Chicken and White Bean Soup (One Pot, High Protein)

Name: Chicken and White Bean Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 75 min
Total time: 90 min
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil; 2 pounds chicken thighs (skinless, boneless); ½ teaspoon salt (plus more to taste); ½ teaspoon black pepper; 1 large yellow onion (diced,); 3 medium carrots (sliced); 2 stalks celery (sliced,); 6 cloves garlic (minced (or ¾ teaspoon garlic powder)); 2 teaspoons dried basil; 1 teaspoon dried thyme; ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; 6 cups chicken bone broth (or regular chicken broth); 1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes (undrained); 1 bay leaf; 1 Parmesan rind (3 to 4 inches); 2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (drained and rinsed); 2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed); Parmesan cheese (grated); sprigs fresh thyme; lemon wedges; crusty bread (for serving)

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Chicken and White Bean Soup is a thick, hearty stovetop soup that feeds six from one pot. Fifteen minutes of chopping and an hour of gentle simmering, and dinner takes care of itself.

Juicy shredded chicken thighs and creamy cannellini beans in a tomato Parmesan broth, finished with fresh lemon.

Bowl of Chicken and White Bean Soup with Parmesan, thyme and bread.

Table of Contents

Somebody told me being a grown-up mostly means figuring out what to do with the chicken in the fridge. They were not wrong. On the nights when that is the whole question, this white bean chicken soup is my answer. One pot, picky-eater approved, and enough left for tomorrow’s lunch.

Recipe Highlights

One pot and 15 minutes of prep
High protein dinner that feeds six
No greens, a picky-eater favorite
Pantry spices and two cans of beans
Freezes well for up to 3 months

Ingredient Notes

Please check the recipe card below for a detailed, printable ingredient list.

Ingredients needed to make Chicken and White Bean Soup.

CHICKEN THIGHS – Boneless, skinless thighs stay juicy through the full hour of simmering and shred with two forks. Chicken breasts work too. Pull them after the first 30 minutes, shred, and stir them back in with the lemon.

CANNELLINI BEANS – Two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed. Great northern or navy beans swap in one for one. Two cans also give this chicken and bean soup a good dose of fiber.

CHICKEN BONE BROTH – I recommend bone broth here. It brings the extra protein that makes this a high protein dinner. Regular chicken broth works the same way when that is what you have.

PARMESAN RIND – A 3 to 4 inch piece from the end of a wedge. Save rinds in the freezer whenever you finish a wedge, and you will always have one for soup. No rind? Stir ½ cup grated Parmesan in for the last 30 minutes.

DICED TOMATOES – One 14.5-ounce can, juice and all. Fire-roasted diced tomatoes swap in with no other changes.

GARLIC AND SEASONINGS – Fresh garlic, dried basil, dried thyme and a bay leaf, all from the regular spice rack. Garlic powder works in a pinch, ¾ teaspoon for the whole pot. Red pepper flakes as written keep it mild. I double them for a gentle warmth.

How To Make Chicken and White Bean Soup

Please check the printable recipe card below for more detailed instructions.

Seared chicken thighs in a white Dutch oven with sliced carrots, diced onion and celery.

Broth with diced tomatoes, a bay leaf and a Parmesan rind added to the pot.

Shredded chicken and cannellini beans stirred into the broth in a white Dutch oven.

Season the thighs and sear them in olive oil in a large pot.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic and seasonings around the thighs and cook until soft.
Pour in the broth, tomatoes, bay leaf and Parmesan rind, and simmer.
Stir in the beans, shred the chicken, mash lightly and finish with lemon juice.

Close-up of a ladle holding carrot coins, a cannellini bean, diced tomato and shredded chicken.

Leftovers and Storage

STORE – Cool the soup, then refrigerate it in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days. The beans soak up more broth overnight, so leftovers come out even thicker. A splash of broth loosens them right up.

FREEZE – Freeze the cooled soup in freezer containers or zip-top bags for up to 3 months. Leave an inch of headroom, and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator.

REHEAT – Warm it on the stovetop over medium-low heat until steaming, or microwave single bowls in 1-minute bursts, stirring between each. Heat it to 165º Fahrenheit. Add a splash of broth if it thickened in the fridge.

MAKE AHEAD – Chop the onion, carrots and celery up to 2 days ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. The whole pot also tastes even better on day two, so cooking it a day early works.

More Chicken Soup Recipes

Serving Suggestions

BREAD NIGHT – This soup wants crusty bread for dunking, and a loaf of 3-Ingredient Bread is the easy homemade answer.

WEEKNIGHT DINNER – Air Fryer Garlic Bread is ready in minutes, and a bowl of this next to it is the whole meal.

SUNDAY SUPPER – A warm slice of Jalapeño Cheddar Bread on the side turns this into a slow Sunday kind of dinner.

SOUP AND SALAD – Oma’s German Cucumber Salad is crisp and cool next to a thick, warm bowl.

Close-up of a spoonful of carrot, celery and shredded chicken held over a bowl of soup.

Recipe Success Tips

SEAR – Five minutes a side without moving the thighs leaves browned bits on the bottom of the pot, and those flavor the whole soup.

DONENESS – The thighs are done when they shred easily and read 165º Fahrenheit, the USDA minimum for chicken. After the first 30 minutes in the broth, they are there.

BROTHY VERSION – For a brothier bowl, add 1 to 2 cups of broth with the beans and skip the mashing.

SALT – A quick taste at the end tells you exactly how much salt the pot needs. The rind, the broth and the Parmesan on top each bring their own.

EXPERT TIP – Press a potato masher into the pot five or six times before the lemon goes in. Some of the beans break down and thicken the broth on their own.

A bowl of Chicken and White Bean Soup with shredded chicken, beans, carrots and celery, with lemon wedges behind it.

Commonly Asked Questions

Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken Instead of Thighs?

Yes, rotisserie chicken cuts the cook time to about 45 minutes. Skip the sear and cook the vegetables in the olive oil until soft. Add the broth, tomatoes, bay leaf and rind, and simmer for 20 minutes. Stir in the beans and 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken, simmer 15 minutes more, then mash and add the lemon.

Can I Use Great Northern or Navy Beans Instead of Cannellini?

Yes, great northern and navy beans both work in place of cannellini. Use the same two 15-ounce cans, drained and rinsed. Great northern beans are a touch smaller and just as soft. Navy beans are smaller still and break down a little more when you mash, which thickens the soup even further.

Can I Add Spinach or Kale?

Yes, and I left the greens out on purpose. Everything in the pot is picky-eater friendly as is. If your crowd likes greens, stir 2 cups of chopped baby spinach into the hot soup right before the lemon. It wilts in a minute. Chopped kale needs 10 minutes of simmering with the beans.

Can I Make Chicken White Bean Soup in the Slow Cooker?

Yes, chicken white bean soup works in a 6-quart slow cooker. Sear the thighs first, or skip that step. Add the thighs, vegetables, garlic, seasonings, broth, tomatoes, bay leaf and rind, and cook on low for 6 hours. Stir in the beans for the last 30 minutes. Shred the chicken, mash lightly and add the lemon right before serving.

Does Chicken and White Bean Soup Freeze Well?

Chicken and white bean soup freezes well for up to 3 months. Cool it completely, then pack it into freezer containers or zip-top bags with an inch of headroom. The beans and shredded chicken hold up well, and the broth tastes better the next day. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove until steaming.

How Is This Different From Chicken Chili?

Chicken Chili tastes like chili, and this soup leans on Parmesan and lemon. My Chicken Chili cooks bite-size thighs with chili powder, cumin, bell pepper and tomato paste for a thick, red bowl in an hour. This soup simmers whole thighs with basil, thyme and a Parmesan rind, then shreds them. Here is how the two compare:

Recipe	Base	Chicken and Cook Time
Chicken and White Bean Soup (this recipe)	Tomato and Parmesan rind broth, finished with lemon	Whole thighs, simmered 1 hour, then shredded
Chicken Chili	Chili powder, cumin, tomato paste and bean liquid	Bite-size thighs, simmered 30 minutes

More Chicken Thigh Dinners

Chicken thighs stay juicy no matter how you cook them. Here are my favorite ways to use them.

Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs – Oven-baked in one dish with a sticky honey garlic sauce, on the table in about 35 minutes.

Air Fryer Chicken Thighs – Crispy, juicy thighs from the air fryer, no oven needed.

Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs – Thighs roasted on one pan, with almost no cleanup.

Cast Iron Chicken Thighs – Golden, crisp-edged thighs seared and baked in one skillet.

Chicken Thighs and Rice – Chicken and rice cooked together in one skillet, a true one-pan dinner.

Overhead bowl of Chicken and White Bean Soup with a spoon and lemon.

Maike Corbett

Maike Corbett grew up in German kitchens learning to cook and bake alongside her Omas before spending over a decade running full-service restaurants in the US. She founded Cheerful Cook in 2017 to share practical, tested comfort food recipes that actually work on busy weeknights, drawing on both her American restaurant experience and her German home-cooking roots. Her work has been featured on MSN, Yahoo, the Associated Press, and other major media outlets.