Chicken and Rice Soup Recipe with Kale
Filled shredded chicken, simple pantry essentials, and fresh seasonal veggies, you'll love everything about this comforting soup recipe.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup brown rice (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme
- salt + pepper to taste
- 10 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
- 1.5 pounds chicken (see notes)
- ½ cup dry white wine optional
- 15 oz artichoke hearts one (15 oz) can, chopped
- 3 medium zucchini chopped
- 5 ounces fresh kale woody stems removed and roughly chopped
- 1 lemon juiced
- Red pepper flakes to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot add the chopped onions and mix. Sauté for approximately 6-8, minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the minced garlic and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning.
- Add the rice, Italian seasoning, dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine. Cook for 1 minute before adding chicken broth (or water) to the pot.
- Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Add the chicken breasts, then reduce heat to low and cover with a lid. Simmer for approximately 30-35 minutes.
- Very carefully remove the chicken breasts from the pot and set them aside on a plate to cool.
- Meanwhile, add the white wine (optional), artichoke hearts, and zucchini to the pot. Mix well. Increase heat to medium and allow vegetables to cook for approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Shred the chicken and return to the pot. Add the freshly chopped kale (the pot will be full, but the kale will shrink) and stir. Continue to cook until the kale is wilted and all the vegetables are fully cooked, approximately 5 minutes.
- Garnish with chili flakes and fresh lemon juice.
Notes
You may add brown rice or any other long-grain rice such as long-grain white rice, basmati rice, or jasmine rice. Wild rice would also taste fantastic.
Chicken breasts are lean and low in fat and therefore easily dried out. Avoid boiling chicken breasts for longer than 25-35 minutes before removing from the pot to shred.
Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Originally published November 22, 2016
Nutrition
Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 447mg | Potassium: 1023mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 3368IU | Vitamin C: 74mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 4mg
