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.
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Made this today for lunch, it is so good, I have enough for the week
I have made this several times and both my husband and I love it. I’ve recently started counted calories and noticed that the total calories and nutrition label is different on the Yummly app than what it is on this website’s Nutrition facts above. Which is accurate and what is the serving size utilized? Thanks
Dana, I cannot speak for the Yummly app but the nutritional information here is calculated by a nutritionist. Serving size is roughly 1 1/2 cups per serving.
Thanks!
i think this would be awesome if the sodium wasnt so high. what is driving that? the broth?
You can substitute low sodium chicken broth – I do it all the time and never notice a difference in taste!
Everyone is talking how good it is.but will it help detox your system. It sounds good.
This soup is amazing- so fresh and bright! Some changes I made:
No Beans
Extra veggies
Lemon zest in addition to the lemon juice
Spinach instead of kale
A little extra orzo
It was so good, and even though I’m not a fan of eating mushrooms (I like the flavor just not eating the actual mushroom), I loved them in this! Thanks for the great recipe!
We seem to be having a flu epidemic in the Puget sound. I’m not going to be a part of that so I made this soup today.
It has to have immune properties, I know it does. It is super delicious. Thank you.
LOVE! This soup Rocks the planet!!! Make it all the time. Thank you so very much
My diet says no pasta. Would it be good without? How about replacing with Brown rice? If so for how long?
Yes, you can omit or substitute with a grain of your choice. However, without further recipe testing, I cannot advise exact cooking time for substitutions and modifications.
When I told my husband I was making detox chicken soup he asked if he should make something else for dinner. He ended by saying it was one of the best soups I have ever made. It was delicious! Thank you for a wonderful healthy recipe!!
I made this soup last night and it was great! Some things I will alter in the future: I felt there was too much kale. I’ll probably only add 3 stalks next time instead of the whole bunch. I also felt there were too many mushrooms and not enough carrots. The mushrooms turned the broth brown. Easy fixes! Can’t wait to make it again!
How is pone serving? Adding to MFP and need details. Thank you!
I meant *one serving
Each serving is roughly 1 – 1 1/2 cups.
I’ve made this twice! It’s delicious. My husband really enjoyed it, too! I highly recommend!
This reads to be very tasty. However, it is not a detox soup. To start off with you have chicken in it! Pasta too? Gee, I could do this everyday too. It’s a comforting soup and somewhat healthy but not detoxing.
There are many forms of “detox”. Detox simply means to rid the body of toxins and since there isn’t a set definition of what a toxin is then there can’t be a set definition of a detox soup. It all falls under “clean” eating.
Soo…the holidays are over and I feel like I’ve just eaten whatever I wanted from Halloween till today! So this soup is awesome for detoxing and wanting to feel skinny immediately! Thanks for the recipe
I just made this and it’s really really good!!! My husband and 11 year old son enjoyed it a lot, and they are both picky when it comes to soups. I used sliced baby bella mushrooms instead of the cremini – I didn’t slice them thinner than they came. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Turned out great! No serving size listed on Nutrition Facts … please provide. Thanks
I made this yesterday in the crockpot – on low for 8 hours (no orzo). I put the chicken breasts in raw and then shredded them before serving. It was AMAZING. So many great flavors.
So delicious!! Loved the flavor!
This looks so good! I love soups.
Oh man! Was this good! Loved it. I put spinach instead of kale.tasted great. My husband liked it and he normally will not do food like that. Thank you! Will be making this again for family.