Description
This chicken kale soup with chickpeas is comforting and delicious! It’s topped with a crispy rosemary garlic crouton.
Ingredients
Soup:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
- 8 cups flavorful chicken broth or veggie broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 pound of boneless chicken thighs *see notes
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, to taste
- pinch chili flakes (Aleppo flakes are nice here)
- 15.5-ounce can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and strained
- 2-4 cups chopped kale
- squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- optional- grated pecorino or parmesan for serving
Rosemary Croutons:
- 6-8 slices sourdough bread (sourdough bread is best for this recipe.. the "sourness" is actually really good with the soup)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, finely minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F ( for Rosemary Croutons)
- Start the soup: In a heavy bottom pot like a dutch oven, saute onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until tender, stir occasionally for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary. Saute for 2 minutes.
- Add chicken stock, bay leaves, soy sauce, salt, pepper, chili flakes and whole chicken thighs, bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes. (Start the rosemary croutons)
- Turn the soup to low, while you remove the chicken thighs from the hot broth, and shred into bite-size pieces.
- Add chickpeas and chopped kale. Bring soup to a simmer for 5-10 minutes until kale is softened.
- Add a light squeeze of lemon. Taste for salt.
Remember, the rosemary croutons will add a lot of flavor and lovely texture! You can do these a day ahead.
Rosemary Croutons:
- Preheat oven to 375 F. With a sharp knife slice the bread in 1/4 inch slices. If large, cut in half at a diagnol.
- In a small bowl, mix the oil, garlic, and rosemary.
- Brush on both sides of bread and place on a baking sheet in oven until crisp and golden about 15-20 minutes.
Serve with a crusty crouton on top of each bowl.
Notes
Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze for 3 months.
For extra flavor, browned andouille sausages give the soup an extra heartiness and spiciness.
If not making the croutons, sprinkle soup with a little pecorino or parmesan cheese.
Chicken thighs– We went with skinless thighs but skin is fine too- either way! (Skins have wonderful collagen but make the soup a little more oily) Thighs create a richer more flavorful broth and chicken thighs become tender and soft as they cook, breasts tend to stay firm in the soup. That said, you can use bone-in thighs, skinless chicken breasts -totally up to you! Or use up left-over cooked chicken.
Tip: To add even more flavor- sear and brown the chicken skin before adding to the soup. You can do this in a separate skillet at the same time, or do this in the soup pot first, then set aside.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 ½ cup with crouton
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 685.7 mg
- Fat: 14.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 51.1 g
- Fiber: 5.1 g
- Protein: 37.4 g
- Cholesterol: 65.6 mg