This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our disclosure policy.
Table of Contents
Italian chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food – hearty, flavorful, and easy to make. Our recipe has a tasty tomato-infused broth, tender, juicy chicken thighs, hearty greens like escarole or kale, and ditalini pasta. It only requires about 15 minutes of hands-on time and you have two options for preparing it – Instant Pot or stovetop.
Notes From the MGC Kitchen
We originally wrote this recipe specifically for the Instant Pot, but since then, we’ve made it on the stovetop as well so we’ve included instructions for both methods. Whichever you choose, this is a delicious twist on chicken noodle soup that we’re sure you’ll make again and again.
Key Ingredients
Here’s what you need to know about the key ingredients in this recipe. The complete list, including quantities, is in the printable recipe card below.
- AROMATIC VEGETABLES: A classic combination of aromatics (onion, carrots, celery, and garlic) sautéed in olive oil is used as the flavorful base for this soup.
- CHICKEN THIGHS: We prefer to use skinless, bone-in chicken thighs to make this soup. The bones are important for developing flavor and removing the skin cuts down on fat. When you make chicken soup on top of the stove you can skim off excess fat as the soup simmers, but since this isn’t possible with the Instant Pot, eliminating the extra fat from the skin is key. Note: We have made this soup with boneless chicken thighs as well. It turns out fine, and you don’t need to adjust the recipe, however, it doesn’t have quite as much rich chicken flavor.
- CHICKEN BROTH: We find low-sodium chicken broth to be the best choice for making this soup as it gives you better control of the seasoning.
- DICED TOMATOES: We call for a cup of canned, diced tomatoes (drained). If you like a little more tomato flavor, you can use more, or opt not to drain them.
- FRESH GREENS: Fresh greens like escarole, kale (tough stems removed), or spinach are added halfway through the pasta cooking time to add even more flavor to the soup. We favor escarole because it cooks quicker than kale and it holds up a bit better in the soup than more delicate greens like spinach.
- PASTA: Ditalini is our pasta of choice for Italian chicken soup but elbows and mini shells are also good options. We’ve tried orzo and pastina too, but we find those really small cuts give off too much starch and thicken the soup more than we like. If you wanted to use one of those, we’d suggest cooking the pasta separately and adding it to individual, plated servings.
- GRATED PARMESAN: A topping of grated Parmesan cheese adds both body and flavor to the soup. You can put the cheese out on the table with the grater and let people add it to taste if you like.
- FRESH PARSLEY: A sprinkling of fresh parsley adds fresh, herby flavor and a pop of color that’s visually appealing too.
How To Make Italian Chicken Soup (Instant Pot or Stovetop)
Planning to make this recipe? Here’s a quick overview of how it’s done. Detailed, step-by-step instructions are in the printable recipe card below.
BEFORE YOU BEGIN: Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, season on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.
SAUTÉ THE AROMATICS: Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat (use the “sauté” function on the Instant Pot for this step). Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, 1 minute more.
COOK THE CHICKEN: Layer the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables and pour in 3 cups of the chicken broth.
- Stovetop only: Cover the pot, bring the chicken to a slow simmer over medium-low heat, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the thighs are fork-tender and cooked through.
- Instant Pot only: Switch from the “sauté” function to “manual” and set the Instant Pot to cook for 18 minutes at high pressure. Once the time is up, release the pressure manually by turning the steam valve to the venting position.
REMOVE THE CHICKEN: Next (for either cooking method), use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board to cool.
COOK THE PASTA AND GREENS: Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth to the pot and bring it to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat (switch back to the “sauté” function on the Instant Pot for this step). Once the broth is simmering, add the pasta, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the escarole and diced tomatoes. Continue cooking until the greens are wilted and the pasta is al dente, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
SHRED THE CHICKEN: While the pasta cooks, remove the bones from the chicken thighs, shred the meat, and add the chicken back to the soup as soon as the pasta is done.
FINISH THE SOUP: Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
More Hearty Italian Soups
If you’d like to try some other satisfying dinner soups with an Italian flair, here are a few suggestions:
- Minestrone Soup With Sausage: Minestrone is a great choice for Sunday supper with the family. Serve it with garlic bread and a salad.
- Italian Wedding Soup: The delightful little meatballs in this soup are a labor of love, but well worth the effort because the dish is always a hit.
- Pasta e Fagioli (pasta and beans): This rustic Italian soup/stew is a comforting meal that’s easy to make and economical too.
Italian Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in chicken thighs, about 2-1/2 lbs, skin removed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
- 1 cup ditalini pasta
- 1 cup diced tomatoes
- 8 cups roughly chopped escarole, see notes for substitutions
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs, season on both sides with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat (use the "sauté" function on the Instant Pot for this step). Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and sauté until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, 1 minute more.
- Layer the chicken thighs on top of the vegetables and pour in 3 cups of the chicken broth.
- – Stovetop method only: Cover the pot, bring the chicken to a slow simmer over medium-low heat, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the thighs are fork-tender and cooked through.
- – Instant Pot method only: Switch from the "sauté" function to "manual" and set the Instant Pot to cook for 18 minutes at high pressure. Once the time is up, release the pressure manually by turning the steam valve to the venting position.
- Next (for either cooking method), use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board to cool.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth to the pot and bring it to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat (switch back to the "sauté" function on the Instant Pot for this step).
- Once the broth is simmering, add the pasta, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the escarole and diced tomatoes. Continue cooking until the greens are wilted and the pasta is al dente, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- While the pasta cooks, remove the bones from the chicken thighs, shred the meat, and add the chicken back to the soup as soon as the pasta is done.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I think it needs more broth. I added extra seasonings and browned chicken then deglazed then pressure cooked. No greens cooked pastina for about 6 mins and only half of the recipe
It is tasty
Hi Gina,
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the flavors in the soup. When you’re cutting the number of portions in half, it can throw off the solid to liquid ratio of the recipe so it’s understandable that you would have had to add more broth. Different cuts and brands of pasta can absorb more liquid too.
It is SOOO GOOD! I used spinach and yum! I make it for my friends when they are sick, and they love it!