Italian Chicken Soup is simple and delicious and perfect for a fast weeknight meal. It has all of my favorites – zucchini, cannellini beans, tomatoes and rotisserie chicken in a savory broth.
Soup night are some of the best nights in our house If your family is like mine, they’ll love some of our other favorite soup recipes, like Homemade Chicken Soup, Loaded Baked Potato Soup and Chicken Tortilla Soup.
Italian Chicken Soup Recipe
Soup is a favorite meal for my family. It’s one of the easiest ways for me to be able to get me kids to eat vegetables! But there’s something just so homey and warm and comforting about a great bowl of soup.
Plus, they are really easy to make. It’s the original one pot meal! With loads of veggies, protein and a drinkable, savory broth it’s a complete meal in a bowl and super filling.
Zucchini is by far my favorite vegetable, with yellow squash a close second. My kids unfortunately do not feel the same. At least with Italian Chicken Soup I’m able to get them to at least try a little!
Why We love it
- It’s fast! In can be ready just 30 minutes you get a rich, flavorful soup.
- It’s healthy – at just under 200 calories a bowl (based o 6 servings) it’s a meal you can feel good about.
- It’s a great way to get my kids to eat their veggies without complaining.
How to Make Italian Chicken Soup
- Start with some veggies, sauteed to help soften them.
- After a few minutes of cooking the veggies, you add the rest of the ingredients – chicken broth, diced cooked chicken, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of corn, a can of beans and some Italian seasonings.
- Let it all come to a boil and then simmer for at least 20 minutes. It smells amazing!
Chicken Soup Tips and Tricks
Here are some useful tips when making Italian Chicken Soup
- Use a rotisserie chicken to save time. Just pick one up at the grocery store, or better yet at Costco (they’re bigger AND cheaper). Pull off all of the meat and freeze until ready. You could also cook the chicken in broth if you have the time. Or keep some Easy Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken on hand all the time!
- Cut vegetables into as evenly sized pieces as possible. This will help them cook in the same amount of time so you don’t have to worry about biting into an tough piece.
- Use fresh herbs if possible. My recipe calls for dried herbs, but if you can get your hands on fresh herbs, use them. You can toss in a few sprigs of them in addition to some chopped up. Just pull the sprigs out before serving.
- Speaking of serving, we love to add some Garlic Bread and a big green salad on the side for a complete meal.
- Store Italian Chicken Soup leftover in the fridge, covered, for up to 3-4 days. Freeze for up to 4 months.
More Zucchini Recipes:
- Smoked Sausage and Zucchini Skillet
- 3 Ingredient Chili – the perfect base for any chili recipe
- Smoked Tri Tip Soup
- Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta
Italian Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3/4 chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1 medium zucchini diced into 1 inch cubes
- 1 yellow squash diced into one inch cubes
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast shredded (rotisserie chicken works well)
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 15-ounce can Cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can corn drained and rinsed
- 6-8 cups low sodium chicken stock Add more or less depending on how brothy you want your soup
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried Oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Heat a large pot and melt butter and olive oil together. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add zucchini and yellow squash and cook until just starting to soften, about 4 minutes.
- Pour in tomatoes, beans, and corn. Add diced chicken, chicken broth and seasonings. Stir together and bring to a boil.
- Once the soup is boiling, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Divide into bowls and serve hot. Great on it's own, or served over small pasta (ie. macaroni or shells).
Nutrition
Used Mexican squash, calabasitas, added frozen spinach and used roasted fresh corn, plus hubby tweaked the seasonings. Definitely saving this recipe for more cold nights and left over rotisserie chicken.
That sounds amazing!
Sounds like I know what I’ll be making for dinner tomorrow. Sounds great!
Enjoy it Megan!
We have a squash allergy in our home. Do you have suggestions for squash/zucchini substitute?
Hi Sharon, you could leave the squash out or just replace it with other vegetables.