Recipe: Pesto Chicken and Cannellini Bean Soup
Yield: 8 servings
Servings: 8
Serving Size: 1 3/4 cups
Active Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Total Time (mins): 60
To Make Ahead: Cover and refrigerate, without the pesto, for up to 3 days. To serve, reheat and then stir in pesto.
Recipe Description:
This healthy, Italian-inspired chicken soup recipe is loaded with fiber-rich vegetables and beans and gets an extra boost of flavor from a swirl of pesto at the end. To get a homemade stock flavor using store-bought broth, we simmer bone-in chicken breasts in the broth before adding the rest of the soup ingredients.
Recipe Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 pounds bone-in chicken breasts, skin removed
- 3 cups sliced fennel
- 3 cups broccolini (1-inch pieces; about 1 bunch)
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
- 1/4 cup prepared pesto
Recipe Steps:
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add oregano and marjoram; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add broth and chicken. Cover, increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Uncover and cook, turning the chicken occasionally, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part without touching bone registers 165°F, 20 to 22 minutes. Skim any foam from the surface as the chicken cooks. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board. When cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones and shred.
- Meanwhile, add fennel, broccolini and tomatoes to the pot; return to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are tender, 4 to 10 minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken, beans, salt and pepper and cook until heated through, about 3 minutes more. Remove from heat and stir in pesto.
Recipe Nutrition:
Per serving: 264 calories; 11 g fat (2 g sat, 6 g mono); 48 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrate; 0 g added sugars; 3 g total sugars; 27 g protein; 5 g fiber; 656 mg sodium; 713 mg potassium.
Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (54% daily value), Potassium (20% dv), Vitamin A (18% dv).
1 Carbohydrate Serving(s)
Exchanges: 1 1/2 vegetable, 2 1/2 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat
Recipe Disclaimer(s):
Scaling Disclaimer: EatingWell recipes are tested extensively in the EatingWell Test Kitchen. EatingWell cannot guarantee a recipe that has been scaled to make a different number of servings from the original. Also note that scaling only applies to the ingredient measurements: no adjustment is made to the recipe instructions, so pan sizes and cooking times and ingredient amounts referred to in the text of the recipe only apply to the original number of servings.
Copyright:
© Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. Used with permission.