This Detox Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup is the perfect remedy for flu season filled with antioxidants that boost immunity and keep you warm all winter long!
With the new year officially in full swing, not only are we kicking off better eating habits and attempting to stay warm in all this cold weather, but we are also battling coughs, colds and the dreaded FLU season. This Detox Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup is the perfect remedy for cold and flu season, but is also filled with tons of nutrients, minerals and antioxidants that boost your immunity and keep you warm and cozy all winter long! I mean with ingredients like garlic, chickpeas, turmeric, mushrooms and dark leafy greens all simmering together in a flavorful hot broth, you’ll be sure to fend off those pesky colds while staying healthy and on track with your goals!
Why You’ll Love This
- Supports immunity – not only is this nourishing soup great for digestion and metabolism, but also has added anti-inflammatory benefits and antioxidants that help boost immunity.
- One pot recipe – this soup is made all in one pot making this an easy recipe you can throw together any time and is also great for meal prep.
- Comforting – a bowl of this soup is perfect for cold weather, when you need a reset after the holidays or simply just feeling under the weather and need a pick me up!
- Great for meal prep – I like to make a big batch ahead of time to last me a good part of the week or just freeze in small batches so I can grab some anytime I feel a cold coming on.
Here’s What You’ll Need
- chicken – I like to use shredded rotisserie chicken because it’s quick and easy with so much flavor, but you can also use chicken breasts or chicken thighs. Leftover chicken (or turkey) works great too!
- veggies – I used a combination of carrots, celery, onion, and mushrooms, but feel free to add in some bell peppers, butternut squash or even chopped sweet potatoes
- garlic – we are using A LOT in this recipe (yes 10 garlic cloves!), but trust me it tastes absolutely amazing. Garlic is such a powerful antioxidant that strengthens immune function and just overall makes you feel really good. Don’t worry, the garlic definitely mellows out while cooking so don’t expect the flavor to be too intense!
- chicken stock – I used low-sodium chicken broth, but vegetable broth would work or any stocks you have in your pantry. Make sure to adjust the amount of salt used if you don’t use a low-sodium broth
- chickpeas – also known as garbanzo beans, these add extra protein and delicious texture to this soup
- kale – this is a hearty leafy green that packs in the antioxidants, vitamin C and other nutrients good for your health. You could also use fresh spinach in place of the kale and even sprinkle in some fresh parsley or other fresh herbs
- herbs and spices – a combination of turmeric, crushed red pepper, salt, black pepper and bay leaves
How to Make Detox Chicken Soup
The great thing about this soup is that everything comes together in just 30 minutes in 3 simple steps! Here’s how I make it:
- Sauté the veggies. In a large soup pot or dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute onion, celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic, cooking another 3 minutes.
- Let the soup simmer. Stir in the chicken stock, bay leaves, turmeric, crushed red pepper, sea salt, pepper and chickpeas, bringing everything a boil. Mix in the shredded rotisserie chicken, cover and turn down the heat to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. If you are using boneless skinless chicken breasts, you’ll want to add them in with the chicken stock and let them simmer for about 25 minutes until cooked through and no longer pink. Then remove the chicken breasts, shred with two forks, and add the chicken back into the pot.
- Mix in kale and serve! Add in the chopped kale and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. You could also sprinkle in some fresh parsley. Enjoy!
How to Customize this Chicken Soup
- Make it gluten-free – lucky for you, this soup is already naturally gluten-free!
- Add more veggies – this soup is already super healthy, but feel free to add in more vegetables like zucchini, green beans, cauliflower, or broccoli florets.
- Make it spicy – feel free to add in more red pepper flakes or a dash of cayenne pepper for some added heat.
- Boost of protein – this soup is already packed with protein thanks to the chicken and chickpeas, but feel free to add in some white beans or extra chickpeas.
- Lower sodium – for a low-sodium option, use unsalted chicken broth and season the soup lightly at the end.
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Prepping and Storing
To Store: This detox chicken soup will last in your fridge in a sealed, airtight container for up to 5 days. You can easily reheat this soup in the microwave or stovetop for a quick, delicious meal. I love making this soup for my weekly meal prep!
To Freeze: If planning to freeze this soup, first let the soup cool completely and then store it in a sealed container in the freezer for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let the soup thaw completely in the fridge. Warm it up in a pot on the stove or re-heat individual servings in the microwave.
More Soup Recipes
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup – the perfect cozy soup packed with flavor and loaded with chicken, veggies and tender wild rice
- Creamy Broccoli Cheddar Soup – a delicious low carb soup packed with veggies and made in under 30 minutes
- Chicken Tortilla Soup – the perfect weeknight meal that can easily be made in your Instant Pot, slow cooker or even right on the stove
- Sausage and Spinach Tortellini Soup – creamy, cozy and made with cheesy tortellini, sausage and fresh veggies
- One Pot Spicy Sausage & Kale Soup – this soup is hearty, delicious and literally takes just 5 minutes to throw together in a pot or slow cooker
- Creamy Tomato Hummus Detox Soup – packed with flavor as well as tons of immune-boosting ingredients like garlic, ginger, chickpeas, turmeric, carrots and leafy greens to help you stay healthy all season long
Hope you all enjoy this Detox Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup! If you love this as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny!
Detox Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 large celery stalks, diced
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
- 10 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups baby kale leaves
Instructions
- In a large pot or dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté onion, celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and garlic, cooking another 3 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken stock, bay leaves, turmeric, crushed red pepper, salt and chickpeas; bringing to a boil. Mix in cooked shredded chicken, cover and turn down heat to a simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add kale, cover and simmer an additional 5 minutes. Discard bay leaves, serve and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such a delicious healthy soup!
So good! I added Thyme and served with basmati rice.
My go-to soup whenever our house is sick! We’ve made it over a dozen times, and it never disappoints. Freezes well and is great to have on hand!
My family loves this soup! It is perfect as is. I’ve made it for many years.
I make another variation of it in which I sub orzo for chickpeas; sub spinach for kale; and add sweet corn. My husband has functional dyspepsia and these ingredients are easier on his stomach 🙂
This had such good flavor! I also added some zucchini to it that I had left over in the fridge. I did a couple more celery and carrots as well. I am saving this recipe and will be doing it again.
Hearty, filling & the aromas alone made me feel better!
Just made this soup for the first time. I substituted white beans for the chickpeas and lacinato kale for the baby kale. Very good. Might put in more mushrooms next time and/or cubed sweet potatoes.
My husband came home from a business trip sick and this was the dinner I made on the defense. Wow. So good! Our garlic tolerance is lower, but still delish with just one frozen cube. I also stirred in some cooked noodles at the end for some extra comfort. I’ll definitely make this again!
This is awesome!! So flavorful. I didn’t have chick peas so I used two fist sized red potatoes peeled for some starch in this. I would love sweet potato as she recommends above as an addition. But one of my kids is not a fan of them. I will definitely be making again.
First time making this soup—-thank you!!! So delicious. This will be on high rotation….maybe even during this summer! I made everything mostly according to the recipe. Maybe just extra shredded chicken, lower on tumeric (mine seems old) and smaller amount of red pepper flakes. It was fabulous. Still quite yellow from turmeric despite the small sprinkle I used. Which made it look different than the picture. I’ll get fresh turmeric next time.