Italian Chicken Noodle Soup – Italian seasoned broth, chicken, pasta, and tons of veggies.
The very first episode that I ever saw of Rachel Ray’s daytime talk show was sometime around 2007. I remember it because she made an Italian chicken noodle soup that inspired me to make this recipe. I’ve probably made this soup 4 or 5 times a year ever since. For someone like me who develops recipes for a living, making a dish that many times means one thing. I really, really like it!
What’s not to like about this soup? It’s healthy, easy to prepare, and delicious.
The base of this soup is an Italian seasoned broth with a touch of tomato sauce. It’s got lean chicken, whole wheat penne pasta ‘noodles’, and tons of veggies.
When I first started making this soup, I used spinach instead of kale. Sometimes I would use fresh baby spinach, and other times I would use frozen spinach that I had thawed and drained. So, if you don’t like kale, you could easily substitute spinach. However, I do recommend the kale. It tastes great in this soup!
Italian Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 3 celery ribs -sliced
- 3 medium carrots -sliced
- 1 large yellow onion -chopped
- 3 garlic cloves -minced
- 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 (15 oz.) can petite diced tomatoes
- 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast -cut into bite-size chunks
- 8 oz. penne pasta -half a 1 pound box
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- Optional: grated parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- Add the oil to a large soup pot and place over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Add the celery, carrots, and onion. Cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Cook 1 minute stirring often.
- Add the broth, diced tomatoes, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the chicken and pasta.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the spinach leaves. Simmer for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the pot from the heat. Let the soup rest for 5 minutes before serving. Optional: Sprinkle individual servings with grated parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
Adapted from Italian-Style Chicken Noodle Soup from The Rachel Ray Show.
Check out all of my great chicken recipes.
rachel@ athletic avocado says
love this! there is nothing more comforting than a big hearty bowl of soup! looks delicious
!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says
I can never turn down a good chicken noodle soup! Yum!
(P.S. Rachel Ray has been my favorite “food celeb” since I was a little girl!
Jennifer says
I love making soups like this and dumping ALL the good stuff in, you can’t go wrong!
Heather says
This may be a silly question, but do you cook the chicken before putting it in the soup? Or are bite-size pieces small enough that they cook in the 8-10 minutes they’re in there? Thanks!
Jessica says
Heather, I want to know the same thing…
Amanda Finks says
No need to precook the chicken. Add it raw. When the chicken is cut into small bite sized chunks, it fully cooks in the broth as the soup simmers.
Caitlyn says
This was one of the best and easiest soups I’ve ever made. Thanks for sharing! I worked with what I had at the house so I didn’t include celery, tomato paste, or diced tomatoes (I did add a quarter cup of pasta sauce). I took the sugar down from two tsp. to a big pinch. I also had frozen chunks of garlic and herb chicken. I cooked that separately and added it to the soup at the end to rest with it for 5 min. Will definitely be making again.
Amanda Finks says
Hi Caitlyn, I’m glad you enjoyed the soup! The swaps that you made sound like they would be fantastic! 🙂
Susan says
Just made this last night and I had to thank you! So easy and so delicious! My husband and I absolutely loved it and I will definitely be making it again!
Crystal Kniss says
I’m making this right now and it smells fantastic. The only thing I did differently is omit the kale/spinach because my family just won’t eat it and I always pull my chicken apart rather than cube. I just can’t stomach cubed chicken and it just looks more appealing to me.
Becky says
How much frozen spinach should be used?
Ro Crumpler says
Thanks so much for posting this yummy to my tummy recipe!! I plan to make it as soon as I get the chicken and some of the veggies; I already have the rest of them. Nothing Walmart grocery.com can’t resolve by tomorrow! They’re OK for what I need. Thanks so much again for posting! I’m giving a five star rating even though I haven’t cooked it yet but… 🎵I know without a doubt it’s going to be great🎶
🎶Seriously, I’m going to make this
chicken soup tomorrow!🎶cha cha….🎶cha cha….🎶..🎵💃