Marry Me Chicken Soup
Need a cozy and nourishing dinner that’s ready in under 30-minutes? Creamy, rich, and surprisingly balanced, this Tuscan-inspired marry me chicken soup is a quick and tasty meal you’ll be excited to eat. You’ll also love my protein minestrone soup and ground turkey vegetable soup.
Healthy And Satisfying Dinner In Under 30 Minutes
As a Registered Dietitian, I love soup because it’s warming, satisfying, and an easy way to sneak in extra nutrition. This marry-my chicken soup is especially simple and delicious, and here’s why you’ll love it:
- Quick and easy to make. Designed to make weeknight dinners doable, this tasty soup will be on your table in under 30-minutes with minimal chopping and clean-up.
- Creamy and rich. Made with juicy sun dried tomatoes, tender noodles, and the perfect amount of cream, this Tuscan-inspired soup is unbelievably satisfying and delicious.
- Surprisingly nutritious. I tested and tweaked this recipe to make sure it tastes creamy without extra calories — and with plenty of protein and fiber. The result is a perfctly balanced and truly satisfying soup you will be excited to eat every time.
Need more high-protein dinner ideas? Try my sweet potato turkey chili, protein beef chili, lazy protein lasagna, and easy chicken enchiladas.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Rotisserie chicken: Because I wanted this recipe to be quick and super easy to whip together on busy week nights, I used pre-cooked rotisserie chicken instead of raw. Another bonus? It’s well-seasoned so it adds lots of flavor with minimal effort. Make sure to remove skin and bones first.
- Pasta: I prefer a small pasta shape like elbows, ditalini, or shells for soup because they’re easy to pick up with a spoon. I used Catelli Protein+ for an extra boost of protein and fiber, but regular pasta or whole wheat work too. Don’t use chickpea or lentil pasta, since they tend to fall apart.
- Heavy cream: I finish the soup with a half cup of heavy cream to make it creamy and so satisfying, but you can swap for half-and-half if preferred.
Scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and detailed recipe.
How To Make Marry Me Chicken Soup
Step 1: Soften onions, and stir in garlic, tomato paste, and spices.
Step 2: Add broth, sun dried tomatoes, and chicken, and bring to a simmer.
Step 3: Add pasta and beans and simmer until pasta is cooked through.
Step 4: Stir in baby spinach, cream, and parmesan. Serve with more parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and enjoy!
Tips From My Test Kitchen
- Dice your veggies small. This is a quick soup that doesn’t simmer for hours, so chop your onions and sun dried tomatoes nice and small to make sure they properly soften and incorporate in the soup. When they’re left too big, you risk having the occasional crunchy onion or chewy sun dried tomato.
- Use good parmesan. A good, freshly grated parmesan makes all the difference on flavor. If you can, buy a good block of parmesan (I get mine from Costco) and grate it fresh.
- Don’t over-cook the pasta. The pasta will cook quickly, so stay close and keep a close eye to avoid soggy noodles. Smaller noodles will cook especially fast.
Dietitian Tip! 💡 Make these simple swaps to fit your dietary needs:
- Gluten-free: Use a gluten-free pasta.
- Lower fat: Use half the amount of heavy cream, or swap for half-and-half.
- Vegetarian: Swap chicken for extra beans.
- Extra veggies: Double the spinach.
- Boost protein and fiber: Use a protein pasta like Catelli or Barilla Protein+.
More Healthy Soup Recipes
Need more nutritious soup recipes? Here are some of my favorites:
- Italian Penicillin Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- White Bean Chicken Soup
- Ground Turkey Vegetable Soup
- Protein Tomato Soup
If you made my marry me chicken soup, leave a ⭐️ star rating below, and share your picture on Instagram!
Marry Me Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp oil from sun dried tomatoes
- 1 yellow onion, diced small
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp chili flakes
- black pepper, to taste
- 6 cups chicken broth
- ⅓ cup small diced sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained of excess oil
- 2 cups diced or shredded rotisserie chicken, skin and bones removed
- 1 cup dry pasta, I used elbows but any small shape works like ditalini, shells, or orzo
- 1 cup canned cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach, lightly packed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup finely grated parmesan, plus more for serving
To Serve
- freshly squeezed lemon juice, optional but delicious
- freshly grated parmesan
Equipment
Instructions
- Heat your pot to medium and add oil.
- Add onion and cook for 4-5 minutes or until softened and translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in tomato paste. Let it cook down for 2-3 minutes or until it deepens in color, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in garlic, oregano, salt, chili flakes, and black pepper. Cook until garlic is just fragrant, about 1-minute.
- Add broth, sun dried tomatoes, and chicken. Stir and cover for 15 minutes. Make sure your broth is simmering before moving to the next step.
- Stir in pasta and beans. Cook uncovered for 7-10 minutes, or until pasta is cooked through. Smaller pasta shapes will cook faster. Set a timer and stay close so you don't over-cook the pasta, and stir occasionally to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom. When it's done, turn off the heat.
- Stir in baby spinach, cream, and parmesan. Let this sit until baby spinach is wilted.
- Transfer to serving bowls and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and a generous amount of freshly grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use a protein pasta to boost fiber and protein, like Catelli Protein+ or Barilla Protein+.
- Swap heavy cream for half-and-half if preferred.
The only way I can get my husband to willingly eat sun dried tomatoes. This soup is SO satisfying, creamy, and delish — you’d never know it had 37g protein per serving. I hope you love it!!