Description
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring tender chicken thighs simmered with aromatics, pasta, baby spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and finished with parmesan and cream for a rich, velvety texture. This hearty soup balances savory and creamy notes with a touch of acidity from white wine and sun dried tomatoes, making it perfect for cozy dinners or meal prep.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 500 g chicken thighs, skinless boneless
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Soup Base
- 30 g unsalted butter (2 tbsp)
- 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 kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 250 g small pasta shells
- 1 cup parmesan, finely grated
- 1 cup thickened/heavy cream
- 2 packed cups baby spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomato strips, chopped into 1cm pieces
- Drizzle of sun dried tomato oil
Soup Thickener
- 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Cook Chicken: Sprinkle chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once foamy, add chicken and cook for 3 minutes on the first side until light golden, then 2 minutes on the other side. Remove chicken to a plate; it's okay if inside is raw as it will finish cooking later.
- Prepare Soup Base: Reduce heat to medium-low. Add minced garlic, chopped onion, and sliced celery to the pot. Cook for 3 minutes until onion is softened and fragrant.
- Deglaze Pot: Increase heat to high. Pour in the white wine and stir to loosen browned bits. Let the wine simmer until reduced by half, concentrating the flavor.
- Add Broth and Pasta: Pour in chicken stock, water, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions (approximately 10 minutes), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add Chicken: While pasta cooks, chop the partially cooked chicken into 1.5 cm pieces and add them back into the soup to finish cooking with the pasta.
- Finish Soup: When pasta is tender, reduce heat to low. Stir in grated parmesan until melted. Add the cornflour slurry to gently thicken the soup, followed by the heavy cream and chopped spinach. Stir for about a minute until the spinach wilts and the soup slightly thickens.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with sun dried tomato strips and drizzle a little of the sun dried tomato oil on top for added flavor and visual appeal. Serve immediately.
- Storage: For leftovers, separate the pasta and solids from the broth to avoid sogginess. Store both parts in the refrigerator and reheat separately for best texture. The soup and solids can also be frozen separately.
Notes
- If using chicken breasts, slice each in half horizontally to create thinner pieces for even cooking.
- The white wine adds depth and enhances flavor; if avoiding alcohol, substitute half the water with extra chicken stock or use non-alcoholic white wine.
- Small pasta shapes like ditalini, macaroni, or orzo can be used as substitutes. Gluten free pasta can be used but increase cornflour slightly for thickening.
- Potato cubes or white rice can be used instead of pasta, adjusting cook time and thickener accordingly.
- Use good quality sandy-type parmesan cheese stored in the fridge for best melting and flavor.
- Replacing heavy cream with 1 1/2 cups full-fat milk and reducing water by 1/2 cup yields a lighter soup with slightly less creamy texture and about 140 calories fewer per serving.
- Sun dried tomatoes add a punch of flavor and a nice contrast to the creamy soup.
- For make-ahead meals, finish to step 5, then strain and store pasta and broth separately. Reheat and combine before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl (approx. 300 ml)
- Calories: 390 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 95 mg
