White Bean & Chicken Soup
This Easy White Bean & Chicken Soup is one of those recipes I lean on hard—especially during cold winter nights, early spring rain, or anytime I want something nourishing without the mental load of a complicated recipe.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tsp garlic chopped
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 2 lb, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 cans Great Northern beans 14.5 oz each
- 20 oz low-sodium chicken broth about 2½ cups
- 1 can chopped green chiles 4 oz, such as Old El Paso
- 12 sprigs fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for serving
- 2 tsp salt divided
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- lemon wedges for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Soften the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes, then move them to a small bowl.
- Season the chicken. Toss the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the salt, ¼ teaspoon of the cayenne and the cumin.
- Brown the chicken. Add the chicken to the oil left in the pot and cook, stirring, until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Build the soup. Return the onion and garlic to the pot. Add the beans, broth, green chiles, cilantro and the remaining 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon cayenne.
- Simmer. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the beans are very tender and the chicken is cooked through (165°F).
- Serve. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then ladle into bowls and finish with extra cilantro and a squeeze of lemon.
Notes
Made this? I’d love for you to leave a star rating with your comment below. It helps other hosts find the recipe when they’re planning their own table.
Lower sodium: Use no-salt-added beans or rinse them, and start with 1 teaspoon of salt, adding more to taste at the end.
Nutrition per serving (estimated): 435 kcal · 11g fat (2g saturated) · 30g carbohydrates · 9g fiber · 2g sugar · 51g protein · 1,598mg sodium · 132mg cholesterol. Calculated from the ingredients listed with regular canned beans; treat as an estimate.