Hearty Chicken and White Bean and Soup

You're going to have this one on repeat, it's that good.

Hearty Chicken and White Bean and Soup with Kale, Poblano Chilies and Shredded Cabbage

This is a hearty, nutritious and delicious soup - a real comfort in a bowl situation. Allowing yourself a couple short cuts, like a rotisserie chicken and canned white beans makes this really easy to pull off.

It starts with a simple base: sautéd onion, garlic, celery, carrots, and poblano chilis. Poblanos are mild green peppers with a much more interesting/better flavor than your standard green bell peppers. Pasilla or Anaheim peppers are also good here. If you can’t find any of those, use regular bell peppers.

Add chicken stock (or water in a pinch), white beans, and shredded rotisserie chicken, and you’re in the final stretch. (I used “Better than Bullion” roasted chicken base after hearing good things about it, and it worked great.)

The last step is to add your leafy mix-ins: kale, cabbage, and fresh herbs are my favorite (the bowl below has kale and dill) - but spinach, chard, beet greens, etc would all work. This is a great soup when you’re in a “I need to use what’s in the fridge” scenario.

Notes:

• If you want to play around, try using different veggies: potatoes, parsnips, turnips, leeks, or zucchini.

• Want to get spicy? Herby? Other spices/herbs off the top of my head that would compliment this soup: cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle powder, turmeric, chili flakes, ginger, epazote, tarragon, chives, or rosemary.

• I like to use a whole rotisserie chicken for a dense and hearty soup, but you could be economical and shred half - save the other half of the chicken for another meal like enchiladas, chicken salad, sandwiches, pot pie or tacos/taquitos.

• It makes a big pot - the soup gets better as it sits; leftovers are even tastier the next day, or you can freeze some in individual paper soup containers for easy lunches/dinners (I buy mine at Smart & Final.)

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Let’s start cooking!

Pretty much all you need! The not pictured ingredients used in the pot pictured at the top of the post are olive oil, salt, pepper, chicken bouillon, and a bay leaf.