Trying to find some healthy, filling soup recipes? Try this Tuscan Style Chicken Soup! It has great flavor, is filled with fresh vegetables, and is a great make-ahead lunch option.
An Easy Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe
Has regular old chicken noodle soup gotten boring for you yet? It is a classic, but let’s change it up this week with Tuscan Style Chicken Soup! It’s got delicious shredded chicken, a number of freshly chopped vegetables, canned beans, and savory Italian seasoning.
I’m a big fan of make-ahead soup recipes that provide lunch for the next few days, and this homemade chicken soup is perfect for that. It’s also a great use of any leftover chicken I’ve got laying around. Add this hearty vegetable soup to your menu plan; especially if you’ve got chilly weather headed your way!
What Makes this Recipe Tuscan?
Tuscan style cooking is defined by relatively simple recipes, usually made with cooking oils like olive oil instead of butter. Tuscan soup (Zuppa Toscana) is traditionally made with beans, kale, and other vegetables. This soup is based on that model, but with some shredded chicken thrown in for extra protein.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you will need to make this soup. Keep in mind that you can add/sub in other vegetables if you want to!
- Cooking Oil: you can use olive oil, canola oil, etc.
- Onion
- Green Bell Pepper
- Butternut Squash: peeled and cut into 1”cubes, see notes for more info.
- Chicken Thighs: make sure they are boneless and skinless. You can also use chicken breasts if you prefer white meat!
- Chicken Stock: you can used reduced fat or low sodium if you want.
- Cannellini Beans: or navy beans, rinsed and drained.
- Lemon Juice
- Garlic Powder
- Italian Seasoning
- Salt: start with 1 tsp but you can add more if you need to.
- Bay Leaf
- Kale: roughly chopped with stems removed.
- Chopped Parsley: this is an optional garnish.
How to Make Tuscan Style Chicken Soup
Tuscan Style Chicken Soup only takes about 45 minutes to make, total. Once you’ve prepped all of the vegetables, it’s just a matter of adding everything to the stockpot and shredding the chicken! One pot meals are the best, right?
- Cook Vegetables: In a large stockpot over medium high heat, add in cooking oil, onion, bell pepper, and butternut squash and cook until vegetables are fork tender and onion is transparent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Add in Other Ingredients: Stir in whole chicken thighs, chicken stock, cannellini beans, lemon juice, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and bay leaf.
- Cook Soup: Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove Chicken: Turn heat to low and take out chicken. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before shredding it.
- Add in Shredded Chicken and Kale: Return shredded chicken to soup along with kale.
- Cook for 10 More Minutes: Let simmer on medium heat for an additional 10 minutes or until kale has wilted. Remove bay leaf.
- Serve: Scoop out into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley, optional. Best when served warm.
Tips for Success
So, as you can see, this veggie soup comes together in no time. Here are some tips to make the process even easier!
- Butternut Squash Substitutes: Any squash will work as a substitution for butternut squash, but I would recommend acorn squash if you are looking for a great replacement. You could also use sweet potato, but I have not tried this soup with sweet potato.
- How to Work With Butternut Squash: Butternut squash is delicious, but a lot of people don’t know what to do with it. You can actually remove the peel with a simple potato peeler. There are also seeds in the larger middle of the squash, which once you cut into, you will want to remove. You can also find pre-chopped butternut squash in more grocery stores if you want a more convenient way of working with butternut squash.
- For Using Chicken Breast: You can also use chicken breast, but you may need to decrease your cook time.
- Bean Substitutions: Cannellini beans aren’t the most well-loved bean in most pantries, so feel free to use some other beans like Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans. I would recommend pinto or red kidney beans if you aren’t going to use the ones in the ingredient list. I used pinto beans in one of my tests, and the flavor complemented the rest of the soup quite well.
Serving Suggestions
Trying to figure out what to serve with this soup? I’ve got some suggestions:
- Bread: a buttery piece of toasted bread is definitely recommended for this soup.
- Salad: lettuce-based or broccoli salad will both work.
- Bacon: if you’re looking to add a little more meat to your soup, throw some bacon bits in too.
- Parmesan Cheese: is also a tasty garnish to top your soup with.
How to Store Leftover Soup
After cooling, store the soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Make sure it is in an airtight container.
Can You Freeze this Recipe?
Yes! You can freeze this soup for 3 months, also in an airtight container.
Tuscan Style Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 ½ cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1”cubes
- 3 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 2 (15 oz) cans cannellini or navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 cups kale, roughly chopped with stems removed
- Chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
- In a large stockpot over medium high heat, add in cooking oil, onion, bell pepper, and butternut squash and cook until vegetables are fork tender and onion is transparent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in whole chicken thighs, chicken stock, cannellini beans, lemon juice, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and bay leaf.
- Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Turn heat to low and take out chicken. Let chicken rest for 5 minutes before shredding it.
- Return shredded chicken to soup along with kale.
- Let simmer on medium heat for an additional 10 minutes or until kale has wilted. Remove bay leaf.
- Scoop out into bowls and garnish with chopped parsley, optional. Best when served warm.
- After cooling, store the soup in the refrigerator for up to four days. Make sure it is in an airtight container. You can also freeze this soup for 3 months.
Notes
- Butternut Squash Substitutes: Any squash will work as a substitution for butternut squash, but I would recommend acorn squash if you are looking for a great replacement. You could also use sweet potato, but I have not tried this soup with sweet potato.
- How to Work With Butternut Squash: Butternut squash is delicious, but a lot of people don’t know what to do with it. You can actually remove the peel with a simple potato peeler. There are also seeds in the larger middle of the squash, which once you cut into, you will want to remove. You can also find pre-chopped butternut squash in more grocery stores if you want a more convenient way of working with butternut squash.
- For Using Chicken Breast: You can also use chicken breast, but you may need to decrease your cook time.
- Bean Substitutions: Cannellini beans aren’t the most well-loved bean in most pantries, so feel free to use some other beans like Navy Beans or Great Northern Beans. I would recommend pinto or red kidney beans if you aren’t going to use the ones in the ingredient list. I used pinto beans in one of my tests, and the flavor complemented the rest of the soup quite well.
Nutrition
Categories:
More Must Make Soup Recipes
- Slow Cooker Turkey Taco Soup
- Creamy Pumpkin Soup
- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- Slow Cooker Ham and Bean Soup
- Wonton Soup with Homemade Dumplings
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