Chicken White Bean Soup
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 25, 2025 
Chicken White Bean Soup Recipe – A light and lean chicken soup with robust flavor and texture. Made with beans, tons of vegetables, and savory spices.
Why We Love This Chicken White Bean Soup Recipe
Make this White Bean Chicken Soup tonight for a protein-packed, veggie-filled, hearty meal! With its generous batch size, it’s perfect for meal prepping—whether you plan to take it to work for lunch, freeze leftovers for later, or feed a crowd.
The best part? It’s incredibly easy to make with minimal time and effort. Chances are, you already have most (if not all) of the ingredients in your freezer, pantry, and spice drawer.
And the flavor is absolutely delicious! The zesty, robust broth is brimming with chunky goodness that’s sure to satisfy.
This one-pot wonder will quickly become a family favorite!
Ingredients You Need
- Small onion – peeled and chopped
- Red bell pepper – seeded and chopped
- Carrots – sliced
- Garlic – minced
- Butter – or olive oil
- Chicken breasts – boneless, skinless
- White beans – any variety
- Green chiles – chopped
- Chicken broth – or chicken stock with water
- Seasonings – bay leaf, thyme, cumin, mustard, ginger, crushed red pepper
- Frozen corn – or fresh or canned
- Salt and pepper – to taste
- Fresh parsley – chopped, for garnish
How to Make Chicken White Bean Soup
- Set a stock pot over medium heat. Add the butter, onions, peppers, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes
- Add the chicken breasts, beans, chiles, broth, all herbs and spices, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
- Once the chicken breasts are cooked through, pull them out of the soup with tongs. Add the corn to the soup. Then use a fork to shred the chicken into small pieces. Add the shredded chicken back to the soup.
- Stir. Then taste the soup. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm!
Get the Complete (Printable) Chicken White Bean Soup Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This Chicken White Bean Soup is hearty enough to stand on its own, but you can also serve plenty of delicious sides to complement it! A fresh, crisp salad with a tangy vinaigrette is a great way to balance the richness of the soup. Warm, crusty bread or garlic bread pairs perfectly for dipping into the zesty broth.
If you’re looking to round out the meal with something sweet, a light fruit salad would be refreshing. Whether served as a solo star or with a few tasty sides, this bean soup is sure to satisfy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! To make it in a slow cooker, simply add all the ingredients except the beans and cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. If using canned beans, stir them in during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
This soup will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Be sure to store it in an airtight container. It also reheats well, making it great for meal prep.
Yes! This soup freezes beautifully. Let it cool completely before transferring it to freezer-safe containers or bags. It can be frozen for up to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stovetop.
Definitely! Rotisserie chicken is a convenient option and can be shredded and added during the last few minutes of cooking, just long enough to heat through.
Looking for More Chicken Soup Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
- Low Carb Green Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
- Skinny Chicken Fajita Soup
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup
- Healthy Chicken Cacciatore Soup
- Light Creamy Chicken Barley Kale Soup
- Chimichurri Chicken Lentil Soup
- Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
Get the Complete (Printable) Chicken White Bean Soup Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Chicken White Bean Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 1-2 carrots, sliced
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 cans white beans in any variety, drained (15-ounce cans)
- 4.5 ounces chopped green chiles (1 can)
- 11 cups chicken broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground dried mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 10 ounces frozen corn
- Salt and pepper
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Set a large 6-8 quart stock pot over medium heat. Add the butter, onions, peppers, carrots, and garlic. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the whole chicken breasts, beans, chiles, broth, all herbs and spices, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Once the chicken breasts are cooked through, pull them out of the soup with tongs. Add the corn to the soup. Then use a fork to shred the chicken into small pieces. Add the shredded chicken back to the soup.
- Stir. Then taste the soup. Season with more salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm!
Made this a few nights ago! Good reviews from all around the table :) Chicken soup with a good zip!
Im sure this is silly but how large is each serving or rather what is considered a serving size for the 290 calories?
Hi Caitlin,
Depending on how much you cook it down, about 1.5 – 2 cups
Delicious!!! Doubled it in a large pot and will freeze for later…I make lots of soup and loved the combination of spices in the recipe…Thanks for sharing a great recipe!
Made this today and it was super yummy.
11 cups chicken broth???? Is that a typo?
Hi JC,
Nope. It makes a large batch! You can substitute water and bouillon if you prefer. :)
This soup looks and sounds delicious–can’t wait to try it! Also, I saw your great suggestions for using pumpkin puree on Pioneer Woman’s site, and one after another seem so creative and fabulous!! Thanks for sharing such wonderful ideas. Happy Autumn, Sommer!
Wonderful soup! Added an extra can of white beans and a little less corn and its my new favorite soup.
This sounds delicious. Do you think it would freeze well? I like to keep some homemade soup in the freezer for quick meals rather than reverting to canned soups in the winter.
Hi MartiC,
I’ve got some in the freezer right now! Just make sure to let it thaw gently so the beans don’t get mashed up.
This sounds great. Can it be put in a crockpot?
I am going to try the crockot method. Any suggestions? Also, this is a lot for two old people. Think I could cut the recipe in half?
Hi Ellen,
You can definitely cut the recipe in half! Make sure to sauté the veggies before adding them to the crock. :)
Great recipe! Gotta make this tonight!
Looks delicious! This may be a very dumb question.. where it say so “3 – 15 ounce can white beans”, does that mean one can between 3 and 15 ounces? Or 3 cans of 15 ounces each? Thanks!
Barbara, I’m sure it’s 3 cans, 15 ounces each.
Hi Barbara,
Yes, use three standard-sized cans of white beans. They are usually between 14.5 – 15.5 ounces each. :)
Is this soup spicy? I love cooking, but my dad does not like anything spicy.
Hi Alexandria!
It’s only spicy if you choose hot green chiles, instead of mild green chiles. If he is very sensitive to heat, you can also omit the crushed red pepper. Enjoy!