Tuscan Chicken Soup
This amazing Tuscan soup recipe is so easy when you have a shredded rotisserie chicken on hand! Kids will love the sweet Italian vegetable soup made with tiny chopped up fresh carrots, celery, and zucchini.
During a recent trip to visit family in the Twin Cities area, we stopped in at a cafe called D'Amico & Sons for a quick lunch. Too much heavy fast food on our trip left me with an upset stomach so all I wanted was a light and healthy vegetable soup. When the server brought my bowl, I immediately knew I had picked a winner.
This Tuscan soup has a tomato-based broth with just a hint of creaminess without being a full-fledged cream soup.
It is thick with Italian vegetables and teeny tiny pasta but still brothy enough to be a soup but not a stew.
It might possibly be the most perfect chicken veggie soup I have ever had. The little bits of chicken gives it that nice savory taste but it is truly the sweet carrots and zucchini that are the heroes of this dish.
Editor's Note: This is one of the very first recipes I ever published and it has been one of the most beloved dishes on my site. I've recently updated it with step-by-step photos and make ahead tips so it can be even more helpful for you.
Why This is the Best Recipe
Soup season is my favorite time of year and I think this is the best Tuscan chicken soup recipe because:
- Light and Veggie-Heavy: There are so many fresh veggies hiding in this soup but it is super kid-friendly.
- Tomato-Based: I love classic chicken soup but this tomato based version has SO much more flavor.
- Meal Kit Friendly: You can prep batches of the soup for your freezer or keep it in the fridge for meals all week long. See my tips below!
Ingredients
The ingredients for this homemade soup are so wholesome:
- Rotisserie Chicken: My favorite dinner shortcut ever. You could use any leftover cooked chicken you have on hand, but this is the fastest way to get it from the store.
- Fresh Carrots: I prefer whole carrots that have been peeled and diced but in a pinch you could substitute baby carrots.
- Fresh Celery
- Zucchini: This is a great way to use up some zucchini, but don't miss more ways to use zucchini here.
- Onion
- Can of Crushed Tomatoes
- Chicken Stock
- Heavy Cream: You only need a touch of cream for this soup, you could substitute milk or even a little butter if you prefer.
- Acini de Pepe Pasta: This Italian soup noodle looks like tiny round peas once cooked. You could substitute orzo like this pastina recipe or a wavy egg noodle or even rice if you prefer.
- Minced Garlic
- Olive Oil
- Dried Oregano and Basil
Prep the Veggies
The soup itself will come together really quickly so it is helpful to start by prepping all the veggies and shredding the chicken you plan to use.
Peel the carrots and then finely dice the carrots, celery, onion, and zucchini.
TOP TIP: Keep the zucchini and chicken separate from the other veggies. They go in at different times.
Cooking Instructions
In a large soup pot, add the olive oil and turn the heat to medium-high.
Add the carrots, onions, and celery to the pot and stir. Cook until the onions have begun to soften.
Add the zucchini, minced garlic, dried oregano and dried basil. Stir and cook for a minute or until the garlic is quite fragrant.
Add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir. Use the tomatoes to deglaze the bottom of the pan and scrape up any browned bits that may have collected from the olive oil and onions.
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Add the chicken broth and bring the soup to a simmer.
Add the Chicken and Pasta
The final step for cooking the soup is to add the chicken and the pasta.
There are two important things to note:
- Rotisserie Chicken is Delicate: Cook the chicken gently or it will fall apart in the broth if you cook it too long. You can simmer the soup gently or just add it long enough to warm through at the end, that's up to you.
- Pasta Will Thicken the Soup: The acini di pepe pasta I use really does thicken up this soup if it sits in the fridge overnight. If you are meal prepping for the freezer, you may want to consider leaving it out until you're ready to serve the soup. It cooks so quickly, it won't add much time. Otherwise, plan to add lots more chicken broth to thin the soup out when you reheat it.
Add the chicken and let the soup simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the pasta and let it cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Finally, add the heavy cream and stir it in to warm through.
Variations
I love to serve this soup for company but if your guests have special dietary needs it is easy to adjust this recipe to fit their requirements:
Gluten-Free Soup:
Leave out the pasta completely and eat as a vegetable soup or add your favorite rice.
Dairy-Free Soup:
Skip the heavy cream.
Vegan Soup:
Substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock and omit the chicken. Leave out the heavy cream.
Short Cuts to Faster Soup
Homemade soup doesn't need to take hours and hours to prepare. With a few handy shortcuts, you can make this Tuscan chicken soup even on a busy weeknight:
- Chop the Veggies Small: Cut the veggies as small as you can. Not only will the soup taste better but it will cook more quickly since the vegetables won't take as long to soften.
- Use a Rotisserie Chicken: My favorite trick for getting cooked chicken into a new dish. I almost always have a packet of pre-shredded chicken meat ready to go in my freezer.
- Use Boxed Chicken Stock: The fresh veggies will bring plenty of homecooked flavor, the boxed stock is just a fantastic speedy shortcut for the broth.
- Fast Cooking Soup Noodles: The Acini de Pepe cook right in the soup in practically no time!
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Tuscan soup with some fresh warm bread and butter and it is total cold winter day heaven. Even the Peanut gave it two thumbs up. She practically licked her bowl clean and I couldn't feel better about the ingredients in it.
Make Ahead Tips
This Tuscan chicken soup can absolutely be made ahead of time and even frozen.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Acini de pepe pasta will continue to absorb the soup broth as it sits and your leftovers may appear too thick.
You can simply add a little more chicken broth when you reheat any leftovers to restore the texture of the soup.
Otherwise, prep yourself a meal kit and store the veggie soup separately from the shredded chicken and pasta. Then just simmer and add the ingredients to complete the soup.
More Rotisserie Chicken Recipes
Keep a shredded rotisserie chicken or a batch of Instant Pot shredded chicken on hand and you can make so many different easy shredded chicken recipes for dinner.
Don't love shredded chicken? You could always dice up my air fryer chicken breasts if you prefer to season the chicken and get those golden brown edges.
📖 Recipe
Tuscan Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 4 carrots peeled and diced
- 4 stalks celery diced
- 2 zucchini diced
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1/2 cup heavy cream optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup Acini de Pepe pasta
Instructions
- In a large pot add 2 tbsp olive oil and sauté the onions, celery, and carrots over medium-high heat for 8-10 minutes. Add the zucchini, garlic, basil, and oregano. Sauté until the veggies are tender about 4-6 minutes.
- Pour the chicken stock and tomatoes into the pot and stir. Add the chicken and stir. Simmer the soup for 20 minutes.
- Add the pasta and cook it right in the soup for another 10 minutes. Taste and season the soup with salt and pepper. Add the heavy cream at this time if you choose and allow it to simmer for 6-8 minutes.
- Top with grated Parmigiano Reggiano or pecorino romano cheese and serve!
Recipe Notes
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Thank you for sharing …. very useful information
Thank you for sharing …. very useful information
How to make Tuscan chicken soup you share quite simple and attractive. Very delicious food. I will learn to make this dish. thank you.
How to make Tuscan chicken soup you share quite simple and attractive. Very delicious food. I will learn to make this dish.
How to make Tuscan chicken soup you share quite simple and attractive. Very delicious food. I will learn to make this dish. thank you.
How to make Tuscan chicken soup you share quite simple and attractive. Very delicious food. I will learn to make this dish.
Thanks for writing such a good article, I stumbled onto your blog and read this post. I like your style of writing
Thanks for writing such a good article, I stumbled onto your blog and read this post. I like your style of writing
Your topic is very great and useful for us…thank you
Your topic is very great and useful for us…thank you