This chicken soup with quinoa and kale is easy to make on a weeknight. It's a delicious, bright, and filling soup that is quick to make and tastes wonderful. It's got a squeeze of lemon and a dash of turmeric for brightness and a bit of healthy spice.
The chicken, kale, and quinoa in this soup combine perfectly to make a perfect winter soup recipe, warming you up instantly.
I love to serve the soup with some warm bread, like this buttery naan. Yum!
This quinoa soup recipe uses baby kale, and I know there are probably some kale haters out there, but in this soup you barely notice it. (If you want, you can swap it out for another green!)
It adds that healthy veggie element. Also, as with most food I love, some freshly grated parmesan adds that additional flavor punch. So if you haven't been convinced yet, go buy yourself a wedge and grate it right over the top of your soup bowl!
If you live in a place experiencing cold weather, go make this soup and warm up! If you live in Austin like I do... well, just make this soup and turn on your air conditioner.
Key ingredients
- Chicken - Ideally leftover rotisserie chicken, but you can also sear or cook chicken yourself too.
- Quinoa
- Kale - I use baby kale here, but you can also use curly kale leaves or spinach leaves.
- Chicken stock/broth
- Lemon
What kind of kale to use in this soup
In this chicken quinoa soup, I love using baby kale.
However, curly kale or dinosaur/Tuscan kale will also work well! If you're using curly kale or dinosaur kale, just make sure to remove the kale leaves from the "rib" of the kale (the stem that runs up the kale).
You can also swap out spinach in place for the kale
What type of chicken to use
Any type of pre-cooked chicken works great! If it's unseasoned, make sure to cook it a bit and add a touch of seasoning before adding it to your soup. I love using rotisserie chicken breast in this.
How to cook quinoa
Quinoa is so easy to cook up! It usually cooks even quicker than rice.
Make sure to follow the instructions on your bag of quinoa for cooking. Some will need to be rinsed before cooking, while other types of quinoa are pre-rinsed.
How to make the lemony chicken and quinoa soup
First, cook your chicken and quinoa if needed.
Next, dice up your onion and mince the garlic cloves.
In a large pot, heat up the olive oil, then add the onions and garlic and saute.
Add the sherry or white wine and cook briefly.
Add chicken stock, bay leaf, turmeric, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium/low heat. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
Uncover, then remove the bay leaf. Add the chicken, kale, and cooked quinoa to the soup.
Cook for about 5 minutes, season with more salt and pepper to taste, and add the juice of 1 lemon.
Plate and enjoy!
Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Like this soup recipe? Try these!
- Roasted butternut squash soup
- Instant Pot potato and leek soup
- Lemon orzo soup with shrimp
- Kale, sausage, and white bean soup
More recipes to love
Chicken Soup with Quinoa and Kale
Ingredients
- 1 cooked chicken breast
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- ½ white or yellow onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dry sherry or white wine
- 4 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups baby kale
- 1 lemon
- freshly grated parmesan
Instructions
- Cook chicken and quinoa if needed.
- Peel and dice onion and peel and mince the garlic.
- In a large pot, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil and heat over medium heat.
- Add onions and garlic and sauté over medium heat until onions are translucent.
- Add sherry and cook until absorbed (30 seconds - 1 minute).
- Add chicken stock, black pepper, salt, turmeric, and bay leaf.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Cover and simmer 30 minutes.
- Add the kale, chicken, and pre-cooked quinoa to the soup.
- Stir and let the kale wilt. Cook for about 5 minutes. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, and squeeze in the juice of one lemon.
- Ladle into bowls and grate parmesan over the top of the soup.
Nutrition
If nutrition info is shown, values are based on an online calculator and are estimates. Please verify using your own data.
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