Description
This Creamy Marry Me Tuscan Chicken Soup is a rich and comforting dish featuring tender chicken, fresh vegetables, and Italian flavors in a creamy broth with pasta and spinach. Perfect for a hearty lunch or dinner, it’s easy to prepare with simple ingredients and comes together in under an hour.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein and Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, diced into 1 inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetables
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced onions
- ¼ cup diced sundried tomatoes
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
Thickening and Flavoring
- ¼ cup flour
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (optional)
Liquids and Dairy
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ½-1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
Other
- 6 oz Italian small shell pasta
- 2 ½ – 3 cups fresh spinach
Instructions
- Brown the Chicken: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the diced chicken, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Cook the chicken until browned on all sides, about 4-5 minutes.
- Sauté Vegetables: In the same pot, add the diced onions, carrots, celery, sundried tomatoes, and minced garlic. Cook until the vegetables are translucent and fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add Flour and Tomato Paste: Sprinkle the flour evenly over the vegetables and stir well to combine, adding the flour in stages to avoid dryness. If using tomato paste, add it now and stir thoroughly to blend.
- Incorporate Broth: Gradually whisk in the chicken broth while stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Use your spoon to scrape and deglaze the bottom of the pot ensuring all browned bits are incorporated for flavor.
- Simmer with Pasta: Bring the mixture to a rolling boil then add the pasta, remaining 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked, tender, and pasta is al dente. Alternatively, you can cook the pasta separately and add later.
- Add Cream, Cheese, and Spinach: Remove the lid and stir in the heavy whipping cream, fresh spinach, and grated Parmesan cheese. Let the soup simmer gently for an additional 5 minutes to blend all the flavors and wilt the spinach.
- Final Seasoning: Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper, or Italian seasoning as desired before serving.
Notes
- For a thicker soup, you can increase the flour slightly or reduce the amount of chicken broth.
- Tomato paste is optional but adds a deeper tomato flavor and richer color to the soup.
- Use small pasta shells or any small pasta shape that holds soup well.
- Simmering the pasta in the soup allows it to absorb flavors but cooking it separately can prevent it from getting mushy.
- Fresh spinach adds color and nutrition; baby spinach or chopped regular spinach works well.
- Parmesan Reggiano cheese adds an authentic, nutty flavor—substitute with Parmesan if needed.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 280 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
