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This lemon chicken white bean soup recipe is light, healthy, and flavorful! It has pasta, veggies, beans, and plenty of tender chicken in a bright lemony broth.
I think you will also enjoy my Chicken Pot Pie Soup or this Italian Sausage Orzo Soup next for more easy, cozy comfort food.
Why you’ll love it
This soup was inspired by my Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup. I love a lemon broth in soups, and it adds something so special and bright to chicken soup in particular! White beans make it hearty and filling, and this soup has plenty of vegetables like spinach and carrots.
Since we’re using leftover/already cooked chicken and pantry ingredients in this soup, that makes it extra hassle free. It comes together in under 40 minutes, so this white bean chicken soup works great for a weeknight dinner. No fancy ingredients needed here.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Celery, carrots, onion, garlic – a tasty base to any soup. I like sweet (Vidalia) onions here.
- Flour – it helps to make the broth a little more substantial (along with the starch released from the pasta).
- Chicken broth – for savory depth
- Italian seasoning – I use this tasty blend of dried herbs in so many recipes!
- Beans – we’re using white (cannellini) beans
- Pasta – I love a smaller shape here like macaroni or even ditalini
- Chicken – for convenience we’re using rotisserie or leftover Baked Chicken
- Lemon – you can add more lemon juice than suggested or even zest a whole lemon into the soup
- Spinach – for a pop of freshness
Helpful tip
- You can swap the macaroni for a different pasta if you like. I prefer the small, shorter shapes for this recipe. Orzo would work too. I didn’t include a ton of pasta, so you can definitely add a cup or more if you want a heartier soup, but you may then need to add a bit more broth (especially when reheating leftovers). Or you could double the beans and leave the pasta out altogether!
How to make lemon chicken white bean soup
This is an overview, and full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
- In a soup pot, sauté the onion, celery, and carrots until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, then stir in the flour. Pour in the chicken broth, stirring so the flour dissolves.
- Add the Italian seasoning, beans, and pasta. Bring to a boil. Stir, cover with the lid slightly ajar, then simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring every so often.
- Add the chicken, lemon juice, and spinach. Cook until it’s heated through. Season with salt & pepper as desired.
Substitutions and variations
- Rosemary (fresh or dried) would work well in this soup if you want a more herby flavor. If you happen to have some fresh herbs, you can definitely throw ’em in.
- This soup is pretty forgiving, so feel free to use up whatever veggies you happen to have on hand.
- If you are sensitive to salt, use low sodium chicken broth.
What to serve with this soup
- This chicken and white bean soup is a great meal in itself, so just round it out with a slice of fresh crusty bread, a dinner roll, or go all out with a slice of Cheesy Garlic Bread.
- For a salad, I recommend this simple Parmesan Arugula Salad, or make a salad with my Homemade Italian Dressing. It’s so tasty!
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- This is the cutting board I use to chop up the veggies.
- I like using this Le Creuset Dutch oven for making soups, but this Amazon Basics Dutch oven is an inexpensive, quality alternative!
- Don’t have a sturdy ladle you love yet? Try this OXO ladle.
Leftovers and storage
- The pasta in this soup will soak up the broth. Add extra chicken broth to leftovers as needed. If you’re planning on freezing/not eating the bulk, I recommend cooking the pasta separately and adding it just prior to serving.
- Store leftovers for 3-4 days in the fridge in a covered container, or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat over a low heat until warmed through.
If you made this lemon chicken white bean soup, leave a star rating and review below! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram so I can see your creations as well.
Lemon Chicken White Bean Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 sticks celery chopped small
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 medium carrots peeled & chopped small
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 (15 fluid ounce) can white beans drained
- 3/4 cup uncooked macaroni or ditalini pasta
- 2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more, to taste)
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, celery, onion, and carrots to a soup pot and sauté over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Stir in the flour and cook for about a minute.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth while stirring so the flour dissolves.
- Add in the Italian seasoning, white beans, and pasta. Turn the heat up to high and let the soup come to a boil.
- Give it a stir, and then cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes (stir it a couple of times to ensure the pasta isn't sticking to the bottom of the pot as it cooks).
- Add in the chicken, lemon juice (I add 2+ tablespoons since I like it very lemony), and spinach. Cook for another few minutes until it's heated thorough and the spinach has wilted. Season with salt & pepper as needed.
Notes
- Leftovers will soak up the broth, so you may need to add more chicken broth when reheating.
- Sensitive to salt? Use low-sodium chicken broth.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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My new favourite! What is not to love about this tasty AND full of healthy goodness soup?!
Thrilled to hear that, Alice! Thanks for the sweet comment.
Excellent recipe! Easy to make and delicious.
Thank you!!
This was a very special chicken soup with white beans and spinach. So healthy. Everyone loved it. It’s fun to make too
Wonderful!! 🙂 So glad it was a hit!
This recipe deserves 5 stars. I believe to properly judge a recipe, one must follow it correctly, and I used exact ingredients.
It turned out well balance and tasty for a cold Quadra Island, BC., lunch.
Thank you,
Kirsten
That makes us so happy to hear!! Thanks for your review, Kirsten. 🙂
This recipe was easy and really hearty and good. Great with a piece of french bread. Will definitely make again.
Awesome!! I appreciate your review, Sally! 🙂
I saw this recipe just as the weather turned cold and made it for lunch.
Absolutely delicious! I make a lot of soups and stews and this is one of the best. I left out the pasta to keep it low carb.
Try it, you’ll love it!
So happy you liked it, Deb! Thanks for your review.
I wasn’t feeling good and yesterday I made pan fried chicken Mediterranean style and spices. So I used the leftovers for this recipe added butter beans, carrots ,onions, garlic, spinach and potatoes and used a cornstarch slurry instead of a rou with flour. I seasoned with garlic powder, accent, lemon pepper and Italian seasoning. Two bullion cubes one vegetable and one chicken and two or three cups of water. Added lemon juice at the end .And it came out divine.
Glad it inspired you, Rebecca!
Very delicious, very healthy. Loved it and will repeat. One just cannot go wrong with Natasha’s recipes.
Thank you so much, Lorena! I really appreciate this (and your other) reviews! XO
I just found this recipe today. I’ve made other recipes before but never commented. This was absolutely delicious. I did not have rotisserie chicken left overs so I cooked chicken breast in chicken broth and pepper. This soup does soak up so much but when I reheat it, I add more broth and it’s simply divine and great for this this chilly spring day.
Thank you!
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!! 🙂 Appreciate your review, Judy!
Easy! Delish!
🙂