Chicken Kale Soup thickened with potatoes is a delicious and healthy soup recipe that you can make for dinner any weeknight! Great for lunch, brunch, appetizer, or dinner.
This Chicken Kale Soup with Potatoes, onions, and garlic is inspired by Caldo Verde, a traditional recipe originating in Portugal. There are different variations of this recipe, but I decided to add chicken to this one to make it a meal. It's a great recipe to use up leftover veggies and chicken to create something brand new, hearty, and delicious.
The recipe begins with aromatics for a flavor backdrop, in this case onions and garlic. Then potatoes and cabbage or kale are added. From there you can find sausage and other ingredients added, but again, this version uses chicken. The potatoes are pureed and become the thick and creamy base. It's a wonderful recipe and an absolutely delicious and healthy meal.
Jump to:
Brazilian Origins this Chicken Kale Soup
As mentioned above, this recipe is inspired by Caldo Verde, which translates to Green Broth or Soup. The green comes from green cabbage or kale. It's a popular dish in Portugal and was brought here to Brazil with the Portuguese. It's a hearty soup that can be found in restaurants and on family tables in Brazil. I love it though because it's a flavorful, healthy, and filling meal. If you like kale, you should also try Sauteed Kale with Bacon and Garlic {Couve a Mineira}.
Simple Ingredients and Substitutes
With just a few basic ingredients you can have this delicious and healthy chicken soup! Be sure to scroll down to other variations on this simple recipe too!
- Chicken Breasts, boneless skinless - I used Skinless, boneless chicken breasts that I boiled in broth to give extra flavor to the broth and then shredded. You can use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs will work in this recipe. You can also use sausage, so scroll down to variations for more on sausage.
- Salt and Ground Black Pepper is all you need to season the chicken before cooking it.
- Olive Oil - Olive Oil is used for the pan for roasting the chicken and then again for cooking the onions. You can substitute in vegetable oil, canola oil, coconut oil, or other neutral oil that you have.
- Yellow onion – I used yellow onion, but you can use white onion, red onion, shallots, or even scallions.
- Potatoes - I used Yukon gold, but you can use russet as well, just be sure to peel them. If you use russet, make sure to immediately put them into cold water as they start to oxidize immediately and will turn brown otherwise.
- Garlic cloves - Fresh is best when it comes to garlic. You can buy pre-minced garlic to save time or mince it in bulk and freeze it for use when you need it! You can also substitute in dried garlic flakes or garlic powder.
- Chicken Broth or Chicken stock – You can also use, vegetable broth or stock or Beef broth or stock. You can also use water mixed with a beef or chicken bouillon cube or beef base or chicken base. You could also use bone broth.
- Kale or Green Cabbage, chopped or thinly sliced - I used fresh Kale leaves, but you can also use collard greens. I recommend buying the organic whole curly kale leaves and then washing them under cold water, stripping from the stems, and cutting yourself. When you buy the pre-cut kale, it will have a much shorter life since it's already been processed and packaged. You will also get a better value buying the whole leaves. Baby kale can be used but note that it is much more tender, so it cooks pretty fast.
See recipe card for quantities.
Simple Equipment You'll Need with Options
For this recipe, I used a 10 inch dutch oven because it has a thick and wide bottom that's great for soups. Any large dutch oven or high-sided skillet or pot will work.
For mincing garlic, I use a Garlic Press.
Tips for this Chicken Kale Recipe
Tip #1 - My first tip for this and other recipes is to buy chicken in bulk and roast it for several dinners! Shredded chicken can be used in casseroles, salads, soups, skillet dinners, and more. For example, shredded chicken is delicious in this Ultimate Chicken Casserole Recipe or in Brazilian Chicken Salad ~ Salpicão de Frango.
Tip #2 - If you have leftover mashed potatoes, those would be great to use in this soup! Or, you can leave it more as a broth with chunks of potatoes.
Tip #3 - If you are worried about the kale or cabbage not being tender enough, saute it in the pot before anything else. Add a little olive oil and the shredded kale and a touch of salt and pepper. Cook it until it gets soft, then transfer it to a bowl as you make the rest of the soup according to the instructions.
How to Make this Chicken Kale Soup Recipe
Boil the Chicken and Make the Broth
Cut the whole chicken breasts into 3-4 pieces so that they cook faster. You will be shredding them later, so don't worry about the cuts.
Bring 6 cups of Chicken Broth or stock to a boil with the salt and the pepper, then gently place the raw chicken breasts into the pot. Boil for 10 minutes until there is no longer any pink. Then remove the chicken to a plate to cool.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite size pieces. Save the broth for adding to the soup later.
Cooking the Soup
Peel and dice the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Clean and slice the kale.
Preheat a separate soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the onions.
Stir to coat the onions in the oil and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring so they do not brown, but start to glisten and become translucent.
Add the potatoes and garlic. Then add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of the chicken broth. Cover and cook the potatoes for 10-15 minutes until fork tender.
Using an immersion blender or standing blender, pulse the potatoes to blend.
Blend until smooth. For more texture you can leave some potato chunks.
Add the kale and the remaining chicken broth.
Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
Last add the chicken, taste for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper as needed.
Variations
Now, this is delicious as it, but of course, it's a soup and there are so many options for changing it up!
- Spicy - If you want a kick, you can add red pepper flakes, jalapeno peppers, hot sauce, or cayenne pepper. If you use fresh peppers, you can either add them in with the onions to be blended or add them in with the kale for the last 10 minutes.
- Sausage - Slice up your favorite pre-cooked sausage. Add it to the pan before anything else to get a sear and render some of the fat. Remove to a plate and follow the rest of the instructions for the soup using the fat from the sausage for the onions. Add the sausage back in with the kale for the last 10 minutes.
- Bacon - Instead of sausage, do the same thing with diced raw bacon. But this time, you want to cook the bacon low and slow so that you render the fat and crisp up the bacon. Then using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate, leaving the fat behind to cook the onions.
- Bean Vegetarian - First sautee additional vegetables, such as carrots, mushrooms, or zucchini. Remove to a plate and then follow the soup instructions. Add the veggies along with cooked black beans, pinto beans, cannellini beans or white beans, garbanzo beans, or lentils to the soup with the kale. Or, you can add some of the beans in with the potatoes to be pureed!
Chicken Kale Potato Soup FAQs
You can absolutely make this Chicken Kale Caldo Verde soup ahead! It reheats beautifully and is a great meal prep option for enjoying the next day or several days during the week! To reheat, you can place it in a microwave safe bowl and warm it for 1-2 minutes. Or you can place it back in a pot covered on the stove and warm it on medium heat. It will take about 10-15 minutes.
You can freeze this chicken kale soup for up to 4 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then warm on the stove. Or place the frozen soup in the oven at 400 F degrees for 30-40 minutes until warm
This recipe can be made in an instant pot or other pressure cooker. First, select the Sauté option. Add the olive oil and onions. Cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the broth, garlic, potatoes and the raw chicken. Seal the Instant Pot lid and set the timer for 10 minutes. Let the pressure release, remove the chicken and let cool to shred, leaving the potatoes and broth in the pot. Check the potatoes to ensure they are cooked and fork tender. Blend the potatoes according to the recipe instructions "Making the Soup" #4. Continue to follow the instructions for the kale and chicken. Tip: Cooking the kale in advance in a pan with a little olive oil will ensure that it is tender when adding to the soup.
To make a slow cooker chicken kale soup, add all of the ingredients to the pot except the kale. Set the slow cooker to 6 hours low or 8 hours high. At the end of the time, remove the chicken and let cool to shred, leaving the potatoes and broth in the pot. Check the potatoes to ensure they are cooked and fork tender. Blend the potatoes according to the recipe instructions "Making the Soup" #4. Continue to follow the instructions for the kale and chicken. Tip: Cooking the kale in advance in a pan with a little olive oil will ensure that it is tender when adding to the soup.
Related Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Chicken Kale Soup ~ Caldo Verde com Frango
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Chicken Breast, boneless skinless
- 2 teaspoon Salt
- 2 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow onion, diced
- 3 Yukon Potatoes, medium-large
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 6 cups Chicken Broth or Stock, Unsalted
- 6-8 ounces Kale or Green Cabbage, chopped or thinly sliced
Instructions
Boil the Chicken and Make the Broth
- Cut the whole chicken breasts into 3-4 pieces so that they cook faster. You will be shredding them later, so don't worry about the cuts.
- Bring 6 cups of Chicken Broth or stock to a boil with the salt and the pepper, then gently place the raw chicken breasts into the pot. Boil for 10 minutes until there is no longer any pink. Then remove the chicken to a plate to cool.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite size pieces. Save the broth for adding to the soup later.
Make the soup
- Peel and dice the potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Dice the onion. Mince the garlic. Clean and slice the kale.
- Preheat a separate soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Stir to coat the onions in the oil and cook for 3-4 minutes stirring so they do not brown, but start to glisten and become translucent.
- Add the potatoes and the garlic to the pot and mix with the onions. Then add 1 cup of water and 1 cup of the chicken broth. Cover and cook the potatoes for 10-15 minutes or until fork tender.
- Using an immersion blender or standing blender, pulse the potatoes to blend. I do this until smooth, but if you want some texture you can leave some of the potato chunks in the soup.
- Add the kale and the remaining chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. Last add the chicken, taste for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper as needed.
Leave a Reply