Italian Chicken Soup
This Italian chicken soup features tender chicken thighs, ditalini, escarole, and a lightly tomato-infused broth. With clear instructions for both the Instant Pot and stovetop, it’s well suited to weeknights or make-ahead meals.
Servings: 4 servings
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 for garnish
- Grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Trim any excess fat from the chicken thighs. Season both sides generously 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 cook until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
- Arrange the chicken thighs in a single layer on top of the vegetables and pour in 3 cups of the chicken broth. (This creates the initial cooking liquid.)
- STOVETOP METHOD: Cover the pot, bring the soup to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat, and cook for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the chicken is fork-tender and cooked through.
- INSTANT POT METHOD: Cancel the sauté function, secure the lid, and set the Instant Pot to Manual (High Pressure) for 18 minutes. When the cooking time is complete, carefully perform a manual pressure release by turning the steam valve to the venting position.
- For either cooking method, use tongs to transfer the chicken thighs to a cutting board and allow them to cool slightly.
- Add the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth to the pot (lid off) and bring the soup to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat (switch back to the "sauté" function on the Instant Pot for this step).
- Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the escarole and diced tomatoes and continue cooking until the pasta is al dente and the greens are wilted, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
- While the pasta finishes cooking, remove the bones from the chicken thighs, shred the meat, and return it to the pot. Stir to combine and heat through.
- Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with chopped fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
ABOUT THE ESCAROLE: If you don't care for escarole, you can substitute spinach, baby kale or Swiss chard (leaves only - remove all tough stems).
Nutrition
Calories: 587 | Total Fat: 22g | Cholesterol: 205mg | Sodium: 876mg | Carbohydrates: 44g | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Protein: 56g