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    White Bean Chicken Soup

    Updated September 4, 2024 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    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.

    White Bean Chicken soup in a bowl with carrots fresh dill, chard, carrots and celery with a spoon.

    When Is Homemade Chicken Vegetable Soup Quick & Easy?

    When it’s rotisserie chicken vegetable soup! Pre-roasted chickens from the grocery store are just SO handy. 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 under an hour. A favorite back pocket chicken soup recipe for when you’re trying to cure a cold, or just the rainy day blues. And don’t miss our super easy Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, too.

    2 lemons, onion, carrots, garlic, kale, fresh dill and 2 jalapeños laid out on a counter.

    Ingredients For White Bean Chicken Soup

    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. Here's what you will need to make this chicken soup.

    • Olive oil

    • Chicken stock

    • Shredded chicken

    • Veggies: carrots, onions and celery

    • Herbs: Fresh dill and bay leaf

    • Garlic

    • Lemon juice

    • Jalapeño (optional)

    • Cannellini beans (or any other creamy white bean)

    • Swiss chard

    • Salt & pepper

    • Parmesan cheese

    Swiss chard on the counter
    Cannellini beans in a white bowl

    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 large soup pot filled with white bean chicken soup garnished with fresh dill lemon slices
    three bowls of white bean chicken soup with spoons and a linen

    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!

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    White Bean Chicken Soup Recipe

    Updated September 4, 2024

    By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  15 min
    • Cook Time:  40 min
    • Calories:  312
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    Description

    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.

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
    • 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (about 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-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
    • 2 -3 cups shredded chicken, poached or from a rotisserie chicken
    • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill, plus extra for garnish
    • 1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed and roughly chopped
    • 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon, plus more to taste
    • Parmesan cheese, for serving

    Method

    1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the onions, carrots, celery, jalapeño (if using), and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant 1 more minute.

    2. Add the chicken stock, beans, shredded chicken, salt, pepper, and dill. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. Add chard and lemon juice and simmer for another 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the flavors have melded.

    3. Divide between bowls and garnish with dill, Parmesan and additional lemon juice if desired.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 312
    • Protein 24 g
    • Carbohydrates 34 g
    • Total Fat 6 g
    • Dietary Fiber 8 g
    • Cholesterol 53 mg
    • Sodium 1666 mg
    • Total Sugars 6 g

    White Bean Chicken Soup

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Shirley

      Can you substitute spinach for the swiss chard? Thanks

      Totally, hope you enjoy!

    • Glenn

      How do you prepare the chard for the pot? I’ve never cooked with it.

      Rinse and pat dry, remove stems and then chop. Hope you enjoy Glenn!

    • 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

      Can I use lime instead of lemon?

      Sure.

    • Mylene

      Amazing soup! Next time I'm gonna try with some sausage meat instead of the chicken!

      Thanks Mylene, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Clare

      My absolute favorite soup! Flavors are so bright and delicious.

      Thanks Clare, so glad you love it!

    • Genie

      I just have to say this is my favorite soup ever! It has so many delicious flavors, and is very comforting to eat when you don’t feel well. I do substitute spinach for chard. I have not been able to find chard in the grocery store, but the spinach is delicious!

      Thanks Genie, so glad you love it!

    • Jennifer

      This recipe is a keeper! I shredded the breast of a Costco rotisserie chicken and used Kale instead of Swiss chard because that’s what I had on hand, and used baby carrots. Before I put the kale in, I served my very picky child a bowl and she gobbled it up. The flavor of the soup is absolutely amazing. Don’t skip the freshly grated Parmesan cheese!

      Thanks Jennifer, so glad you both loved it!

    • Denise

      My husband has been miserable with cold symptoms for days. I made this because I got a rotisserie chicken yesterday and needed to get liquids and nutrition into him, and I had the ingredients (except chard,dill and carrots). Added 2 diced potatoes (potassium), subbed spinach for chard and rosemary for dill. Easy to make, prep time more like 30-40 minutes, and because of potatoes longer to cook. We loved it!

      Thanks Denise, glad you loved it! Hope he feels better soon!