Lemony Chicken and Kale Soup

I whipped up this lemony chicken and kale soup to have on hand for lunches this week. It’s light, brothy and packed with veggies but also super comforting and hearty.

I primarily made it because I’ve been freezing!

Lemony Chicken and Kale Soup

You guys know that if left to my own devices, I’ll go with a salad nine times out of 10 when it comes to lunch but during the winter that can be a little torturous. Yesterday I made a salad for lunch and my hands were freezing and I had to sit in front of a space heater while I ate it (remember our heat is also not working). I decided a big pot of soup was in order to get me through the week (although it’s going to be 70 by Friday…winter in the south!). I can still have my salad and warm up with a bowl of soup on the side. 🙂

I used a recipe from Cooking Light for this Immunity Soup as my inspiration but omitted and added where I wished to put my own spin on it. This soup features all kinds of immunity-boosting foods and I while I’m grateful that I do NOT have a cold right now, it would be great to serve to someone who did.

You start with a base of veggies – onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic.

While that’s all cooking and sauteing, you prepare a giant bunch of kale to go in the pot.

Looks are deceiving, greens cook down a ton. I like my kale really tender (it’s the way my grandmother always cooked it) so I let my kale cook with the broth and other veggies for a good 25-30 minutes before adding the final ingredients.

I used pre-cooked shredded chicken from a leftover rotisserie. You can go with white meat or dark, won’t matter here.

The juice from a whole lemon at the end is what really wakes up this soup and makes it something special. It brings all the ingredients together in the best way.

I hope you enjoy this recipe for Lemony Chicken and Kale Soup and that it brings you some warmth and comfort.

Lemony Chicken and Kale Soup

Lemony Chicken and Kale Soup

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• Author: Jen Eddins
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 55
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x

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Description

This Lemony Chicken and Kale soup is light, brothy and packed with veggies but also super comforting and hearty. Whole30 approved, Paleo and gluten-free too!

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Ingredients

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• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock/broth
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 large head of kale, stems removed and torn into pieces
• 1 lemon, sliced in half
• 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
• More salt, to taste

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Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a big soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrots and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often. Add mushrooms and garlic and cook for three more minutes.
2. Stir in stock, thyme, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low and let mixture simmer for about 20 minutes, covered.
3. Add the kale and continue to simmer for about 25 more minutes, or until kale is as tender as you’d like for it to be. Add the chicken and juice of both of the lemon halves and heat through. Season to taste with salt. You may need a good bit more depending on your preferences. Discard bay leaf before serving.

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Notes

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light.