Chicken and White Bean Soup

Jeff the Chef

I made this Chicken and White Bean Soup with breast meat, but it’d be great with dark meat, too. Lordy, lordy, it’s so homey and delicious. Reheats perfectly.

Chicken and White Bean Soup
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Chicken and White Bean Soup

Recipe by Make It Like a Man!Course: Dinner
Makes about

8

3/4-to-1-cup servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. chicken breast

  • 2-2¼ cups cold water, or more as needed

  • 1 tsp salt, plus more for seasoning

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • 3 Tbs olive oil

  • 1 sweet potato, (peeled and) cubed into bite-sized pieces

  • 3 large stalks of celery

  • 1/2 red onion, finely diced

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 1 Tbs butter

  • 2 Tbs flour

  • Pepper, to taste

  • 2 lbs. cooked white beans, or to taste

  • Thick-sliced artisan bread and butter, for serving

Directions

  • In a medium saucepan, cover the chicken with water. Add the salt. Place the saucepan over medium heat (setting 4 out of 9). As the water heats up, use a slotted spoon to remove any suds that form. Once the water reaches a gentle boil, which should take about 9 minutes, off heat. Immediately turn chicken with tongs. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid, and let sit until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°F, 5-10 minutes (depending on thickness of the breast). If the temperature doesn’t come to 150°F after 10 minutes, turn the chicken again, cover it, and place it over the lowest flame, so that the water heats but does not boil. Check every 2-4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. One last time, remove any suds with a slotted spoon, and the pour the poaching liquid through a fine-mesh strainer if using (see substitutions), or discard.
  • Heat the chicken stock and keep it warm.
  • Heat oil in a large soup pot over med-high heat (setting 6). Once it’s hot, add the sweet potato, and cook until lightly browned and softened, stirring frequently, 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add the celery, onion, and bay leaves, and cook until the sweet potato is al dente, 4 minutes. Add butter and flour and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the stock, raise the heat to med-high and bring the soup just to the boil. Check that the potatoes are perfectly done. If not, reduce to a simmer until they are. If so, off heat and add beans. Add pepper, to taste.
  • Slice the chicken into bite-sized cubes. Add it to the pot. Warm through over medium heat. At this point, the soup is ready to serve. But if you let it sit, covered, for an hour and then reheat it, it’s significantly better. Serve with thickly sliced rustic bread and soft butter.

Notes

  • For the chicken stock, substitute the chicken poaching liquid, the bean cooking liquid, or any combination of the three. Add chicken reduction paste, to taste. Note that the combination of the poaching liquid and the reduction may be salty enough to season the entire pot of soup on its own.
"Chicken and White Bean Soup," from Make It Like a Man!

I love this soup! It’s homey, hearty, and delicious. You get just a touch of sweetness from the sweet potatoes, which gives you all the comfort-food power you’d get with a white potato, but moves it left of center. This soup is exactly what you want on a cold evening. Consider serving it over basmati rice.

The Backstory

I created this soup to use up the beans I cooked for Arugula, Spinach, and White Bean Salad with Olive Dressing. (I cooked the whole bag of beans.)

I’m a big fan of chicken soup and make a handful of variations of it on a regular basis throughout fall and winter. However, this time, I modified my poached chicken method, and the results were very, very good. The chicken came out beautifully tender, and the broth was relatively clear.

I stronly recommend you serve this soup with a side of bread, it takes so perfectly to it. The bread in this post’s pics is a cheddar sourdough that came from Loaf Lounge, a bakery/cafe that has a tangential relationship to The Bear. I think it might be one of the best loaves I’ve bought in my Sweet Home, Chicago, and I loved it with this soup. If you live in Chicagoland, or plan to visit, go to Loaf Lounge. Have the chocolate cake, and get a loaf of bread.

"Chicken and White Bean Soup," from Make It Like a Man!
Chicken and White Bean Soup

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! unless otherwise credited. This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. References: Bon appétit, To Taste. Thank you, Kesor. Make It Like a Man! is ranked by Feedspot as #13 in the Top 30 Men’s Cooking Blogs.

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52 thoughts on “Chicken and White Bean Soup”

  1. That looks so delicious and comforting. The cheese bread also sounds wonderful. We’re currently enjoying sunny warm days but I’ll bookmark it for when we’re back to inclement weather!

    Reply

    • Right? I wish I could help you with the cake and bread. (But just between you and me, I’m going to post a recipe for the cake!)

      Reply

  9. I’ve never had a soup with chicken so I take you as my point of reference on the matter (you seem like a black belt in chicken soups!!).
    This one that you propose has all the ingredients that I am fond of and I really like the idea of serving it with basmati rice or with slices of excellent bread.
    A real comfort food!
    Ok: if I come to Chicago I will stay far away from Loaf Lounge because I could turn into Alice in Wonderland 😉

    Reply

    • Well, I didn’t mention it, but the stuff that Loaf Lounge sells is pretty pricey, so that may be the thing that saves you if you do go!

      Reply

  16. I love beans! And wow beans are very much the thing in this soup. Yum. SO hearty – maybe a bit much for us here in very hot and humid brisbane atm but come winter …

    Reply

    • Yes, greeting from the cold side of the world! Save if for six months from now!

      Reply

  17. Bonjour .
    Une très bonne soupe avec du poulet et des haricots elle est bien appétissante .
    Je te souhaite un bon vendredi et un bon weekend .

    Reply

  18. Jeff, I make chicken soup all the time but l want to try it your way. It sounds so damn good I can’t wait to try it and put the beans in. I never thought to put beans in the chicken soup. I think I will like it. Thank you.

    Reply

  20. I’ve made this already, and can confirm that it’s utterly delicious. Not only that, it was easy as could be to make: as suited for a casual cook like myself as for more skilled/dedicated cooks. Great recipe!

    I think you might get a kick out of my current post about rural Mardi Gras celebrations in Louisiana. Chickens play quite a role there, too — as entertainment as well as food.

    Reply

  21. This is my all time favorite soup! It’s starting to get chilly here in Indiana again, so I’ll be putting this on the menu this week.

    Reply

  24. This Chicken and White Bean Soup recipe sounds absolutely delightful! The combination of tender chicken, hearty white beans, and sweet potatoes must create such a comforting and satisfying meal, especially on a chilly evening. I can almost taste the rich flavors just reading through the recipe.

    Reply

  25. Jeff, I love my legumes! I make all sorts of bean soups, including white bean. But I’ve never added chicken to my white bean soup. Must give it a go. This would be perfect for today. No sweet potato on hand, but plenty of carrots. AND I’ve already got my sourdough bread in the works. Started the pre-ferment nearly 28 hours ago and will be making the final dough in a little while.

    Reply

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