Marry Me Tuscan Chicken Soup

Marry Me Tuscan Chicken Soup is the kind of soul-warming, restaurant-quality comfort food that’ll have your family asking for seconds before they’ve even finished their first bowl! This creamy, dreamy soup combines tender chicken, pasta, fresh spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes in a rich Parmesan broth that tastes like a warm hug on a chilly evening. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner that feels fancy enough for company but easy enough for Tuesday night chaos.

Love More Soup Recipes? Try My Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup or this Chicken Pot Pie Soup next.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Takes like 45 minutes total – I started making this when my kids were little and needed dinner fast
• Your kitchen smells incredible – seriously, the neighbors will start dropping by around dinnertime
• Uses regular grocery store stuff – no hunting down specialty ingredients at three different stores
• Makes tons of leftovers – which is perfect because my family literally fights over the last bowl
• Even works when you mess it up – I’ve burned the bottom twice and it was still delicious

Ingredients You’ll Need

For the Soup Base:

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 to 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, diced into 1-inch pieces (thighs stay way more tender – learned that the hard way)
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• ½ cup diced carrots
• ½ cup diced celery
• ½ cup diced onions
• ¼ cup diced sun-dried tomatoes (get the kind in oil – they’re softer)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste (skip this if you hate tomatoes like my mother-in-law)
• 6-8 cups chicken broth (I buy the big cartons from Costco)

For the Creamy Finish:

• 6 ounces small pasta shells (or whatever short pasta you have lurking in your pantry)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• ½-1 cup grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese (please don’t use the powdered stuff in the green can)
• 2½-3 cups fresh spinach

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Why These Ingredients Work

So I’m gonna be real with you – I used to skip browning the chicken because it seemed like extra work. Big mistake. Those brown crusty bits that stick to the pan? That’s where all the good flavor lives. I scrape them up when I add the broth and they make everything taste like it’s been cooking for hours. The sun-dried tomatoes were my mom’s suggestion after I complained my soup was boring. She was right – they add this deep, almost smoky taste that regular tomatoes can’t touch. And about the flour – it’s not just thickening. It coats everything and makes the soup creamy without being gluey. I learned this after making watery soup for months wondering what I was doing wrong.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large soup pot or Dutch oven
• Sharp chef’s knife
• Cutting board
• Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Whisk (for smooth, lump-free broth)

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Brown the Chicken

Heat up that olive oil in your biggest pot – trust me, you need the room. Toss in the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Let them sit there and get golden brown for about 4-5 minutes. I know it’s tempting to poke at them, but leave them alone. They’ll tell you when they’re ready by not sticking to the bottom anymore.

Step 2: Add All the Good Stuff

Now dump in your onions, carrots, celery, those sun-dried tomatoes, and garlic. Stir everything around and cook until the onions get see-through, maybe 3-4 minutes. My kitchen always smells like heaven at this point – that’s how you know you’re doing it right.

Step 3: Make It Thick

Sprinkle that flour over everything and stir like your life depends on it. If you’re using tomato paste, squirt it in now. Everything will look kind of paste-y and weird for a minute – that’s totally normal.

Pro Tip: This is where I used to mess up – if you don’t stir enough here, you get flour chunks later that nobody wants to bite into.

Step 4: Add the Broth Slowly

Here’s where patience pays off. Pour in maybe a cup of broth at first and whisk like crazy. Then keep adding more bit by bit, whisking the whole time. I know it seems excessive, but lumpy soup is sad soup.

Step 5: Throw in the Pasta

Bring everything to a good rolling boil, then add your pasta and the other teaspoon of Italian seasoning. Season however you like it. Cover the pot, turn the heat down low, and let it bubble away for about 20 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through and your pasta should have some bite left to it.

Step 6: The Creamy Finale

This is the best part. Stir in the cream, dump in all that spinach (don’t worry, it shrinks down), and add your Parmesan. Let it simmer for maybe 5 more minutes so everything gets happy together. The spinach will wilt and the cheese will melt into this gorgeous creamy mess.

Step 7: Taste and Fix

Give it a taste and see what it needs. Sometimes I add more salt, sometimes more Italian seasoning. My husband always wants more pepper. You know your family better than I do.

You Must Know

Alright, real talk time. I’ve screwed up this soup in every way possible, so learn from my mistakes. First time I made it, I dumped all the broth in at once and ended up with these gross flour globs floating around. My husband still brings it up. Add the broth slowly and whisk constantly – I cannot stress this enough.

Also, don’t even think about skipping the browning step. I tried it once when I was running late for soccer practice. The soup was edible but it tasted like sadness compared to the real thing. Those brown bits on the bottom of the pan are literally flavor sitting there waiting for you to use them.

Personal Secret: Sometimes I cheat and use rotisserie chicken when I’m feeling lazy. Just shred it up and add it at the end so it doesn’t get tough. Don’t tell anyone I said that though – I have a reputation to maintain. Oh, and keep some extra broth handy because this soup gets thicker as it sits, especially overnight.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

Let me save you some heartache here. Cold cream hitting hot soup equals curdled mess – learned that one the hard way at my first dinner party. Pull your cream out when you start cooking so it’s room temperature by the time you need it.

If you’re worried about mushy pasta tomorrow (which you should be because nobody likes pasta mush), cook it separate and just add it to bowls when you serve. Takes an extra pot but it’s worth it. My sister taught me to add a dollop of cream cheese along with the regular cream – makes it ridiculously rich without being heavy.

Here’s something nobody tells you – when your soup gets thick overnight, don’t add water to thin it out. Use warm chicken broth instead. Water just makes everything taste watery and sad. I keep those little cartons of broth around just for this reason.

Flavor Variations & Suggestions

This soup is basically my blank canvas for whatever I’m craving. When Dave wants it spicy, I throw in some red pepper flakes with the garlic. Makes him happy and shuts him up about “bland food.” If I have leftover rotisserie chicken sitting in my fridge, I’ll shred that instead of cooking raw chicken – adds it in the last 10 minutes just to heat through.

I’ve done it with mushrooms before (throw them in with the other vegetables), and surprisingly my kids didn’t even complain. My vegetarian friend Emma swaps the chicken for white beans and uses vegetable broth instead – still crazy good. During summer when my tomato plants are going nuts, I’ll use fresh cherry tomatoes instead of the sun-dried ones. Completely different flavor but my family devours it either way.

Make-Ahead Options

This is hands down the best Sunday meal prep soup I’ve ever made. I’ll make a huge batch Sunday afternoon, and we’re eating it all week. Honestly tastes better on day two when everything has had time to get acquainted.

If you want to freeze some, here’s what works: make everything except don’t add the cream and pasta. Freeze that base in containers. When you’re ready for soup, thaw it out, heat it up, then add your pasta and cream fresh. I’ve got containers in my freezer right now that are three months old and still perfect. Just label them because frozen soup base looks like a lot of other things and you don’t want to play guessing games at dinnertime.

What to Serve With Marry Me Tuscan Chicken Soup

Honestly, this soup is pretty much a meal by itself, but I usually put some crusty bread on the table because people like to dip. My kids always want grilled cheese with it, which is fine by me because it keeps them quiet long enough for me to eat my own bowl in peace.

If I’m trying to be fancy (like when my mother-in-law visits), I’ll do a simple salad with whatever greens I have and some balsamic vinaigrette. Nothing too crazy because the soup is already pretty rich. Wine-wise, I usually open whatever white wine I have open already – this isn’t rocket science, people.

Allergy Information

As written, this recipe contains gluten (flour and regular pasta) and dairy (cream and Parmesan cheese). For a gluten-free version, substitute gluten-free pasta and use a gluten-free flour blend or cornstarch for thickening. Dairy-free friends can use full-fat coconut milk instead of cream and nutritional yeast in place of Parmesan – it won’t taste exactly the same, but it’ll still be absolutely delicious. Always check your chicken broth label to ensure it meets your dietary needs.

Storage & Reheating

Leftovers keep in the fridge for about 4 days, though in my house they never last that long. When you reheat it, do it slow and low – don’t crank the heat or you’ll end up with separated cream and nobody wants that. I usually add a splash of chicken broth when reheating because it always thickens up overnight.

Never microwave this soup on high – learned that lesson when I was trying to reheat it at work and ended up with something that looked like cottage cheese floating in broth. Low power setting is your friend, or better yet, just reheat it on the stove like a normal person.

Emily’s Kitchen Secret: The first time I made this soup, I didn’t make nearly enough. My family ate it so fast I barely got half a bowl before it was gone. Now I automatically double the recipe because I know what’s coming. Plus having leftovers means I don’t have to figure out lunch for the next three days, which is honestly a bigger win than the dinner itself.

FAQs

Can I use rotisserie chicken instead of raw chicken?

You bet. This is actually my go-to shortcut when I’m feeling lazy or forgot to defrost chicken. Just shred up the rotisserie chicken and add it in the last 10 minutes so it heats through but doesn’t get rubbery. Nobody will know the difference.

My soup came out way too thick, what happened?

Probably added too much flour or didn’t add enough broth. No big deal – just thin it out with warm chicken broth until it looks right to you. Start with maybe half a cup and go from there. It’ll thicken up more as it cools down anyway.

Can I make this without cream?

Yeah, but it won’t be the same soup. You could try half-and-half or even whole milk, but it’ll be thinner and not as rich. My lactose-intolerant friend uses coconut milk and says it’s pretty good, just different.

What if I can’t find sun-dried tomatoes?

You can use regular diced tomatoes (drain them first) or even skip them entirely. The soup will still be good, just not quite as flavorful. Sometimes I use roasted red peppers instead when I can’t find sun-dried tomatoes.

Why is my pasta getting mushy in the leftovers?

Because pasta keeps cooking even after you turn off the heat. Next time, either cook the pasta separately and add it to bowls when serving, or undercook it slightly when you’re making the soup. It’ll finish cooking as the soup sits.

💬 Did you try this recipe? I’m dying to know how it turned out! Leave me a comment below and tell me if your family went as crazy for it as mine did. I seriously read every single comment and love hearing your stories!