One-Pot Chicken & Kale Soup

Soups on! This one-pot chicken soup is made with all the good stuff like carrots, onion, celery, garlic, and kale. And to turn up the flavor and boost the nutrients of this soup, I added in some turmeric.

Make sure to get this soup on your list of things to make as we approach cold and flu season. Or get it made now and freeze some for when you need it – you’ll be glad you did! There is just something so satisfying about pulling out homemade chicken soup from the freezer on a chilly fall or cold winter day! I try to keep some of this soup frozen in individual serving sizes throughout the winter so when soup is needed, it’s ready!

How to Make This Chicken & Kale Soup

• This easy, one-pot chicken soup starts by cooking the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic (ya know, the soup staples!) in a large stock pot.
• Once the veggies are cooked, you add in the spices, chicken, and broth. 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!
• Once the chicken has cooked, remove the chicken from the soup and shred with two forks.
• Return the shredded chicken back to the soup and add the kale. The kale will wilt in the warm soup within minutes. Now, your chicken and kale soup is ready!

Tips About Broth

One of these days I’ll get around to making my own broth, but in the meantime, store bought it is. I’m partial to broth, but you could also use stock. You can choose from bone broth, regular broth, or stock. Options galore, but what’s the difference?

• Stock is made from using more of the bones and is typically unseasoned (if made from scratch). It may be slightly richer in texture compared to broth due to the collagen from the bones.
• Broth is made from more of the meat (can contain bones too) and is seasoned with fresh herbs.
• Bone broth is made from the bones (could contain some meat), and like stock, is typically unseasoned (if homemade).  It has a much longer cook time compared to stock and broth and has a thicker consistency due to the collagen from the bones and the longer cook time.
• They all typically contain a mix of vegetables known as mirepoix (a mixture of onions, carrots, and celery).

All can pretty much be used interchangeably in most recipes.

When looking for store bought varieties ensure you are looking at the ingredient list! 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. I buy unsalted so I can control the salt in my soups.

Pacific Foods Bone Broth is a great choice as it only contains the necessary ingredients. Also, in my opinion, you should buy organic as well to ensure it’s free of antibiotics, hormones (if beef), and chemicals. Don’t want that stuff gettin’ in my soup!

More Soup Recipes

Check out some of my other favorite soup and chili recipes, like chicken corn chili (a childhood favorite of mine), vegetarian chili, and classic chili.

If you make this 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!

Print Pin

5 from 3 votes

One-Pot Chicken and Kale Soup

Soups on! This one-pot chicken soup is made with all the good stuff like carrots, onion, garlic, celery, and kale.

Course Main Course, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken soup, one-pot soup, soup

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 246kcal

Ingredients

• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 5 large carrots, chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 tsp. turmeric see notes
• 1 tbsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. thyme
• 1 tsp. salt more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. ground pepper more to taste
• 1-1.5 lbs. chicken breast 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 over medium high heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and olive oil and cook for 15 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften. Stir frequently.
• Once veggies are cooked, add the turmeric, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper, and cook for an additional minute or two in order for spices to cook.
• Add chicken breast 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. Simmer (uncovered) for 20-30 minutes until chicken easily shreds with a fork.
• Remove chicken from pot and shred on a cutting board using 2 forks.
• Add shredded chicken back to pot. Add kale and continue to cook until kale is wilted (about two minutes).
• Enjoy!

Notes

Start with a minimum of 1 tsp. of turmeric. Taste soup after chicken has fully cooked and if the flavor isn’t too much, add another 1/2 – 1 tsp. more. Turmeric has a strong flavor so start small and add more to taste. 

I usually opt for closer to 1.5 lbs of chicken for this recipe as I like it very hearty, but if you only have 1 lb. of chicken, that still works great. 

Add additional salt and pepper to taste after chicken is shredded and added back to soup. 

Tried this recipe?Mention @CleanPlateMama or tag #cleanplatemama!

Nutrition

Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 1030mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 13070IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 154mg | Iron: 3mg

Please note all nutrition information is based on third-party calculations. These are estimates and exact values may vary based on portion, measuring accuracy, and brands used.