Detox Chicken Soup
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Cleansing, immune-boosting soup with all the goodness (kale, mushrooms, celery, carrots) without compromising any taste!
Featured Comment
I have been home all week with this big pot of warm, cozy, soul-warming brothy soup. It has truly become my lifeline here.
why i love this recipe
- Immune-boosting. This soup is the perfect remedy for post-holiday resets, cold and flu season, or when you’re simply in need of something veggie-packed and fast for those busy weeknights. Loaded with vitamin C-rich kale and lemon juice, inflammation-battling mushrooms, metabolism-boosting protein and antioxidant-packed garlic.
- Flexible recipe. Because this is such a flexible recipe that is also incredibly forgiving, any lingering veggies or extra herbs can be thrown right in for a great clean-out-the-fridge hearty meal.
- Freezer-friendly. This detox chicken soup is incredibly freezer-friendly (without the orzo, of course), making it perfect for meal prep or a lightning fast meal during the week.
tips and tricks for success
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Add freshly squeezed lemon juice. Lemon juice will elevate your detox chicken soup, adding a fresh, bright flavor and balancing out all the saltiness and richness of the soup.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Mix it up. Swap or add in additional vegetables such as bell peppers, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, corn or peas + extra herbs such as lemongrass, ginger or dill.
what to serve with detox chicken soup
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
Detox Chicken Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Mushrooms can be omitted completely if it’s not your thing. Eggplant, zucchini, or tofu can be substituted, if desired, as it can absorb all the good flavors and mimic the texture of mushrooms.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
You can use either chicken broth or chicken stock but always season, to taste, as store-bought broth is often saltier than store-bought stock. Broth is made from meat and vegetables while stock is often lower sodium and thicker than broth, and is made from bones and vegetables.
The orzo pasta is cooked directly in the soup, absorbing all the flavorful broth. But if you are planning for leftovers or freezing, the orzo should be cooked and stored separately.
Spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options to swap out the kale.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the orzo (or else they will get mushy) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding freshly cooked orzo when serving.
Detox Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch chunks
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ cup orzo pasta
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken, and cook, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, about 6-8 minutes; set aside.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the stockpot. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 5-6 minutes. Stir in thyme and oregano until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock and bay leaves; bring to a boil. Stir in orzo, rosemary and chicken; reduce heat and simmer until orzo is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in kale and cannellini beans until the kale has wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice and parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve immediately.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
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I made this tonight and it was so delicious! I didn’t change a thing, except I forgot to add the lemon juice at the end. This tasted amazing and I love how healthy it is!
Absolutely delicious, will be adding this into my regular rotation! It has a more robust flavor than your standard chicken noodle soup. Subbed Jovial gluten-free noodles for the orzo and it worked well.
Even better than I imagined!
I just made this soup and it’s delicious. I’ve been sick all week and hopefully it will ease my congestion. Excellent recipe and I will be making it again.
Are any nutritional values available?
Would this soup be even healthier if brown rice or wild rice were subed in for the orzo or would those flavors be too strong and over power the recipe?
Made this before and it was excellent! Wondering if I could make it in the crock pot?
I’ve made this soup twice now and I love it! I doubled the amount of cannellini beans and it worked out great!
I made this recipe today with quinoa instead of the Orso and it worked out just great. I wonder if I can freeze the finished product with the quinoa.
This soup is amazing and just warms the soul. I’ve made it a couple of times now, and this time I added cubed butternut squash. It was the perfect addition. Great recipe and so easy to make!
i would love to make this. looks delicious to eat. will tell you about my experience.
Can you sub the kale for baby boy choy?
This is absolutely delicious
Great soup! I have recommended it to everyone I know. My picky husband even liked it! I didn’t have kale so I used cabbage; left lemon out of the pot so individuals could use a squeeze if they wanted it (i preferred it without); also used rotisserie chicken to make it easier.
My boss told me about this soup and I just tried it for the first time! I LOVED it!!! How would you calculate the calories and other nutritional values in this soup? I am trying to stay within a certain number of calories per day.
Thank you
This is a delicious recipe! Easy instructions and readily available ingredients. Could you provide the nutritional info such as calories and carbohydrates per serving.
This Chicken Detox soup is absolutely fantastic! Flavors are amazing. No need to add anything different!
This Detox Chicken Soup recipe is sooooo good! My addition of hot pepper flakes was perfect. I will definitely be sharing this recipe with my friends and family!
Thank you! I love this soup!
Hi, are the cooking instructions the same if I swap orzo for wild rice? Thanks for your help!