Description
My (current) favourite chicken soup – utterly divine! Creamy broth, juicy bits of chicken, pasta shells, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Easy, one pot, quick to make, and great for making ahead.
Ingredients
- 500 g / 1 lb chicken thighs, skinless boneless
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Soup:
- 30 g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 large celery stems, finely sliced
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
- 4 cups chicken stock/broth, low sodium
- 3 cups water
- 1 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 250 g / 8 oz small pasta shells
- 1 cup parmesan, finely grated
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 packed cups baby spinach (or chopped kale)
- 1/2 cup sun dried tomato strips, chopped, plus oil for drizzling
- Soup thickener:
- 2 tsp cornflour/cornstarch mixed with 2 tsp water
Instructions
1. Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
2. Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook 3 minutes on the first side and 2 minutes on the other until lightly golden. Remove to a plate.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add onion, garlic, and celery to the same pot and cook for 3 minutes until softened.
4. Increase heat to high, add wine, stir and simmer until reduced by half.
5. Add stock, water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then add pasta and cook according to package directions, stirring occasionally.
6. While pasta cooks, chop chicken into bite-sized pieces and add to the pot to finish cooking.
7. Once pasta is cooked, reduce heat to low. Stir in parmesan until melted.
8. Stir in cornflour slurry, cream, and spinach. Cook 1 minute until spinach wilts and soup thickens slightly.
9. Ladle into bowls and finish with sun dried tomatoes and a drizzle of their oil. Serve hot.
Notes
This soup is inspired by Tuscan-style flavors but is not traditional.
For leftovers, store pasta separately from the broth so it doesn’t over-soften.
Milk can be substituted for cream to reduce calories, with slight adjustments.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 688
- Sugar: 9g
- Sodium: 1253mg
- Fat: 34g
- Saturated Fat: 19g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 54g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 39g
- Cholesterol: 179mg