Description
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring tender chicken thighs cooked in a rich broth with small pasta shells, parmesan cheese, cream, spinach, and sun dried tomatoes. This soup combines savory chicken, aromatic vegetables, and creamy dairy for a hearty meal perfect for any season.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 500 g chicken thighs, skinless boneless
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Soup
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large celery stems, finely sliced
- 1/2 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine, optional
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock/broth
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 250 g small pasta shells
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 cup thickened/heavy cream
- 2 packed cups baby spinach, chopped kale or similar
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomato strips, chopped into 1 cm pieces plus oil for drizzling
Soup Thickener
- 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Cook chicken: Sprinkle both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat until foamy. Place chicken in the pot and cook the first side for 3 minutes until light golden, then cook the other side for 2 minutes. It's fine if the inside is still raw. Remove chicken onto a plate.
- Prepare soup flavor base: Reduce heat to medium low. Add garlic, onion, and celery to the same pot and cook for 3 minutes until the onion softens.
- Deglaze with wine: Increase heat to high, add the wine, stir, and let it simmer until the wine reduces by half.
- Add broth and pasta: Pour in chicken stock, water, salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then add pasta. Cook for the pasta's packet time, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add chopped chicken: While pasta is cooking, chop the chicken into 1.5 cm pieces and add it to the pot to finish cooking.
- Finish the soup: Once pasta is cooked, reduce heat to low. Stir in parmesan cheese until melted. Add the cornflour slurry, cream, and spinach. Stir for about a minute until the spinach wilts and soup thickens slightly.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with sun dried tomato strips. Drizzle a bit of the tomato oil on top for extra flavor and a nice finish.
- Store leftovers: Separate pasta and chicken from the broth to prevent bloating. Refrigerate both separately. Reheat by scooping out pasta and chicken with a slotted spoon when serving.
Notes
- If using chicken breast instead of thighs, slice breasts horizontally into thin steaks before cooking.
- White wine adds depth of flavor; for non-alcoholic versions, substitute half the water with extra chicken stock or use zero-alcohol white wine.
- Other small pasta such as ditalini, small macaroni, or orzo can be used. Gluten free pasta may require slightly more cornflour for thickening.
- Using potato or rice instead of pasta is possible; adjust cook times and thicken with extra cornflour as needed.
- Use refrigerated sandy-type parmesan cheese for best melting; avoid pre-packaged non-cheese alternatives.
- Substitute cream with 1 1/2 cups full-fat milk and reduce water by 1/2 cup to lower calories, though cream adds richer mouthfeel.
- Sun dried tomatoes add vibrant flavor and visual appeal, a signature of Tuscan dishes.
- For make-ahead storage, drain soup and store broth and solids separately, which can also be frozen.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
