Description
This Creamy Tuscan Chicken Soup blends tender chicken thighs, small pasta shells, fresh spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes in a luscious creamy broth enriched with parmesan and cream, resulting in a comforting and flavorful dish perfect for a warming meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken
- 500 g chicken thighs, skinless boneless
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Soup Base
- 30 g 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
- 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 plus a drizzle of oil
Soup Thickener
- 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 2 tsp water
Instructions
- Cook chicken: Sprinkle chicken thighs evenly with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat until foamy. Place chicken in the pot and cook for 3 minutes on the first side until light golden, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. The chicken may still be slightly raw inside; it will finish cooking in the soup. Remove chicken to a plate.
- Prepare soup base: Reduce heat to medium-low. Add minced garlic, chopped onion, and sliced celery to the same pot. Cook for 3 minutes or until the onion softens and becomes translucent.
- Deglaze pot: Increase heat to high. Pour in white wine, stir to deglaze the pot and loosen any browned bits. Let the wine simmer until reduced by half to concentrate the flavor.
- Add broth and pasta: Pour in chicken stock, water, kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the small pasta shells and cook according to package instructions, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add chicken: While the pasta cooks, chop the partly cooked chicken into 1.5 cm pieces. Add the chicken back into the pot to finish cooking with the pasta.
- Finish soup: When pasta is tender, reduce heat to low. Stir in the grated parmesan until melted and incorporated. Mix the cornflour-water slurry into the soup to thicken it slightly, then pour in the heavy cream and stir in the chopped baby spinach. Cook for about one minute until the spinach wilts and the soup thickens.
- Serve: Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped sun-dried tomato strips and drizzle with some of their oil for a burst of flavor and color. Serve hot.
- Storage: For leftovers, separate pasta and solids from the broth using a slotted spoon to prevent the pasta from bloating. Store both parts in the refrigerator separately and reheat before serving.
Notes
- Chicken: Use chicken breast instead by splitting each breast horizontally for even cooking.
- Wine: Adds depth to flavor. Substitute half the water with extra broth or use alcohol-free white wine if preferred.
- Pasta Substitutions: Use other small pasta shapes or gluten-free pasta; adjust cornflour slightly to thicken if using gluten-free pasta.
- Parmesan: Use freshly grated or quality store-bought sandy-type parmesan for best melting.
- Cream substitution: For a lighter version, substitute cream with 1 1/2 cups full-fat milk and reduce water by 1/2 cup, adding butter for richness.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Adds a flavorful punch and a visual pop; substitute with croutons or nuts if desired.
- Storing: Keep pasta and broth separate to maintain texture when refrigerating or freezing leftovers.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 410 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
