Chicken Recipes/ Dinner/ meat/ Soup Recipes

Tuscan Chicken Soup

5 December 2023 By Aleksandra

Tuscan Chicken Soup is a comforting dish filled with tender chicken, beans, vegetables, and sun-dried tomatoes. The creamy and cheesy broth is simply irresistable making it a hearty and satisfying meal that warms you from the inside out.

An overhead photo of Tuscan chicken soup in a white bowl.

About this recipe

A small disclaimer – this is not an authentic Italian/Tuscan recipe, but a twist on a popular Italian-American recipe for Tuscan chicken. If you like this Tuscan chicken pasta or Tuscan chicken with gnocchi, you will love this recipe!

Ingredients

Below you will find information about the ingredients and how to prepare the recipe. For the measurements and detailed instructions scroll down to the printable recipe card.

Here’s what you need to make this easy dish:

Labeled ingredients needed for Tuscan chicken soup.

Chicken breast or boneless and skinless chicken thighs. You can also use leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken.
Chicken broth – use store-bought or make your own. It’s very simple and mostly hands-off. This way you will get the broth and the meat for the soup.
Sun-dried tomatoes and spinach – are two classic ingredients in the Tuscan chicken recipe. We are using sun-dried tomatoes and the oil from the jar which is super aromatic and flavors the whole dish. Sun-dried tomatoes in a jar are far better than those in a dried form in a packet. Instead of spinach, you could use kale.
See all our sun-dried tomato recipes.
Vegetables – onion, carrots, celery. You could also use other vegetables such as green beans, chopped zucchini, or broccoli florets.
Cannellini beans – add more protein to the soup and make it more filling.
Pasta – you can use any short-sized pasta that you have on hand, such as bowties, spirals, or orecchiette.
Flour – thickens the soup. You can omit it.
Seasonings – fresh garlic, paprika (for color), basil (flavor). You could also use Italian seasoning or your favorite spice mix.
Heavy cream – makes the soup creamy and adds flavor. For a lighter soup, you can use half-and-half or a mix of heavy cream and milk.
Parmesan cheese – is a key ingredient to a finger-licking, creamy, savory, and flavorful broth. Don’t omit it!
Lemon juice – adds a bright citrusy flavor to the soup and makes it light and refreshing.

Step-by-step instructions

Chopped ingredients for Tuscan chicken soup. Cooked chicken cubes in a white pot.

Prepare the ingredients:

Dice the onion, slice the celery, and carrots. Finely chop the garlic cloves.
Drain and chop the sun-dried tomatoes if they’re not already diced.
Grate parmesan on the small holes of a box grater.

Cook chicken and vegetables:

If using raw chicken breast, cut it into small, bite-sized pieces. Season it with salt and pepper and toss with 1 tablespoon of flour.
If using rotisserie or cooked chicken, shred or chop it into bite-sized pieces.
Heat the sun-dried tomato oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat.
Add the raw chicken pieces, don’t stir for the first 2-3 minutes letting the chicken brown. Start stirring until the chicken is browned but not cooked through (it will finish later in the soup). Transfer chicken to a plate.

Add onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Cook over medium heat until the vegetables soften, about 5-7 minutes.
Add garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour, paprika, and basil. Cook for 1 minute.

Beans and cream are added to a soup in a white pot.

Cook the soup:

Add chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and beans (with the liquid) to the pot. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes.

Add heavy cream, lemon juice, and grated Parmesan cheese to the pot. Add cooked chicken back to the pot. Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the parmesan melted.

If using rotisserie chicken/cooked chicken, add to to the pot and cook for 1-2 minutes until heated through.

Cooked pasta on a sieve. Spinach is added to a soup in a white pot.

While the soup simmers, cook the pasta separately according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.

TIP: If you think you will eat the whole soup on the same day, you can cook the pasta directly in the soup (you will need to add more broth or water). If you know you will have leftovers and want to store the soup for the next day, you should cook the pasta separately and add it to the soup just before serving. Pasta left in the soup will soak up the liquid, become mushy, and make the soup very thick.

Take the pot off the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste. Be careful to not add too much salt because parmesan cheese is already very salty and store-bought chicken broth also.

Add spinach. Stir gently until the spinach wilts, about 2 minutes.

Ladle the soup into bowls and add cooked pasta. Garnish with additional grated Parmesan cheese if desired.

Enjoy!

Make homemade chicken broth

If you wish to prepare homemade chicken broth: In a large pot, combine 2 pounds (1 kg) of chicken drumsticks or chicken wings, or leg quarters with 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 celery ribs, a few garlic cloves, and fresh herbs if available.

Fill the pot with water, ensuring it covers the meat by at least 2 inches (5 cm). Bring the mixture to a boil, then let it simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Strain the broth and use it for the soup.

Remove the meat from the bones and use it in place of raw chicken.

Storage

This soup stores and reheats well. Keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Did you make this recipe? RATE THE RECIPE or tell me in the COMMENTS how you liked it! You can also add a photo of your dish. It would make me very happy and will help other readers. Thank you!!