Cabbage Chicken Soup
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Cabbage Chicken Soup is wholesome and nourishing, made with chicken breast, cabbage, carrots, fresh garlic, and turmeric in a warm broth, with minimal prep time and ready in under 45 minutes!
Cabbage Chicken Soup is one of my family’s favorite weeknight dinners, and there’s almost never any leftovers. I like it because it’s quick and easy to throw together, minimal cooking time, and it’s made with healthy and simple ingredients.
I also consider this a hearty soup, because it’s very warming and filling, which is great for colder months. This is perfect for a weekly meal prep or busy weeknights, and it’s less prep than classic chicken soup, but still just as filling!
If you like this recipe, you might also like my Instant Pot Cabbage Soup, Slow Cooker Kale and White Bean Soup, or a comforting Classic Potato Leek Soup!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy! There are no crazy steps to this recipe. It’s just a simple weeknight dinner that’s done in less than an hour.
Nourishing: This soup is packed with wholesome, nourishing ingredients, like chicken breast, vegetables, olive oil, garlic, and turmeric for a healthy dinner that also tastes amazing!
Homemade: I love homemade recipes because I don’t have to worry about them being gluten free. I know exactly what went into this and can have peace of mind!
Low Carb: This is a low carb soup, perfect if you’re following a low carb diet!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Cabbage. I use a regular green cabbage for this recipe. You want to use a small head of cabbage, or half of a medium head. I use enough to fill up the pot but still leave room to add the chicken breast and broth.
You can also add a few bags of pre-shredded cabbage in a pinch. Other cruciferous vegetables like shredded Brussel sprouts would also work in this recipe.
Chicken. I use boneless chicken breast, but you can also use dark meat like boneless chicken thighs for this recipe.
Any piece of chicken works as long as it doesn’t have bones or skin, making it easier to shred the chicken once it’s cooked. It’s personal preference if you enjoy light meat or dark meat, but dark meat will give you a more juicy chicken.
Onion. Vidalia onion, or any sweet onion, gives the soup a really nice flavor, but yellow onion would also work. I use a medium onion but really any size would work.
Carrots. This adds a little sweetness to the soup, and variety. Three medium carrots work, but you can add more or less depending on your preference.
Fresh Garlic Cloves. I am a big garlic lover, so I use at least five cloves of garlic in this soup. You can use more or less depending on your personal preference. I like to mince the garlic, or use a garlic press.
While fresh garlic is best for flavor, you can use garlic powder instead. Use 1/4 tsp garlic powder per one clove of garlic in a recipe.
Spices. This soup goes perfectly with ground turmeric, which adds an amazing flavor and color to the dish. Season soup with salt and pepper to taste, adding more or less as-needed.
Broth. Chicken broth (or chicken stock) or vegetable broth both work for this recipe, just check that they’re gluten free.
Olive Oil. I use a little extra virgin olive oil to saute the veggies and garlic before adding the broth. The caramelized vegetables help add some more depth of flavor to the soup.
Kitchen Tools
For this cabbage chicken soup recipe, you’ll need a medium sized dutch oven or soup pot.
How to Make Cabbage Chicken Soup
Time needed: 40 minutes
- Soften the onions.
Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots and saute until the onions begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Add cabbage.
Add the cabbage and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
- Add all other ingredients.
Add the chicken, turmeric, and broth. Make sure chicken is submerged in the broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cover the pot. Simmer the soup for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Shred the chicken.
Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pot and shred the chicken breast meat with two forks.
- Stir everything together.
Return the chicken pieces to the soup and stir everything together. Simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Recipe Variations
- Add some heat to this chicken cabbage soup with a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.
- Try adding some parmesan cheese on top of the soup for extra flavor.
- For a more of the classic flavors of chicken soup, try adding some fresh herbs like thyme while simmering, and fresh parsley right before serving. Or a teaspoon of Italian seasoning.
- This recipe would also work with Italian sausage instead of chicken.
- Try adding some fresh ginger and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice for another flavor.
- Add some Yukon gold potatoes with the cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces.
Recipe Tip! If you want to save some cooking time, instead of starting with raw chicken, try adding fully cooked leftover chicken or fully cooked store-bought rotisserie chicken to this soup. Then you only have to cook the chicken until it’s warmed through before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
This soup has a really flavorful broth that goes well with other hearty vegetables. Try adding some extra veggies like green beans, shredded Brussel sprouts, celery stalks, bell pepper, asparagus, parsnips, spinach, broccoli florets, or kale.
This is a great way to use up leftover veggies from the fridge before they go bad! Root veggies and cruciferous veggies work really well in this recipe.
If the chicken breast isn’t shredding easily, it might need more time to cook through. Put it back in the soup, making sure it’s submerged in the broth, and simmer for another 5-10 minutes before trying to shred it again.
Recipe Tip! If you want to add some carbs, you can serve this delicious soup over rice or gluten free pasta!
More Soup Recipes
Storage
Refrigerate chicken cabbage soup for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
Freeze in an airtight container for 2-3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator the night before, then reheat in a saucepan over medium heat.
Cooking Tips
- I don’t like making this with frozen chicken, because it increases the cook time by about half. Defrost your chicken meat in the refrigerator the night before to make it faster and easier.
- Make sure you like the flavor of your broth or stock, because that can make a big difference on how your soup turns out.
- Chop veggies to be about the same size, to make sure everything finishes cooking at the same time.
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Cabbage Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
- 3 medium carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 5 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small green cabbage, (or half of 1 medium head), cored and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 cups chicken or vegetable broth, gluten free
- 2 medium chicken breasts, boneless, skinless
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Equipment
- 1 Dutch oven or soup pot
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onions and carrots and saute until the onions begin to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Stir in the minced garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes.
- Add the cabbage and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring often. Add the chicken, turmeric, and broth. Make sure chicken is submerged in the broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer over medium-low heat and cover the pot. Simmer the soup for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pot and shred with two forks. Return chicken to the soup and stir everything together. Simmer for another 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
Notes
- If you want to save some time, substitute the chicken breast for store-bought fully cooked rotisserie chicken.
- Try adding some parmesan cheese on top of the soup for extra flavor.
- I don’t like making this with frozen chicken because it increases the cook time by about half.
Nutrition
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