Real Recipes From Real Home Cooks ®

4 bean chicken soup

(2 ratings)
Recipe by
Charline Henry
Redding, CA

After getting burned out on canned soups, I decided to create something that everyone would love... including me! Everyone loves this soup and begs me for the recipe. The unique thing about it is that you can customize it just about any way you want; add or subtract ingredients; change the spices. The possibilities are endless. AND... it has a secret ingredient that you would never even guess! Thanks for trying it and if you have any questions, please feel free to send me a message. Charline

(2 ratings)
yield 4 - 6
prep time 23 Hr 15 Min
cook time 45 Min

Ingredients For 4 bean chicken soup

  • 2 Tbsp
    olive oil
  • 1 Tbsp
    chopped garlic (more or less, as you like)
  • 1 1/2 - 2 lb
    boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 2
    carrots, sliced
  • 2
    stalks of celery, sliced
  • 2 - 3 can
    chicken broth (swanson is always good!)
  • 1 can
    s&w diced tomatoes, italian style with basil, oregano, etc.
  • 1 can
    black beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1 can
    kidney beans, save 1/2 the juice to add to the soup (it's sweet and helps to thicken the soup)
  • 1 can
    pinto beans, drained & rinsed
  • 1 can
    navy beans, drained & rinsed (these tend to disintegrate when cooked & thicken the soup, so you may substitute another kind of bean)
  • 2 - 3 Tbsp
    wishbone italian or zesty italian dressing (to taste)
  • 1 tsp
    italian herb seasoning, if desired

How To Make 4 bean chicken soup

  • 1
    Brown whole chicken breasts in olive oil and garlic in a big, 4-quart pot. Add carrots and celery.
  • 2
    Remove chicken breasts when they are about half-done and cut them into bite-sized chunks. Re-add them to the pot.
  • 3
    Add at least 2 cans of the chicken broth. (You can always add more later)
  • 4
    Add the S&W diced tomatoes, all 4 cans of the beans plus half the juice from the kidney beans. Add the Italian Herb Seasoning, if desired.
  • 5
    Cook until the carrots are tender. The chicken pieces should also be done.
  • 6
    Add the Wishbone Italian dressing. Put in a tablespoon or so at a time until you think it tastes good. (I use this brand because I think it tastes the best and has a nice "twang" to it. Yes, my Dad was from Arkansas!)
  • 7
    You may add other ingredients if you like or just experiment. One of my friends added 1/4 of a cabbage and, because she didn't have the bottled Italian dressing, she used the dry, packaged Italian dressing.
  • 8
    ENJOY!
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