Easy Nourishing Chicken Cauliflower Soup

This chicken cauliflower soup is hearty, cozy, and full of flavors and ingredients that will nourish your soul and your body when soup season hits.

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Why you’ll love it

Is there anything better than snuggling up with a comforting soup on a cold day? There’s just something about a simmering pot of soup on the stove that transports me into cozy mode, instantly.

Plus, having a good chicken soup recipe on deck is absolutely essential for cold and flu season.

This chicken cauliflower soup has so much flavor, but it’s also seriously packed with veggies and nutrition from whole food ingredients like cauliflower, ginger, chicken, carrots, kale, and beans.

It has everything you need in a filling, balanced soup. Plenty of protein, carbs, fats and fiber. Your whole family will absolutely love this one.

It’s also easy to make and reheats great so it’s perfect for meal prep on a slow weekend day for soup that’s ready to eat all week.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs: You can also use lean chicken breast if you prefer, but boneless skinless chicken thighs are actually really similar nutritionally, but typically more flavorful.
• Cauliflower: Cauliflower is the key ingredient here. Not only does it add a huge boost of nutrition, but blending it into the broth a bit makes it a creamy soup, too. You can also sub in riced cauliflower instead of florets.
• Kale: You can sub in any greens that you enjoy like spinach or collard greens, too.
• Carrots, celery & onion: This is chicken soup after all, so you can’t skip the classic carrot, celery and onion combination.
• White beans: I like using cannellini beans best, but you can use any white bean that you have. they’re the perfect high fiber carb to make this soup super satisfying.
• Garlic and ginger: These aromatics add a ton of flavor to this chicken soup. To make it super easy, I recommend using a microplane.
• Chicken broth or chicken stock: You can sub in veggie broth, beef broth, or whatever you have if you don’t have chicken broth or stock on hand. You can also use bouillon chicken base and water instead of stock.
• Lemon juice: Once you try adding a bit of lemon juice to your chicken soup recipes, you’ll never go back. It rounds out the flavors of the soup so well and pairs great with ginger and garlic.
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Step-by-step instructions

1. First, start cooking your chicken thighs.
   1. Pat them dry and then season with 1/4 teaspoon each of salt, teaspoon pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
   2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil or avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
   3. Add chicken thighs to the skillet and cook for 5-6 minutes on one side. Flip and cook for 6-7 more minutes until cooked through with no visible pink.
   4. When the chicken thighs are cooked, remove them to rest while you make the soup. 
2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add onion, garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Next, add carrots, celery, and cauliflower and sauté on low-medium heat for 5-7 minutes until veggies begin to soften. 

4. Next, add 2 cups of chicken broth, cover, and cook on low-medium for about 5-10 minutes. Carrots and cauliflower should be soft and easily pierced with a fork
5. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup about halfway. It should still be a little bit chunky, not completely smooth, but creamier. (If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can also transfer to a food processor or regular blender and then add back to the pan.)
6. Transfer cooked chicken thighs to a cutting board and dice into bite-sized pieces for soup.
7. Add the chicken, kale, beans and the rest of the broth (4 more cups) to the soup pot. Season with salt and pepper to taste and add extra broth if desired. Cover and cook for 5-10 additional minutes on low until the kale is full wilted.
8. Add additional salt and pepper to taste before serving. Optional topping ideas: chives and parmesan cheese, or sharp cheddar cheese!

Recipe FAQ

I don’t have a blender, can I still make this?

Definitely! Just makes sure you dice all of your veggies so that they’re bite-sized for soup and follow the same directions without blending. The soup will be less creamy, but will still be delicious. You can grab an immersion blender here if you’re looking for one!

How should I store this soup?

You can store this soup in an airtight container like these for 3-5 days or freeze for up to 2-3 months (if freezing, make sure to cool and place in the freezer the same day as making it). Reheat leftover chicken soup in the microwave in 30-60 second increments for a quick lunch or dinner, it’s just as good the next day!

Soup Variation Ideas

• Make this soup a super creamy one by stirring in 1/2 cup of milk, heavy cream, or canned coconut milk depending on your preference.
• Make it vegetarian by using veggie broth, omitting the chicken and adding extra beans.
• Add diced potatoes to the carrots, celery and cauliflower sauté before blending for a thicker broth.
• Make your soup prep super simple by using a store-bought rotisserie chicken or shredded chicken.
• Change up your greens and add spinach, collard greens, or shaved brussel sprouts instead.
• Add your favorite healthy veggies like green beans, broccoli, mushrooms or any others that you enjoy.
• Add herbs like fresh parsley, fresh thyme or rosemary.
• Add 2 cups of rice for a chicken cauliflower rice soup.

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Healthy Philly Cheesesteak Casserole

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