Sicilian Chicken Soup
Chicken soup has never been easier! Warm up with a huge bowl on a cold winter day. All from scratch with tender chunks of veggies, ditalini pasta, and shredded chicken.
This sicilian chicken soup is inspired by Carrabba’s chicken soup recipe and pairs phenomenal with crusty bread or a light veggie pasta, such as 20-Minute Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Spinach.
Carrabba’s Chicken Soup
There is no doubt that we are a HUGE soup loving family. I grew up eating soups and borscht as a kid. It was a staple in our household. Now I make soup for my own kids pretty much year round.
In the colder months, I like to make broccoli cheddar soup, chicken stew with butternut squash, and creamy chicken chili. In the warmer months, I stick to lighter soups, such as chicken orzo soup recipe. All three of my kids absolutely love soup so that gives me even more motivation to make it.
This Italian chicken soup recipe is somewhat in between. It’s inspired by Carrabba’s Mama Mandola’s Chicken Soup Recipe. Made with chunky veggies, shredded chicken, and plenty of delicious homemade broth.
The best part is that it’s a dump and go type of recipe. Basically, you load up your soup pot with all the ingredients and let your stovetop do all the work. It does not get easier than that!
Ingredients
- Chicken Thighs – you want bone-in-skin-on thighs. If you were going to splurge on anything in this recipe, splurge on good quality chicken. I like to buy organic or pasture-raised chicken whenever I can. That way you’ll get the best flavor out of the chicken.
- Veggies – onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, and potatoes
- Canned Tomatoes – no salt diced tomatoes are what you want. If using salted tomatoes cut down on salt.
- Aromatics – dry bay leaves and fresh garlic
- Chicken Stock – I love using a combination of store chicken stock plus water to make a quick soup. Just make sure it’s low-sodium, otherwise, you’ll have to cut down on salt.
- Salt – it’s very important to season the soup well from the start since everything basically gets added in at the same time. See my detailed note in the recipe about the salt.
- Pasta – ditalini pasta is typically used in rustic Italian soups. A good substitute would be tubetti or orzo pasta.
- Parsley – fresh parsley is ideal. Don’t like parsley? Try fresh basil.
How Do You Make a Good Soup?
It all starts with chicken. Preferably high quality organic, pasture-raised, or grass-fed chicken.
I personally love to use an entire chicken for homemade broth when possible. However, when I’m in the rush, bone-in-skin-on chicken thighs are my go-to.
Chicken thighs cook quickly and the meat is always tender. So you can use them to make the broth and then shred the meat to use in soup.
The broth is always perfect with just the perfect amount of body and savory flavor.
How to Make Sicilian Chicken Soup
Step 1: In a large soup pot, at least 6-quart, combine the chicken, onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, potatoes, tomatoes, bay leaves, garlic, stock, and water.
Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered until chicken is tender about 30 minutes.
Step 2: Remove chicken from the pot and set aside. Add pasta to the soup and continue cooking for 13-15 minutes, partially covered, until pasta is tender.
Step 3: Shred the chicken with two forks, discarding the skin and bones. Return shredded chicken to the pot. At this point, the soup will almost be done.
Step 4: Discard the bay leaves. Stir in parsley and serve.
Katya’s TIP: Love thicker chicken soup? Simply put a tablespoon of flour into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tablespoons of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer.
More Ways to Add Flavor
Add more flavor to your chicken soup by adding dried parsley, onion powder, or garlic powder. I recommend adding 1/2 to 1 full teaspoon.
Another great way to add more flavor is to add a splash of vinegar (any kind) or a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
What Goes With Chicken Soup for Dinner?
The possibilities are endless when it comes to serving chicken soup. My simple go-to is always soup with some crusty sourdough garlic bread or gluten free cheese bread.
Or you can definitely make a complete meal out of the soup with some of these satisfying sides:
- Avocado Egg Salad – serve it on a crusty piece of bread.
- Avocado Caesar Salad with Cucumbers – this salad is so crisp and fresh. Feel free to add more veggies to it.
- Kale Salad with Butternut Squash and Cranberries – it’s the ultimate fall/winter salad. Loaded with so many colorful fresh veggies.
- Twice Baked Spaghetti Squash – it’s so cheesy and satisfying!
- Hummus Veggie Sandwich – you can’t go wrong with a soup and sandwich combo.
Video: How to Make Sicilian Chicken Soup
More Chicken Soup Recipes
- Chicken Split Pea Soup
- Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup
More Favorites from Little Broken
Sicilian Chicken Soup
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Simmer
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Chicken soup has never been easier! Warm up with a huge bowl on a cold winter day. All from scratch with tender chunks of veggies, ditalini pasta, and shredded chicken. Yum!
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in-skin-on chicken thighs, 2 pounds
- 1 medium onion, chopped, about 1 cup
- 3 celery ribs, chopped, about 2 cups
- 3 medium carrots, chopped, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 2 medium russet potatoes (1 pound), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt diced tomatoes
- 2 dry bay leaves
- 1 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 1 (32. oz) carton low-sodium chicken stock
- 4 cups water (or chicken stock)
- 1/2 cup dry ditalini pasta
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped Italian parsley
- Fresh black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, at least 6-quart, combine chicken, onions, celery, carrots, bell pepper, potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, and salt.
- Add chicken stock and water. Season to taste with black pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender and easily falling off the bones. Remove chicken from the pot with a pair of tongs.
- Add pasta to the soup and continue cooking for 13-15 minutes, partially covered, until pasta is tender. Don’t forget to stir the soup couple times so the pasta does not stick.
- Meanwhile shred the chicken with two forks, discarding the skin and bones. Return shredded chicken to the pot. At this point, the soup will almost be done. Taste the veggies, especially the potatoes for doneness.
- Discard the bay leaves. Stir in parsley and serve.
Notes
- Chicken: Another option is to use chicken drumsticks. I do not recommend chicken breast for this recipe.
- Salt: I’m always hesitant to indicate the amount of salt in recipes since not all salt is created equal. But it’s really important that this soup is seasoned well. I recommend starting with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt and then tasting the soup before adding the pasta. If it’s lacking salt, add a little more to taste.
- Spiciness: Carrabba’s chicken soup recipe has a spicy taste to it. If you like, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper to the soup for a spicy taste.
- Original recipe: Original recipe that I published in 2015 called for split chicken breast. However, after re-testing the recipe numerous times I found that it was lacking some flavor. Therefore the new and improved recipe is made with bone-in chicken thighs. The rest of the recipe did not change.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 260
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 177.3 mg
- Fat: 4.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.9 g
- Protein: 34.7 g
- Cholesterol: 103.4 mg
Super yummy! My picky eaters even loved it! Made a couple modifications due to what we had but still was pretty spot on to suggested ingredients. We topped it with just a little mozzarella cheese at the table and the kids loved that touch as well! Thank you for the great recipe! It’s a keeper 😋
Curious if you can freeze the leftovers? Makes way more than we consume for the three of us!
Sometimes potatoes change texture upon freezing but other than that it should be okay to freeze.
Delicious soup!
I’m glad you kept the sodium low.
I didn’t have parsley so instead added a teaspoon each of dried basil and thyme.
I warmed a leftover part of a rotisserie chicken in the broth before removing its meat.
Did all the things she suggested for more flavor but still bland. Added more salt, chicken granules and it still doesn’t taste that good. Maybe after resting 24 hrs.
DEFINITELY doesn’t look like the photo.
I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you.
Very good!!!!
Wow! I never comment on recipes but, this is phenomenal! I made minor changes, but nothing crazy. Thank you so much! My love is sick and he devoured this soup and said it’s delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it! Thank you for the feedback.
You’re welcome! Making it again tonight. I’ve made it several times!
Made a pot of this today for our Pastor and his wife for healing. He said it is AWESOME!
I was short on time so I did use 2 hot, fresh rotisserie chickens, and a bag of frozen cubed potatoes. Also, I seared the celery, onions, then carrots and garlic in olive oil.
It turned out awesome.
I’m so happy it turned out well for you!
This soup is delicious! I will make this again for sure! Thank you for the recipe!
The chicken thighs add to the flavor and it was fast and easy. I think I will cook and add the pasta separately next time, because not everyone eats at the same time.
Could I do this in a slow cooker? If so would I need to make any adjustments?
I’ve never made this in a crockpot but I’m sure few a few modifications it’s possible.
Really good! Only changes I made was I browned the vegetables before adding stock. Also added some fresh spinach at the end. Will definitely make again!
Just threw this together in 10 minutes to get a fast meal to the family on a busy weeknight. Went well with a freshly baked crusty loaf of sourdough bread I made. Perfect meal for cooler weather. If I had more time I would have cooked the veggies down a little in with some of the seared/rendered chicken fat as another commenter suggested, but it’s delicious on it’s own by combining everything in one pot and letting it cook! This will now be in my soup rotation. Well done on the recipe and thank you so much! If you’re wondering if this is a good recipe, it’s fantastic and a surefire winner that doesn’t take up a ton of your time!
Thank you so much for your feedback!
Just made this for my family and colleagues – absolutely perfect!
I didn’t go the ‘Dump and Go’ route either. I browned the skin on chicken thighs and used the rendered fat to soften the veggies. Added the mostly stock and bay leaves , brought to a boil and added the bone in thighs to simmer for 45 mins or so. Removed and pieced up the chicken, added tomatoes, Added the cooked pasta and simmered a bit longer.
Made this using the recipe from 12/15/2015: split chicken breast with ribs. I’ve been making this recipe using chicken breast because my DH does not like other parts of chicken. Other adjustments I’ve made and kept were sauteing the onions, carrots, pepper and celery first, then adding to the pot. I did not use water but chicken broth, which makes it more flavorful. Thanks for sharing. 🫶
Betty
So delicious! I left out the peppers and for there potatoes I had a cop or so of leftover herb de Provence seasoned potatoes so I threw them in and that gave a little nice flavor on top of this already-great recipe. I will be making this again!
Instead of dumping all at once, I seared the salt and pepper seasoned chicken thighs for a couple minutes on each side, removed, and sautéed the veggies (except garlic, potatoes, and tomatoes) for about five mins. I then added the garlic and let cook until fragrant, about 45 seconds, then added the remainder of the ingredients. I also used chicken broth to replace the water. The soup still needed lots of salt at the end, even though my broth and stock were not low sodium.
I LOVED your recipe and all the ingredients! For myself, I like to overindulge with additional ingredients for my own personal tast it may not be for everyone though:)
I put 1 can diced tomatoes in a separate bowl, I added about 5 tablespoons of brown suger then wisked together and let it sit to obsorb.
Instead of water, I use 4 containers of the organic chicken stock. I like my soups to be sweet and very flavorful so I double the garlic, add 4 slices of chopped ginger and rosemary( ginger and rosemary not in the original recipe) I added 1 bag of sweet corn (not in original recipe) everything is then put in the cast iron pot. The brown sugar added to the tomatos really makes the soup extra yummy!
*taste and *sugar. Sorry just noticed grammar errors.
I wanted to make this but adding water? I see so many recipes that say add water to a soup. Water means diluting flavor. I’m Italian and you NEVER add water to a soup. Straight broth NOT low sodium because low sodium means no favor. Would love to make this but nope!
Should I use less water if I don’t want potatoes in the soup?
You can if you want it less brothy