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There are two types of people in this world: those who love soup and those who don't. I have never loved soup, so I was dumb-founded when suddenly, totally out of the blue, I realized I was craving it.
It’s not that I hate everything about soup. There’s a lot to like about it: it’s warm, it’s filling . . . it’s true comfort food. But there are so many ways it can go wrong. If it’s too thick or rich, it starts to feel like you’re eating a bowl of warm flavored cream or liquid fondue. If it’s pureed, without textural variation, it becomes monotonous and boring to eat after a few bites. And if it’s NOT pureed, it’s likely that at least a few ingredients will have the wrong texture: the noodles will be mushy, the carrots crunchy . . . you get the picture. It’s hard to find a soup that’s comforting and interesting to eat without becoming heavy and poorly cooked in places.
Knowing all this, while still (for some strange reason) craving soup, I only had one option: to create a soup that sidestepped all the pitfalls: something that was both comforting and light, interesting to eat and easily cooked to perfectly. Something that I wanted to eat.
So I did.
Picture a light reddish gold broth, speckled with flecks of parmesan cheese. It’s rich with chicken and cheese, yet herbaceous with celery and bay leaf, and finished off with a light pop of chili flake. Made with a few pantry spices, sauteed vegetables and water—no stock required—this broth gathers deep deliciousness from a few simple ingredients: chicken thighs, a few handfuls of kale, and a parmesan rind.
Dig your spoon in, and you’ll find moist shredded chicken, rich wilted kale and toothsome white beans, nutty to taste and perfectly al dente. Each spoonful is different—chicken and kale, kale and celery, celery and onion, onion and broth, just broth by itself—but each bite is uniquely delicious and satisfying. It’s a soup that fills you up without weighing you down. It’s a soup that stays interesting to the last mouthful. Mostly importantly, it’s a soup that taste delicious.
I’ll probably never become a true soup lover, but I do know this: I love this soup. I hope you do too.
Enjoy!
Chicken, Kale, and White Bean Soup
(Serves 6)
1 onion, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, thinly chopped crosswise
2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt, divided
2 cloves garlic, diced
½ tsp dried red pepper flake
2 bay leaves
1 Parmesan rind, plus ½ cup shredded for serving
¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15.5 oz) small white beans (such as navy), drained and rinsed
3 cups kale, shredded
Method
Preheat a large heavy-bottom pot over medium heat and add olive oil. Saute onion and celery with ½ tsp kosher salt for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about a minute.
Add six cups of water, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, red pepper flake, bay leaves, parmesan rind, and chicken thighs. Heat until the liquid is just starting to boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken from the pot to a bowl and let cool until you can handle it, then shred into bite-sized pieces with a fork.
Meanwhile, add tomatoes, beans, and kale to the pot and simmer until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken back to the pot and stir to rewarm. Serve topped with shredded Parmesan cheese.
Originally posted October 15, 2020.
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