Name: Italian Chicken Soup
Prep time: 8 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 28 min
Yield: 8 Servings
Ingredients: 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil; 2 Cup Onion, (Diced); 1 Tablespoon Garlic, (Minced); 2 Cups Carrots, (Cut Into Small Cubes); 1 1/2 Cup Celery, (Diced); 2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning; 1 Bay Leaf; 8-10 Cups Chicken Stock; 1 Heaping Tablespoon Chicken Better Than Bouillon; 1 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary; 1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt; 1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper; 2 Cups Small Shape Pasta, (Dry); 3-4 Cups Cooked Chicken; 1/2 Cup Fresh Italian Parsley, (Chopped); 1 1/2 Cups Fresh Basil, (Chopped); 1 1/2 Cups Shaved Parmesan Cheese, (Optional)

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Let’s take chicken soup to the next level with Italian Chicken Soup. Loaded with chicken, pasta & flavor – this hearty soup is the real deal!

How about a little comfort food Italian style? Italian Chicken Soup is like amped up chicken noodle soup. It’s packed with shredded chicken, veggies, and pasta swimming in a chicken broth base, flavored with wonder Italian seasonings.

Not unlike many regions similar soups can fall under the same Italian Chicken Soup name. Carrabba’s Italian Chicken Soup recipe includes potatoes and pasta, and some recipes make Italian Chicken Soup with meatballs. Like most soups, this recipe is super easy to change up based on what you have on hand. Add some extra veggies or a bit of leftover sausage- it all works and tastes delicious!

I love soup’s flexibility. You can’t make it wrong, and it’s so simple to throw together! Call the family to dinner- Soup’s on the stove!

How to Make Italian Chicken Soup

Begin by sautéing the aromatics and spices in olive oil before adding in the veggies to soften them up. Then, you’ll add chicken stock, bouillon, chicken, pasta, and Italian parsley to the pot and let everything simmer until the pasta is cooked through. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.

Give southern Italian chicken soup a try by adding black eyed peas and okra to the mix! The okra thickens the soup slightly, and the peas bring additional body and flavor.

More Delicious Italian Chicken Dishes:

Baked Italian Chicken

Simple and scrumptious, Baked Italian Chicken is moist, flavorful, and goes great with pasta and salad! It’s a perfect midweek meal!

Italian Dressing Chicken

Talk about a quick and easy meal! Italian Dressing Chicken takes a handful of simple, convenient ingredients and makes a main dish that’s sure to become a family favorite!

Italian Chicken Cacciatore

I know it sounds fancy, but it’s actually a rustic Italian dish that’s been around for centuries. Italian Chicken Cacciatore is another one of my favorite Italian chicken dishes! Simple and tasty, it pulls together quickly and is a terrific Italian comfort food!

Italian Chicken

Full of fantastic Italian flavor, Italian Chicken is a quick and easy way to change up your approach to cooking chicken.

Italian Chicken Marinade

This from scratch Italian Chicken Marinade is a powerhouse of flavor. It’s incredibly easy to make and makes your chicken taste amazing!

Recipe Notes for Italian Chicken Soup

Can You Make This Ahead Of Time?

Italian Chicken Soup is a great make ahead meal! You might consider waiting until the day you plan to serve it to add the pasta so it doesn’t get too mushy. The rest of the soup will keep beautifully in the fridge for a couple of days. In the rare event that you have leftovers, you can add a bit of chicken stock or water if it’s too thick when you reheat it.

How Do You Freeze Italian Chicken Soup?

Whether you’re making Italian Chicken Soup with orzo or Italian Chicken Soup with ditalini pasta in it, if you’re plan is to freeze it you’ve got to think ahead. There are two schools of thought when it comes to freezing soup that contains pasta.

I personally prefer the uncooked pasta added when you’re reheating it. I think the resulting texture is nicer. However, you can freeze it in its entirety. The pasta might look a bit overdone when reheating, but it will still be delicious! It’s really all up to your pasta texture preference.

Regardless of pasta in or out, be mindful of your freezing technique, check out general freezing guidelines. Make sure the soup is completely cooled before sticking in the freezer, and leave a little space in the container since it will expand a bit when it freezes. This soup will hold for about 3 months in the freezer.

Pasta Selection: You don’t have to worry about picking the perfect pasta for this soup. Italian Chicken Soup with pastina simply means that it is traditionally made with small pasta, but it sounds a lot fancier when you say pastina than tiny noodles! Some options to try include ditalini, or small shells. The Italian Chicken Soup Giada De Laurentiis style on the other uses stelline pasta (pasta stars). You can even use the letter noodles and make alphabet soup for the kiddos! However, any pasta noodles will work!

Chicken: You’ll need cooked chicken for this recipe. If you’re cooking it specifically for the soup, I suggest baking with just a little salt and pepper. White and dark meat both work, but dark meat can be a bit greasy, so I’d suggest using it sparingly. Don’t forget- cook chicken to a minimum of 165°. Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut. Try the lemon pepper seasoned chicken to add a slight twist to the flavor of the soup!

Shredding chicken: This can be a bit tedious, but I think shredded chicken in soup is so much nicer than cut up cubes. The shreds mingle with the pasta and veggies better than cut chicken. To shred chicken, you can use the two fork method. Debone the chicken and pull the forks in opposite directions across the meat. You can also use a hand mixer on low speed. Pull the cooked chicken apart into large chunks with no bones and using both beaters, mix until the chicken is shredded. I promise it’s worth the effort in the end!