Italian-Style Chicken Soup
This Italian-style chicken soup is perfect on a chilly day. Juicy bits of chicken mingle with veggies and pasta, all bathing in a glorious chicken broth (homemade if you want).
A sprinkle or more of freshly grated parmesan on top takes it from “yum” to “wow!” Once you taste it, you’ll be swooning I promise!
I love most soups served with a crusty loaf of Italian bread.
Ingredients
The main ingredients for this soup are chicken, vegetables (carrot, celery, spinach), aromatics (onion, garlic), chicken broth, small pasta, and seasonings.
I opted for boneless, skinless chicken breast, but thighs would also be amazing as would a small whole chicken that you can skin and debone after cooking.
For herbs, you can use dried oregano, dried parsley or dried basil – although my personal favorite is dried parsley because oregano can be overpowering and dried basil just tastes so different than fresh or frozen basil.
Feel free to customize the soup according to your preferences. You can add other vegetables like bell peppers or zucchini, or swap out the pasta for rice or quinoa for variation.
Instructions
This soup comes together in about an hour, mostly hands off, and is a pretty simple one-pot meal.
First, season the chicken with salt and pepper, then brown it in a large pot with olive oil over medium heat. Once browned, set the chicken aside. Next, sauté chopped carrots, celery, and onion in the same pot until softened, adding minced garlic until fragrant.
Deglaze the pot with a bit of chicken broth, then add tomato paste and cook until deepened in color. Return the chicken to the pot along with the remaining broth, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Afterward, shred the chicken and set it aside. Cook pasta until al dente in the soup, adding fresh spinach a few minutes before the pasta is done.
Finally, return the shredded chicken to the pot, adjust seasoning as needed, and serve hot with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese and garnished with parsley.
Serving Suggestions
This soup can be served alone as a small meal or snack but can also be made into a meal with the following:
- A big salad like this Italian Chopped Salad, or a simple Greek salad made with greens, jarred peppers, feta cheese and tomatoes.
- Sandwiches like Italian beef!
- As a first course for a variety of dinners like pasta.
- Big fresh loaf of bread!
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📖 Recipe
Italian-Style Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for cooking chicken
- 2 or 3 large chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 2 medium carrots diced small
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 2 stalks celery diced small
- 4 small garlic cloves minced
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to season chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more to season chicken
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs (parsley suggested) may use half the amount of oregano or basil
- 1 cup small pasta like ditalini or orzo (uncooked)
- 2 cups fresh spinach leaves or escarole chopped well
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on all sides. Remove chicken and set aside.
- In the same pot, add chopped carrots, celery, and onion. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant – do not burn!
- Add a small amount of chicken broth to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits. Add the tomato paste and cook until the color deepens a little.
- Return the chicken to the pot. Add the remaining chicken broth, salt, pepper, and dried herbs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked.
- Take the chicken out of the pot and shred it. Set aside.
- Add pasta and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes (a minute or two less than the directions on the box calls for). Add the fresh spinach a few minutes before the pasta is done, and return the shredded chicken to the pot.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve hot, garnished with plenty of grated Parmesan cheese and garnished with parsley.