Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Italian Chicken Soup
Chicken soup with little pasta shells makes a welcoming bowl, with plenty of vegetables among the spoonfuls. Tomato gives the broth a bright edge, while kale and zucchini keep things varied. Ladle out a generous helping and catch some tender chicken with the pasta.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 55 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 13 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Main course
- Primary protein
- Chicken
- Cuisine
- American · Italian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 31–60 minutes
- Dish type
- Soups · Soups & stews
A few quick notes
1. Start chicken with the aromatics
Cook the diced chicken, garlic and onion together until the chicken is cooked through and onion is translucent.
2. Give carrots their own turn
Add carrots after the chicken stage and cook them briefly before stirring in the remaining vegetables and seasonings.
3. Pasta joins after the simmer
Let the broth and vegetables simmer first, then add shell pasta for its final partially covered cooking stage.
Get to know the ingredients
Diced chicken breast
Use boneless skinless breasts diced before cooking with onion and garlic in the Dutch oven.
Drain the tomatoes
The canned diced tomatoes are listed drained before they join the zucchini, kale and seasonings.
Prepared zucchini
Slice and quarter the zucchini before adding it alongside chopped kale and the other vegetables.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 5 steps completeMake room for Italian Chicken Soup
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Wait for tender shells
Continue cooking partially covered after the pasta goes in until the shells are tender, then serve the soup.
A little more help as you go
Boil, then lower the heat
Bring the added chicken broth to a boil before reducing to the soup's longer vegetable simmer.
Season with the vegetables
Italian seasoning, salt and pepper go into the pot with zucchini, tomatoes and kale before the broth.
A few questions you might have
Do I cook the pasta separately?
Add the shells directly to the soup after the broth and vegetables have completed their initial simmer.
Does raw chicken go into boiling broth?
Cook the diced chicken with onion and garlic first; broth is added after the vegetables and seasonings.
Is the pot covered for the pasta?
Keep it partially covered during the pasta's final cooking stage, continuing until the shells are tender.
When does the kale go in?
Stir chopped kale in with zucchini, drained tomatoes and seasonings before adding the chicken broth.
What kind of onion preparation is used?
Chop the yellow onion before adding it to the oil with the chicken and minced garlic.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinnerthendessert.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
