Rosemary Chicken & White Bean Soup

When you can’t decide between garlic rosemary white bean soup and classic chicken soup… why not mash up both? Rosemary Chicken & White Bean Soup was the perfect comfort food on an unseasonably chilly spring day.

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Rosemary Chicken & White Bean Soup, anyone? Just look at that bowl full of chicken, beans, and veggies… so filling, delicious, and flavorful. I’d initially just intended to throw together a simple white bean soup for dinner last night, but then got to thinking that I hadn’t made chicken soup in a while. Well, how about: Double the comfort food, double the fun! So, today’s chicken soup is loaded up with extra garlic, rosemary, and white beans.

Why did I use chicken drumsticks here? Well, does anyone else remember those old “parts is parts” Wendy’s chicken commercials, or am I just showing my age now. Mock as they may, though, parts really are parts sometimes — at least, when it comes to a hearty chicken soup recipe.

I made this particular batch of soup with drumsticks because that’s what I had on hand, but you could also use bone-in thighs, leg quarters, or a mixture. Soup is a great outlet to maximize your use of more affordable cuts of meat, and using bone-in dark meat adds a certain richness and depth of flavor. Try letting this bean & chicken soup simmer away on your stove on a weekend afternoon, then indulge in its hearty goodness for Sunday dinner.

Rosemary Chicken & White Bean Soup

Ingredients

2 Tbsp olive oil
3 lbs bone-in, skin-on, dark meat chicken parts (I used drumsticks)
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic (about 6 small cloves)
32 oz chicken or vegetable broth (see Note)
2 cups water
2 cans cannellini and/or Great Northern beans, rinsed & drained (I used one of each)
2 tsp rosemary, slightly crushed between your fingers
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

Directions

Cut up the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic (if not using pre-minced).

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven until shimmering, then add the chicken. Brown for 3 minutes a side, then use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot. Set aside. (It’s OK if the pot is crowded; you’re not cooking the chicken through here, just lightly browning to release some flavor.)

Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and saute over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and saute briefly.

Meanwhile, rinse and drain the beans.

After sauteeing the veggies, stir in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.

Stir in the water, beans, and seasonings. Return the browned chicken pieces to the pot, and bring your soup to a boil.

Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for one hour, or until the chicken is tender and starting to come off the bones. You want the pot to be gently bubbling the entire time.

Remove and shred the chicken, discarding the skin, cartilage, and bones. Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Taste the soup and season with additional sea salt & black pepper to taste, then serve immediately.

Note: I had planned to use chicken broth, but had none — so, vegetable it was! Chicken broth would work even better, but soup is forgiving and you can use what you have on hand.

Comfort food, in a pot, hits the spot

You can’t go wrong with the classics, so: Serve your chicken & white bean soup with a nice crusty bread or with crackers to round out a simple meal. I warmed up a take-and-bake loaf to pair with ours, then High School Guy and I just added a little fruit to our plates and ate well last night!

We ended up with good leftovers, too, and I already know what’s for lunch today. This hearty chicken & bean soup recipe serves eight, and is naturally gluten free.

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Rosemary Chicken & White Bean Soup

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When you can’t decide between garlic rosemary white bean soup and classic chicken soup… why not mash up both? Rosemary Chicken & White Bean Soup was the perfect comfort food on an unseasonably chilly spring day.

Course Soup

Cuisine soup

Keyword chicken soup, rosemary, soup, white bean soup

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8

Author Rachel Singer

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 lbs bone-in, skin-on, dark meat chicken parts (I used drumsticks)
• 1 medium yellow onion diced
• 2 carrots peeled and diced
• 2 ribs of celery diced
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic about 6 small cloves
• 32 oz chicken or vegetable broth see Note
• 2 cups water
• 2 cans cannellini and/or Great Northern beans rinsed & drained (I used one of each)
• 2 tsp rosemary slightly crushed between your fingers
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• Sea salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Cut up the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic (if not using pre-minced).
• Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven until shimmering, then add the chicken. Brown for 3 minutes a side, then use tongs to remove the chicken from the pot. Set aside. (It’s OK if the pot is crowded; you’re not cooking the chicken through here, just lightly browning to release some flavor.)
• Reduce heat to medium. Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and saute over medium heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and saute briefly.
• Meanwhile, rinse and drain the beans.
• After sauteeing the veggies, stir in the chicken broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
• Stir in the water, beans, and seasonings. Return the browned chicken pieces to the pot, and bring your soup to a boil.
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for one hour, or until the chicken is tender and starting to come off the bones. You want the pot to be gently bubbling the entire time.
• Remove and shred the chicken, discarding the skin, cartilage, and bones. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
• Return the shredded chicken to the pot. Taste the soup and season with additional sea salt & black pepper to taste, then serve immediately.

Notes

Note: I had planned to use chicken broth, but had none — so, vegetable it was! Chicken broth would work even better, but soup is forgiving and you can use what you have on hand.

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