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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This looks so good! I love soups. As a matter of fact it’s one of the only things I like about cold weather. This recipe definitely needs to go on my winter rotation this year. I love that it has veggies.
This looks mouthwatering. I love soups during the fall/winter months, this one for sure will be included in my soups to make for cold months. Thank you. Yummy!
Made it last night. Followed the recipe exactly and it was delicious. I have added it to my recipe file. Will definitely make it again soon.
This taste amazing!
My kids ate kale.
So much flavor. My new go-to recipe for chicken soup from now on.
Thank you!
Recipe looks great!
Just one question, one sprig of rosemary is usually equivalent to how many teaspoons or tablespoons? I don’t have sprigs but whole rosemary. Thanks!
Three fresh sprigs, which give about one tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves, would equal about one teaspoon dried.
I just made this and it’s absolutely delicious! I am a type 1 diabetic and this is the perfect guilt-free meal for me. Thank you so much! I am freezing a batch so I will let you know how that goes, I’m sure it will taste amazing:)
Omg this soup is delicious! One of the best recipes ever! Thanks so much, will be using this recipe a lot!
I didn’t like the taste if the lemon snd added Apple cider instead. Loved it.
Oh my goodness! The best of any soup I’ve had. Thank you for sharing this recipe! Wonderful! Looking forward to seeing others recipes that you share.
I made this last night and it was wonderfully delicious!! Looking forward to many more of your recipes. Thank you!
Thank you for this recipe, it was absolutely delicious. Even better the second day. I will definitely make it again. I followed the recipe except I used chicken broth instead of chicken stock because it’s what I had and leftover chicken breasts from the night before.
I really like the flavor, it’s not bland at all. I had to guess on what a sprig and a bunch were.
Wow Chungah!!
Love your recipes! Thank you!
Sorry didn’t read through all the comments, instead of spinach or kale, what about bok choy?
Yes, absolutely. That sounds amazing!
I made a double batch of this soup and added some peas and leeks because they were on hand. The flavors of this soup are lovely! I thought the rosemary would be somewhat overpowering but that’s not the case. I froze a portion of it without the lemon juice and added said juice once defrosted and heated through. Tastes great! Wonderful easy recipe!
Monika, why freeze it without the lemon juice? Thanks for your help!
I made a pot of this soup tonight. Followed the recipe exactly except used baby bella mushrooms in place of creminis.
It was FANTASTIC! So flavorful and full of everything good.
I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and hypertension. Finding foods with low amounts of sugar and sodium is really tough. If the food meets the criteria, there is no flavor. I decided to try this recipe, since I love soups and love to cook. I put it in the crock pot over night, my fav. way of cooking soup. I haven’t added the orzo, kale or cannellini beans yet, but thought I would taste the broth to see if it tastes as good as it smells. Oh, my Goodness. This is fantastic just the way it is. You absolutely cannot tell that there is no salt of any kind added. I will be adding the rest of the ingredients and having this for lunch. Possibly dinner, also. I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. I think it is my all-new favorite.
Chungah, I want you to know how thankful I am for your sharing these wonderful, simple recipes! You’ve helped me become quite a home cook! This soup is just perfect for boosting the immune system and just making you feel good all over!
I made this recipe today for a friend who is sick. I wanted something very healthy and flavorful and that’s exactly how it turned out. I made it exactly as the recipe said. Thank you for another amazing recipe Chungah!
Is this a once a day soup?
This soup is not tailor-made to be a “once a day soup”.