Get ready to fall in love
Marry Me Tuscan Chicken Soup is a creamy one-pot dinner with tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach that's ready in about 35 minutes.
Marry Me Tuscan Chicken Soup tastes like the creamy Tuscan skillet, only in a bowl with a spoon. You brown chicken thighs, soften onion and garlic, then let sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan do the heavy lifting in the broth.
The whole pot takes about 50 minutes start to finish, and 35 of those are hands-off simmering. One cutting board, one Dutch oven. That's the cleanup.
Use thighs, not breasts. They stay tender through the simmer, and the broth picks up more flavor from the darker meat.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
About the Ingredients
2 pounds (900g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Thighs stay juicy through a 15-minute simmer where breasts turn chalky. If you only have breasts, cut them into 1-inch pieces and add them in the last 8 minutes of simmering instead of the full 15.
2 tablespoons olive oil
Use the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar if yours is packed in oil. It carries more flavor into the pot for free.
1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
Yellow onion gives the sweet base. Shallots work if you have them, but use three and expect a slightly sweeter broth.
4 garlic cloves, minced
Fresh garlic, not the jarred paste. The paste turns bitter after a long simmer.
3/4 cup (about 4 ounces) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced
Drain them well or the soup turns oily. If yours are dry-packed, soak them in hot water for 10 minutes first.
6 cups (1.4L) low-sodium chicken broth
Low-sodium matters here because the parmesan adds a lot of salt. If you only have regular broth, skip the added salt until the end.
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
Heavy cream is what keeps the broth from breaking. Half-and-half works but simmer it gently and don't let it boil hard.
1 cup (100g) grated parmesan, plus more for serving
Grate it yourself off a block. Pre-shredded parmesan has starch on it and clumps in hot broth.
5 ounces (140g) baby spinach
Baby spinach wilts in about 60 seconds. If you use mature spinach, stem it and add 2 extra minutes.
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
A pinch of red pepper flakes is a good swap if you want heat instead of the herby note.
Salt and black pepper to taste
Taste before you salt. The parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes already carry a lot.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Brown the chicken
Pat the thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, around 375F (190C), and brown the chicken 4 to 5 minutes per side until deep golden. It won't be cooked through yet. Move it to a plate.
2. Soften the vegetables
Drop the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds, just until it smells sweet. Don't let it brown.
3. Build the broth
Add the sun-dried tomatoes and Italian herbs, stir for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken broth. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Those bits are flavor, not mess.
4. Simmer the chicken
Return the chicken and any juices to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes. The chicken should hit 165F (74C) on an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part.
5. Shred the chicken
Lift the thighs out with tongs and shred them with two forks. It should pull apart with almost no resistance. Return the shredded meat to the pot.
6. Add the cream
Lower the heat so the broth barely bubbles. Stir in the heavy cream and cook 3 minutes, stirring now and then, until the soup looks even and slightly thicker.
7. Melt in the parmesan
Pull the pot off the heat. Add the parmesan a handful at a time, stirring until each addition disappears before adding the next. Taste and adjust salt.
8. Wilt the spinach
Stir in the spinach and let it sit 1 minute. It should collapse and turn bright green. Ladle into bowls and top with more parmesan and cracked pepper.
How to Store Get ready to fall in love
Refrigerator
Cool the soup within an hour of cooking, then refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. It thickens in the cold, so loosen it with a splash of broth when you reheat.
Freezer
Freeze without the cream and spinach for best results, up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then add the cream and spinach during reheating. Cream sauces can separate after freezing, so this order matters.
Reheating
Warm gently on the stovetop over low heat, stirring often, until it steams but doesn't boil. In the microwave, use 50 percent power in 1-minute bursts. A hard boil will break the cream.
Tips & Tricks
- Don't boil after the cream goes in. Keep it at a bare simmer, small bubbles at the edge, or the cream separates and the broth looks grainy.
- Drain the sun-dried tomatoes well. Excess oil on top of the soup makes it taste flat and coats your spoon.
- Grate the parmesan fine and add it off the heat. Dump it into a rolling boil and it seizes into rubbery strings.
- If the soup tastes thin at the end, mash a few pieces of chicken against the pot wall with your spoon. That thickens the broth without any starch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I use chicken breasts instead of thighs?
Yes, but add them later. Cut the breasts into 1-inch pieces and simmer them for the last 8 minutes only. Thighs handle the full 15-minute simmer without drying out; breasts don't.
Q: Why did my soup turn grainy?
The cream boiled. Once cream is in the pot, keep the heat at a bare simmer with small bubbles at the edge, never a rolling boil. If it already looks grainy, whisk in 1 tablespoon of cornstarch slurry and it will mostly come back.
Q: Can I make this without heavy cream?
Yes. Use 1 cup of whole milk with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked in, and add it off the heat. The broth will be thinner and less rich, but it works. Coconut milk is another option, though it changes the flavor noticeably.
Q: How do I know when the chicken is done?
Use a thermometer. The thickest part of the thigh should read 165F (74C). If you don't have one, cut into a piece; the juices should run clear and the meat should pull apart with a fork.
Q: Can I make this ahead for a crowd?
Make it up to the point where you add the cream, then cool and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat gently, add the cream and parmesan off the heat, and wilt the spinach right before serving.
Delicious Variations
Tortellini version
Add 9 ounces of refrigerated cheese tortellini with the broth and simmer 15 minutes with the chicken. The pasta thickens the broth on its own.
Spicy version
Add 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes with the garlic and swap the Italian herbs for smoked paprika.
Mushroom version
Brown 8 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms after the onion and skip the chicken entirely for a vegetarian pot. Use vegetable broth.
Brown the chicken, simmer the broth, stir in the cream at the end. That's the whole recipe. Make it once and it goes into the weeknight rotation on its own. Dinner's done. Go put your feet up.
Best Get ready to fall in love Recipe – Simple and Homemade
Marry Me Tuscan Chicken Soup is a creamy one-pot dinner with tender chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach that's ready in about 35 minutes.
🧂 Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 3/4 cup (about 4 ounces) oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and sliced
- 6 cups (1.4L) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (100g) grated parmesan, plus more for serving
- 5 ounces (140g) baby spinach
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
- Salt and black pepper to taste
📋 Instructions
- 1Brown the chicken — Pat the thighs dry and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat, around 375F (190C), and brown the chicken 4 to 5 minutes per side until deep golden. It won't be cooked through yet. Move it to a plate.
- 2Soften the vegetables — Drop the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds, just until it smells sweet. Don't let it brown.
- 3Build the broth — Add the sun-dried tomatoes and Italian herbs, stir for 1 minute, then pour in the chicken broth. Scrape the browned bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon. Those bits are flavor, not mess.
- 4Simmer the chicken — Return the chicken and any juices to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 15 minutes. The chicken should hit 165F (74C) on an instant-read thermometer at the thickest part.
- 5Shred the chicken — Lift the thighs out with tongs and shred them with two forks. It should pull apart with almost no resistance. Return the shredded meat to the pot.
- 6Add the cream — Lower the heat so the broth barely bubbles. Stir in the heavy cream and cook 3 minutes, stirring now and then, until the soup looks even and slightly thicker.
- 7Melt in the parmesan — Pull the pot off the heat. Add the parmesan a handful at a time, stirring until each addition disappears before adding the next. Taste and adjust salt.
- 8Wilt the spinach — Stir in the spinach and let it sit 1 minute. It should collapse and turn bright green. Ladle into bowls and top with more parmesan and cracked pepper.
