Chicken and White Bean Soup

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Chicken and White Bean Soup

This one-pot chicken and white bean soup is packed with juicy shredded chicken, cannellini beans, and veggies, brightened with fresh homemade basil pesto.

Prep Time10

Cook Time1

Resting Time5

Total Time1 15

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken and white bean soup

Servings: servings

Author: Katerina Petrovska

Ingredients

For the Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
5 medium carrots sliced into thin rounds
4 celery ribs sliced into half-moons
30 ounces canned cannellini beans drained and rinsed
8 cups chicken broth you can do more or less depending on personal preference
2 cups baby spinach
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste

For the Pesto

½ cup cashews or pine nuts
⅓ cup quality olive oil
2 cloves garlic
2 cups fresh basil leaves
¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Brown the chicken. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, season with salt and pepper, and cook until browned on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
Sauté the veggies. To the same pot, add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 15 seconds or until fragrant. Finally, add the carrots and celery and sauté for 4 minutes or until slightly softened.
Make it soup. Return the chicken to the pot and stir in the cannellini beans and chicken broth. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes.
Make the pesto. While the soup is simmering, make the pesto. Combine the cashews, olive oil, garlic, and basil in a food processor or blender. Pulse until almost smooth and then pulse in the grated Parmesan cheese. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired.
Shred the chicken. Remove the chicken from the soup, transfer it to a cutting board, and shred it. Then, return it to the soup.
Add the greens. Stir in the baby spinach and cook until it wilts into the broth, about 1 minute.
Add flavor. Stir in ½ of the pesto along with the chopped fresh parsley. Taste and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Stir in more pesto if desired.
Simmer. Allow the soup to simmer for an additional 10 minutes.
Serve. Remove the pot from the heat and let it rest for 5 minutes before ladling the chicken and bean soup into bowls and serving.

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