Description
This Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup combines tender chicken thighs with a flavorful base of garlic, onion, and celery, enriched with Parmesan cheese and heavy cream for a luscious texture. Small pasta shells create a comforting, hearty meal, brightened with baby spinach and sun-dried tomatoes for a punch of color and flavor. A perfect bowl for chilly days or whenever you crave a cozy, satisfying soup.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 500 g chicken thighs, skinless boneless
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Soup Base
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large celery stems, finely sliced
- 1/2 cup Chardonnay or dry white wine, optional
- 4 cups low sodium chicken stock
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 8 oz small pasta shells
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 packed cups baby spinach, chopped
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomato strips, chopped into 1 cm pieces, plus bit of oil for drizzling
Soup Thickener
- 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Cook chicken: Sprinkle each side of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large pot over medium high heat until foamy. Place chicken in pot and cook the first side for 3 minutes until light golden, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes. It is fine if the inside is still raw as it will cook further later. Remove chicken onto a plate.
- Cook vegetables: Reduce heat to medium low. Add chopped garlic, onion, and celery to the same pot and cook for 3 minutes or until the onion softens.
- Deglaze pot: Turn heat up to high. Add white wine and stir while simmering until the wine reduces by half.
- Add broth and pasta: Pour in chicken stock, water, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil then add the pasta shells. Cook pasta for the time indicated on the package (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Cook chicken in soup: While the pasta cooks, chop the partially cooked chicken into 1.5 cm pieces and add them to the pot to finish cooking.
- Finish soup: Once the pasta is cooked, reduce heat to low. Stir in grated Parmesan cheese until melted. Mix in the cornflour-water slurry, followed by the heavy cream and chopped spinach. Stir for about a minute until the spinach wilts and the soup thickens slightly.
- Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with the chopped sun-dried tomato strips and a drizzle of the tomato oil for a flavorful and colorful finish. Enjoy warm.
Notes
- If using chicken breasts, slice horizontally to create thinner pieces and cook as directed.
- White wine enhances flavor; substitute half the water with extra chicken stock for a non-alcoholic option.
- Small pasta varieties like ditalini, macaroni, or orzo work well; gluten free pasta may require extra cornflour to thicken the soup.
- Using sandy-type store-bought Parmesan is fine but ensure it is refrigerated cheese, not shelf-stable.
- Substitute milk for cream by reducing water by 1/2 cup and using 1 1/2 cups full-fat milk; add butter to maintain richness and reduce calories by 140 per serving.
- Sun dried tomatoes add flavor and colorful garnish, a nice alternative to croutons or nuts.
- For storing leftovers, keep pasta separate from broth to prevent softening. Cool and refrigerate both separately, or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 390 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 580 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
