Welcome to soup season! In my opinion, nothing beats a hearty, warming soup in the fall. However, it can be a challenge to find soups that are packed with enough protein to keep you fueled as an athlete. This Tuscan Chicken Soup has two protein sources (chicken and cannellini beans), plus plenty of vitamins, minerals and fiber from other fruits and vegetables. If you’re looking for a vegan-friendly adaptation, simply use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock, and swap out the chicken breast for a can of chickpeas or a second can of cannellini beans.
Ingredients
Yields approximately 6 servings.
- 1-1.5 lbs. chicken breast (1 large or 2 small)*
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion (finely chopped)
- 1 medium-sized carrot (diced)
- 1 rib/stick of celery (diced)
- (1) 32 oz. container of chicken or vegetable stock
- (1) 12 oz. jar of quartered marinated artichoke hearts (drained, but not rinsed)**
- (1) 4.5 oz. jar of julienne-cut sun-dried tomatoes (about ½ cup)
- (1) 15.5 oz. can of cannellini (white kidney) beans (drained)
- Salt and pepper to taste
*In this recipe I used a frozen chicken breast. If you are using fresh chicken, your cooking time will be shorter.
**If you can’t find marinated artichoke hearts, you will need to add some additional seasoning to make up for the lost flavor. I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon each of oregano and basil, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Taste before serving and add more as needed.
Instructions
Total cooking time (using frozen chicken) is approximately 3-3.5 hours.
- Turn your slow cooker on to its highest setting.
- If using frozen chicken, you do not need to add any olive oil first as the marinated artichokes and sundried tomatoes will naturally carry some, and the frozen chicken will release some juices as it cooks.
- If using fresh chicken, add a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Finely chop the onion, celery and carrot. Add them to the crock pot.
- Drain, but do not rinse, the artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes. Add the entirety of the jars to the slow cooker and stir.
- Add your fresh or frozen chicken. Stir everything so that the chicken is nestled towards the bottom of the slow cooker, cover and let it sit until the chicken is completely cooked.
- Note: If you are leaving your slow cooker for several hours, feel free to dump all the soup ingredients in at this point and shred the chicken at the very end. It’ll turn out just fine. But, if you are able to keep an eye on your soup and check it in about an hour, continue to the next step.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, use two forks to shred the chicken into small bite-sized pieces.
- Add all 32 oz. of stock and the entire can of beans. Stir well to combine before covering the slow cooker again and letting it reach a boil.
- Once everything is heated through, turn your slow cooker off or set it to “keep warm” and prepare to serve your Tuscan Chicken Soup! Enjoy!
