This Detox Chicken and Vegetable soup is one of the healthiest things I have ever made. But, for the love of God, PLEASE don’t confuse healthy with tasteless. You NEED to make this as soon as possible so you can see for yourself how delicious it is, and how good you feel after eating it!
Isn’t it pretty? So colorful!
It’s SUPER flavorful, hearty, warm, and soul-satisfying, even in its simplicity. It’s chock full of all kinds of vegetables (and is certainly one of those clean-out-the-fridge meals), lean shredded chicken breast meat, and simple seasonings. And by simple, I mean: salt and pepper. Yup… that’s it!
PLUS, it’s a one-pot meal that you can make in your slow cooker if you want! (See recipe notes below)
PLUS!!!! You can even make it vegetarian/vegan. (Again, see recipe notes below)
It’s Whole30 and Paleo approved, and it’s super nutritious and good for you. And if all these reasons aren’t good enough for you: this recipe also makes a ton. So get your biggest pot out to make it. Freeze the leftovers for another time.
Here’s what makes this so dang tasty, despite its simplicity.
The only seasonings are salt and pepper, and the base is chicken broth. But there are three main ingredients in this recipe that help pack some great flavor into this soup (besides the obligatory onions and garlic):
- Yellow Bell Peppers. You can throw whatever veggies you want in this soup, but try not to omit this one. I chose yellow because they are a) pretty, especially with the red tomatoes and green spinach in this recipe, and b) slightly sweet, but still “peppery.” Did you know that red bell peppers are actually the same as green- just more ripe? Yellow and orange are the “in-between” ripeness, making them a perfect balance of sweet and peppery. You probably already know that. But I just learned a few months ago and it literally blew my mind.
- Good quality canned tomatoes (and their juices). Or, boxed. Be sure when you buy canned or boxed tomatoes that you are buying San Marzano tomatoes imported from Italy- they are the best of the best. I usually buy the San Marzano brand. Their rich, tangy, and sweet flavor penetrates every bite of this soup adding richness and depth.
- Poaching the chicken breasts directly in the soup. Instead of adding already cooked chicken to this recipe, whole chicken breasts are poached directly in the chicken broth base. This makes the broth even MORE chicken-ey than chicken broth alone. AND, it negates the need for using an extra pan to cook the chicken! Bowl of Delicious’s official taste tester and dish do-er (Zach, my husband), certainly appreciated this.
And guess what, guys? Today is the LAST DAY of my Whole30 challenge! But that doesn’t mean it’s over yet. The Whole30 ends with a gradual reintegration of all the foods you have eliminated over the course of a couple weeks.
The first thing I’m reintroducing starting tomorrow? WINE. Sweet, sweet nectar of the gods. I cannot tell you how much I have missed a nice glass of red wine after a long hard day at work teaching teenagers. Teachers and wine go together like peanut butter and jelly. In fact, if you want to get your child’s teacher an awesome present next time I strongly recommend getting them a bottle of wine.
Basically, you introduce one thing at a time, and go back to doing the Whole30 for three days. Then, you introduce another thing, and do the Whole30 again for three more days. This enables you to really pay attention to whether or not a certain ingredient is making you not feel great.
So I’ll be posting a few more Whole30/Paleo recipes before this is all said and done!
Enjoy this awesome, healthy recipe. Recipe below :-)
Detox Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 ribs celery thinly sliced
- 2 carrots thinly sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups chicken stock/broth
- 1 zucchini quartered and sliced
- 2 cups cauliflower florets from about 1/2 of a cauliflower
- 28 oz. canned diced tomatoes
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 2 packed cups chopped fresh spinach or one package frozen
Instructions
- In a large pot, sauté the onions, celery, carrots, and bell pepper in olive oil (2 tablespoons) over medium-high heat until tender and starting to brown (about 5 minutes).
- Add the 2 cloves of minced garlic; sauté until fragrant (about 1 minute)
- Add chicken broth (6 cups), zucchini, cauliflower, and the can of diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil.
- Add the two chicken breasts (whole), season the soup with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer on low for 25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken breasts, shred using two forks, and place back in pot.
- Add the spinach and stir until wilted.
- Serve.
Notes
- For a slow cooker version: add all ingredients to slow cooker except for spinach. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Remove chicken and shred, return back to the pot, and add spinach.
- For a vegetarian/vegan version: Substitute the chicken with chickpeas and replace the chicken broth with vegetable broth.
- Freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
- The provided nutrition information does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. Feel free to calculate it yourself using this calculator or by adding the recipe to Yummly.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
Janni
Hi! Does the recipe for 4 servings call for 2 actual whole chicken breasts? I normally find chicken sold as half breasts, and 1/2 breast sounds like a lot for a serving, so please clarify for me. Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
It’s 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts as sold in the stores (which I suppose are technically split breasts).
Janni
Thank you! I made it and gave some to 2 families who were sick and they loved it. Thanks so much
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Tessa Daywalt
I’ve made this many times and love it! Wondering if I can throw in frozen chicken and what the cooking difference may be?
Thanks!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it! Sure! You would have to boil the frozen chicken until it’s fully cooked to 165 degrees F internal temperature, then remove and shred and throw back in the soup. Hope that helps!
Paula Hickman
So good and filling
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Erin
So so good!I’ve never put cauliflower in soup and I loved it! After the holidays I have been craving veggies and this did the trick!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Rhonda
This is the best soup! I made it in the slow cooker. Great!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
karen kurian
I can’t believe how good this soup is! I did question tomato/chicken combo but after reading the reviews decided to give a go and am so glad I did! Thank you for a delicious dinner. Will make often!
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Julie
I have a lot of fresh tomatoes from the garden. Do you think I could chop some up and use them instead of canned tomatoes?
Elizabeth Lindemann
Absolutely! Great way to use up tomatoes from the garden.
emma
This has become my fave dish so I always make sure I have some ready to go in the freezer. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Elizabeth Lindemann
So glad you liked it!
Laura
Made this tonight and it’s delicious!
Elizabeth Lindemann
Thanks so much! Glad you liked it :-)
andy holland
wow delicious soup thks for recipe. in vegan recipe how much chick peas is recommended? thks Andy
Elizabeth Lindemann
I think two 15-oz cans will do it! Be sure to drain and rinse them well before adding them, and let them simmer a while so they soften.
Kerry
I’m allergic to tomatoes. Was thinking to substitute with roasted pepper sauce? Someone gave me a can of this and I used as a marinara for my GF spaghetti. Was delicious. Maybe would be great for this recipe. Any thoughts or suggestions appreciated. I really need to stay clear of citrus foods as it triggers my heart
Elizabeth Lindemann
I think adding roasted red pepper sauce, or chopped roasted red peppers, would be a delicious alternative to tomatoes for this recipe! Hope you like it :-)
Jenn
Do you have the nutrition facts and serving size for this meal please? I track everything I eat and drink so that info would be very helpful. Thank you!
Elizabeth
Hi! I’m in the process of slowly updating my old recipes to have nutrition information. I just updated this recipe since you asked for it, so thanks! :-) Keep in mind- this is my best estimate and I’m not a nutritionist. And the serving size is also an estimate since I didn’t measure the whole batch of soup after it was done. The nutrition facts are based on 8 servings for the whole pot. Hope that helps! Serving Size:2 cups Calories:216 Sugar: 6.9 g Sodium: 863 mg Fat: 8.9 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Carbohydrates: 12 g Fiber: 3.6 g Protein: 22.4 g Cholesterol: 50 mg
Jen Johansen
Hi,
If I am using frozen spinach, do I have to defrost it first or can I just throw it in there and it will defrost in the soup? Thanks!
Elizabeth
I’d just throw the whole thing in!
Kathryn Beteta
This soup is fantastic! I’m going to make my second batch today. I add diced avocado and fresh lemon juice to the bowls upon serving. Yummmm! Thank you.
Elizabeth
So happy you liked it! It’s one of my favorites. Love the idea about adding avocado and lemon juice.
June
Could I make this in my Instant Pot pressure cooker?
Elizabeth
Definitely! I haven’t tried it in mine yet, so I’m not 100% sure on timing. I would just cook everything in there except the spinach, and just wilt that in at the end, like the original instructions. Hope that helps!
Mark G Mendel
Did you attempt this? Any suggestions?
I’m trying it in my instant pot right now. I used only 5 cups broth, since none will boil off & it was getting near the max line. 1-1/2lb of breast, cooking for 10min. I’ll follow up with how it works out…
Elizabeth
Hope it came out great! Good call with adding less broth.
Kathy
I’m assuming you start with raw chicken?
Elizabeth
Yes, they will poach in the liquid! You could alternatively skip this and add shredded cooked chicken to the soup toward the end of cooking.
bonnie
I have swisschard and collard greens growing in the garden. Thinking the swisschard may be a nice replacement for spinach since I don’t have any?
Elizabeth
Absolutely! Sauté the stems of the chard with the onions, etc. in the beginning, and stir in the leaves towards the end until they are wilted, like the spinach. You probably want to add the collard greens a bit earlier since they take longer to cook.
Jenna
This is literally the best soup ever, I’ve made it for a whole household of cold ridden people at university, and it cured them. We now refer to it as miracle soup.
Keep up the amazing work.
Elizabeth
This comment made my morning- I just read it out loud to my husband because we use it as a miracle soup too! Every time we feel tired, or unhealthy, or like we are getting a cold, we eat it and instantly feel better. So happy it helped you and your friends!
Betsy
We love this soup! Thank You
Debbie
I just made this for the first time and it was absolutely wonderful! I didn’t have any spinach on hand so I substituted fresh organice kale in it’s place. Thanks for the recipe!!!! We will definitely be making this again soon.
Elizabeth
Woo hi! So glad you liked it. I’m actually on my way to the store to get ingredients to make it- it’s one of my faves!
Lauren
Hi! Does it call for a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes? Thanks!
Elizabeth
Yes :-)
Patricia Bardenhagen
Wow!! This soup is amazing. Thank you. I’ve got the spicy cabbage dish in my crock put. I’ll report back.
Elizabeth
Thanks Patricia!! :)
BROOKLYNNE
Could I use crushed tomatoes instead of diced? I like the texture better.
Elizabeth Lindemann
Yes! That will work well.