Some may contain sugar or added flavors, so look for one that contains a short list of ingredients like chicken, vegetables, and spices. Organic is recommended. Some of my go-tos are Pacific Foods, Kettle and Fire, and Bonafide Provisions.
How to Make Chicken Kale Soup
It takes just a few simple steps to make this healthy & easy soup!
- CHOP YOUR VEGGIES: Start this chicken kale soup by chopping up the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic.
- COOK VEGGIES AND SPICES: Add chopped veggies and extra-virgin olive oil to a large stock pot or dutch oven. Cook veggies over medium heat until they begin to soften and onions are translucent (about 10 minutes). After the veggies are cooked, add in the turmeric, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring frequently (this helps to bring out the flavor of the spices/herbs).
- ADD CHICKEN AND BROTH TO VEGGIES: Place the chicken breasts on the cooked veggies and add bay leaves and broth. Turn to high heat to bring broth to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low and let chicken cook while broth simmers. The chicken cooks in the broth, so no need to cook the chicken separately. This is such a time saver… and it’s one less dish to clean!
- SHRED COOKED CHICKEN: Once the chicken has cooked, remove the chicken from the soup and shred with two forks. Add shredded chicken back into soup. You could also use a stand mixer or hand held mixer to shred the chicken (yep, you can shred chicken this way)!
- ADD THE KALE AND LET SIMMER: Add kale to soup and allow to wilt (you can also remove the bay leaves at this point). The kale will wilt in the warm soup within minutes. Keep at a low simmer until ready to eat.
- ENJOY this chicken and kale soup!
Add-ins and Variations
One of my favorite things about soup is that there are so many ways to customize it to your liking, and this chicken kale soup is no exception.
VEGETARIAN: Use vegetable broth instead and add in some white beans and/or cooked noodles in place of the chicken (add these in when you add in the kale).
VEGGIES: Go ahead and throw in any veggies of your choice. I kept it pretty standard with this recipe, but broccoli, sweet potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, or green beans would be yummy, too!
EXTRA PROTEIN - Throw in a can of drained/rinsed white beans when adding in the kale.
CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP: Add in some of your favorite cooked noodles.
LEMON: Some fresh lemon juice would be delicious! Try adding some to your bowl or the entire pot.
FAQs
They both typically contain a mix of vegetables known as mirepoix (a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery) and can be used interchangeably in most recipes.
Stock is made using more of the bones, is typically unseasoned, and thicker than broth (because of the collagen from the bones). Broth is made from more of the meat and seasoned with fresh herbs. Bone broth is also made from bones, but has a much longer cook time than stock and will have a thicker consistency than regular broth.
What's soup without some bread? Serve this chicken and kale soup with some grain-free almond flour biscuits. I'm also a fan of serving soup with quick breads, like my gluten-free zucchini bread.
The broth in soup helps keep you hydrated, the protein in the chicken helps your immune system, the veggies can help fight inflammation, and the turmeric in this soup is a powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
Yes, the broth cooks the chicken right in the pot. This will kill any bacteria from the chicken. Just ensure the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 F before removing from the pot and shredding.
Storing
This chicken kale soup will stay good in the fridge for 4-5 days and can be frozen for up to 3 months. Perfect for meal-prepping! If you don’t already have some, grab some Stasher bags for freezing. They work great and are good for the environment!
More Comforting Recipes
If you make this healthy chicken and kale soup, please let me know what you think! Leave a comment below and/or share a photo on Instagram and mention @CleanPlateMama!
Chicken Kale Soup
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Equipment
- 1 large stock pot or Dutch oven
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 5 large carrots, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-2 tsp. turmeric (see notes)
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. salt (more to taste)
- ½ tsp. ground pepper (more to taste)
- 1-1 ½ lbs. chicken breasts (see notes)
- 2 bay leaves
- 8 cups chicken bone broth (stock or regular broth works too)
- 4 cups curly kale or lacinto kale, stems removed (I prefer curly kale for this soup)
Instructions
- Heat a large stock pot (or Dutch oven) over medium high heat. Add olive oil, onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Cook veggies until they begin to soften and onions are translucent (about 10 minutes).
- Add the turmeric, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for an additional minute or two, stirring frequently.
- Add uncooked chicken breasts and bay leaves on top of veggies. Pour broth over veggies and chicken, ensuring chicken is fully covered by the broth.
- Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and keep at a simmer (uncovered). Simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Remove cooked chicken from pot and place on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken.
- Add shredded chicken back to pot. Add kale and continue to cook until kale is wilted (about two minutes). Keep at a low simmer until you're ready to eat (you can remove the bay leaves at this point).
- Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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Julie
Yum! This is a great, classic version of chicken soup!
Sara
Thanks! Can't beat a classic chicken soup!
Brooke
I am stuck home in quarantine and can't wait to make this soup tonight! YUM! Love how organized and well-explained the recipe is!
Sara
Thanks, Brooke! Sending you positive vibes during your quarantine. Enjoy the soup!
Ellen
Delish! So easy to make I used my canned chicken. Put everything in one pot and cook.
Sara
Thanks so much, Ellen! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know how it turned out! And I couldn't agree more on how nice it is to just cook everything in one pot 🙂
Thea
It’s really good! I was looking for recipes for chicken soup with Kale but wanted it to be somewhat classic. It’s simple and comforting but complex in flavor. Thank you
Sara
You're so welcome. Happy to hear you enjoyed this soup!
Caitlin
My kids are picky. My husband is picky. I wish I weren’t but I, myself, am picky as well. This is the most flavorful soup!! My 5 year old told me, “This is the first thing I’ve ever liked!” Trying to balance health and flavor is such a hard thing for me being taught to cook probably the same way everyone else has, with tons of cheese and processed canned-vegetables. This is going to be a staple in my house. Thank you so much!
P.S. I made this with farm-fresh, local ingredients as well
Sara
Oh my gosh, Caitlin, this comment made my day! I am so happy to hear this. I too have a very picky 9 year old and she "sort of" likes this soup, so yay for your 5 year old loving this soup 🙂 And love hearing you made with local farm-fresh ingredients!
Jess
A healthy soup in one pot? Yes please! I've got some sickies in my house and this is going to be perfect for all of us!
Sara
Nothing beats this soup when you're feeling under the weather. Enjoy!
Andrea
I really like that you use chicken bone broth in this soup. It gives this hearty and healthy soup an extra boost of flavor. Yum!
Shadi
Love how easy this recipe is. It’s perfect for our family!
Dannii
What a delicious and hearty soup. Just the kind of pick me up I need.
Tamara
Loved this soup! I ended up using a frozen vegetable mix of carrots, green beans, corn, and peas and it was still really good! I love the heartiness of the chicken and the freshness of the kale! This is perfect for those cold winter days!!
Sara
Thanks so much, Tamara! So glad you enjoyed this soup. Using frozen veggies makes it even that much easier... love it!
Toni
This is packed full of flavors I love!! So good and easy to make!
Natalie
What a lovely winter soup. I love how healthy it is and so easy to make. I'll give this recipe a try for sure.
Noel
This soup was absolutely delicious! I used a rotisserie chicken which made it so easy. The flavor was perfect and our entire family loved it. Thank you so much!
Sara
Love the idea of using rotisserie chicken for an even easier soup. Thanks for sharing!
a
Amazing recipe, thank you! Added 1.5 tsp turmeric and it was perfect.
Sara
Appreciate you taking the time to leave a review and so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Staci
This soup was delicious! My son went back for seconds and ate all the broth!!! (He usually leaves it.) I was looking for something similar to a kale and carrot soup I make with beans but replacing them with chicken and this was everything I was hoping for and more. I used fresh thyme and kale from our CSA and increased the amounts of both, omitted celery as I didn't have it on hand, reduced the bay leaf and added the juice from 1/2 of a lemon at the end. My only surprises were that it took 2 hours to prepare and the chicken was overcooked after simmering just 20 minutes. The 2 hours was worth it to have my son go back for more - I can't remember the last time he did that!
Sara
Thanks for sharing this, Staci! It brought a smile to my my face as I know the feeling when your kids love something that is so healthy 🙂
Kayla
How big is a serving? Are the nutrition facts based off one of the 6 servings? I’m trying to prep it for freezing and want to know the correct nutrition facts for each meal
Sara
Hi Kayla - Each serving is roughly 1 1/2 cups. And yes, the nutrition facts are based on one serving. And for the full amount of protein the nutrition facts show, be sure to use bone broth. Hope you enjoy!
Diane
Overall great recipe! I added a can of white beans to bulk it up.
Sara
Love the addition of white beans. Thanks for sharing!