Chicken Kale Soup
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.
Servings 6
Calories 291kcal
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
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 ½ - 1 tsp. more. Turmeric has a strong flavor, so start small and add more to taste.
I usually opt for closer to 1 ½ lbs of chicken for this recipe, as I like it very hearty. But if you have less than that, it will still turn out great.
If your chicken breasts are on the larger side, cut them in half to speed up the cooking time.
If using pulled rotisserie chicken, you can add chicken, kale, and broth at the same time and let simmer for 5 minutes-10 minutes to heat.
Add additional salt, pepper, oregano, or thyme to taste after chicken is shredded and added back to soup.
This can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
For a Whole30/Paleo soup, make sure your broth/stock does not have any added sugar.
Nutrition
Calories: 291kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 73mg | Sodium: 601mg | Potassium: 1182mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 13078IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 171mg | Iron: 4mg