Detox Chicken Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details.
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?
Tag @damn_delicious on Instagram and hashtag it #damndelicious!
Made this last night and just had a couple spoon fulls and it was so tasty. I brought my some for lunch I will eat in a bit.
I used shredded chicken that I had previously cooked in the crock pot and froze. I also used Navy beans instead of Canelli bc that’s what I had.
I will probably freeze some individual portions for lunch. I did that with your quinoa chili and it was perfect after I thawed and reheated it.
Keep these amazing recipes coming! I keep coming back to DD because of the amazing pictures and so far everything has been ‘make it again’ worthy!
Excellent soup! This is the second day I’ve eaten it, and it’s even better today.
Might be silly question – but could you freeze?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Did you end up freezing and have good luck?
this would be even healthier if it were lower sodium. of course that means maybe a substitute for the beans and no salt added, and watching amounts of celery. I will probably still try it. if not watching salt, looks pretty good.
As always, your recipes gets me inspired to create something good in the kitchen!
thank you!
xx charlie
https://charlieslifeandfood.wordpress.com
Hi do you think this would work in the crock pot? Would i have to cook the chicken and orzo first?
You can actually cook the chicken (left as whole breasts) in the slow cooker on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours. You can add the orzo during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
Did you try this in the crock pot? If so, how did it turn out? Any suggestions?
This sounds amazing! I can’t wait to inhale the fragrant lemon and parsley, and taste those bright flavors with the delicious broth!
I need to try this out soon!
Paige
http://www.thehappyflammily.com/2017/01/unplugging-in-heber-valley-utah.html
Love your recipes! Thank you!
This looks delicious!
Yum…can’t wait to try this. Love your recipes. Thank you!
This looks incredible – perfect for helping my son recover from illness. Can I store this in the fridge and for how many days?I’m just wondering since it has lemon..
As I am not an expert on food safety, I cannot really say with certainty – sorry! Methods for optimal food storage and shelf life should be based on good judgment and what you are personally comfortable with.
I am not a food safety expert, but you can freeze soup for at least a week, probably longer. Personally, if I still have a lot of leftovers the next day, I would transfer it from fridge to freezer.
Comfort food I won’t feel guilty about eating massive amounts! Printed the recipe for later. Definitely a keeper!
This looks so good! I love detox soups, they make all the difference. Especially when coming back from trips- I fell you on that one, girl.
This looks great! I’m not a kale fan. Do you think spinach would be ok as a replacement?
Yes, absolutely.
Also adding broccoli and switched the orzo to quinoa.
i don’t like kale either spinach is what i’m gonna put in it when i make it later this week
I can’t even taste the kale when I add it to soups.
I trick my family and tell them the kale is spinach in all soups.
Yum…can’t wait to try this. Love your recipes. Thank you!
I don’t eat mushrooms–I can’t make myself eat them.
Will this soup be ok without them–I thought I might add cauliflower??
Sounds amazing!