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Feel Better White Bean Soup with Chicken (Serves 4)



This week Henry battled his first ear infection. Since he was not feeling well, I wanted to make him some comfort food. This soup with roasted chicken was the perfect meal for a rainy fall day at home. Henry’s favorite part was eating “soup toast”, aka toasted bread dipped in the soup broth.
This recipe is Henry-approved.
I don’t usually use canned ingredients, but canned beans are much faster to cook than dried beans. Plus, canned tomatoes will generally give you a better flavor than a winter tomato.

Ingredients
4 slices bacon
4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 1.5 pounds)
2-3 large carrots
4 large white mushrooms (about 1 cup)
½ medium onion (about 1 cup)
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon celery salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 15-oz cans white beans (Cannellini, Great Northern or Navy beans)
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
Feel Better White Bean Soup with Chicken hot out of the oven.
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Scrub carrots and cut into 2-inch sticks. Slice mushrooms into thin strips. Cut onion into thin strips. Mince or press garlic clove. Use kitchen scissors to cut bacon into 1-inch pieces.

In large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from the skillet and drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in the skillet.

Place chicken thighs in the skillet. Cook over medium-high heat about 2-3 minutes. Turn and cook the other side 2-3 minutes until it starts to brown.

Add carrots, mushrooms, onion and garlic to the skillet. Stir in thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 4-5 minutes until chicken and vegetables are browned. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside on a plate.

Meanwhile, pour the two cans of beans into a strainer and rinse.

In ungreased 13x9-inch glass baking dish, combine beans, tomatoes, and the vegetable mixture from the skillet. Top with chicken thighs. Cover the baking dish with a lid or piece of aluminum foil.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until the juice of the chicken runs clear when cut to the bone.
Feel Better White Bean Soup with Chicken makes a hearty one-dish meal.
How your kids can help
  • 1-year old: Stacking and unstacking the unopened cans of beans and tomatoes.
  • 2-year old: Scrubbing the carrots.
  • 3-year old: Pouring the two cans of beans into a strainer and rinsing them.
  • 4-year old: Using a can opener to open the cans of beans and tomatoes.
  • 5-year old: Using scissors to cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces.

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