This Italian Chicken and Veggie Soup is a hearty and healthy soup with chunks of veggies and shredded chicken simmered in a tomato broth. It is made with basic pantry items which is always a win in my book! I serve this with TONS of crusty bread or garlic bread, which tastes AMAZING dipped in the soup!
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, small dice (about ¾ cup)
- 1 large carrot, small dice (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 large celery stalk, small dice (about 1/3 cup)
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 28 oz whole peeled Italian plum tomatoes, pureéd
- 4 sprigs flat leaf parsley, leaves removed and saved for garnish
- 1 sprig thyme
- 40 oz (5 cups) water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- 1 (14.5 oz) can chickpeas
- 1/3 cup cut string beans
- 2 oz pasta, cooked and set aside
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish
- 2 tsp lemon juice optional
- Shaved parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the chicken breasts on a parchment lined sheet tray. Rub them with 1 tbsp olive oil and season with salt. Bake for about 20 minutes or until fully cooked. Allow to cool, then shred and set aside.
- While the chicken is baking, heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté for a few minutes until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, bay leaf, parsley stems and thyme and stir for a minute or two.
- Mix in the tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat. Add the water and salt.
- Bring to boil, cover, then turn down to simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, then add the cooked and shredded chicken and chickpeas. Simmer for another 5-10 minutes
- Adjust seasoning, discard bay leaf, parsley and thyme sprigs.
- Garnish with parsley, freshly ground black pepper, shaved Parmesan and a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve with your favorite crusty bread or garlic bread
