Sicilian Chicken Soup made quickly on the stove top in less than an hour! This hearty chicken soup recipe is easy to make and comforting on chilly winter nights. I have included instructions for Instant Pot and Slow Cooker in this post as well!
One of my favorite recipes on my site, which I posted way back in 2012 is my Sicilian Meatball Soup with Cabbage. My mom’s life partner, Carlo, is Sicilian, and has inspired me throughout the years to cook up authentic Sicilian-style meals.
What is Sicilian Chicken Soup?
Traditional Sicilian Chicken Soup is prepared using an entire whole-body chicken. Doing so results in a richly flavored soup packed with health benefits! To prepare the soup, you butcher a chicken and cook it in a pot with water to make a broth.
You then remove the chicken, chop the meat into pieces and add it back to the pot along with onion, celery, carrots (the holy trifecta), diced tomatoes, and pasta (typically ditalini noodles). Fresh herbs and potatoes are also typically incorporated as well.
While I love preparing whole body chicken, I thought I would take a quicker approach to this classic recipe, as I know many of you are strapped for time when it comes to meal prep.
In the interest of making meal prep easy, I simply use boneless chicken thighs for the soup. The end result is still a delicious, comforting meal, but the process requires less than an hour from start-to-finish.
So let’s have at it!
How to Make Sicilian Chicken Soup:
Add everything except the pasta to a stock pot, cover, and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot.
Add the pasta to the soup and return to a gentle boil. Cook just until pasta is al dente, about 8 to 15 minutes.
Serve soup with fresh parsley and a hunk of gluten-free rustic bread, such as Cheese and Herb Irish Soda Bread.
Instant Pot Instructions:
Add all ingredients except the pasta to an Instant Pot. Secure the lid and press Manual. Pressure cook on high 8 minutes then manually release the pressure. Stir in the pasta, and pressure cook on high again for 5 minutes. Manually release the steam, open the lid, and serve!
Slow Cooker Instructions:
Add all ingredients except the pasta to a slow cooker and stir well. Secure the lid and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or low for 4 to 6 hours. When ready to serve, cook the pasta in a separate pot according to package instructions. Drain the pasta, then add it to the crock pot with the soup. Serve and enjoy!
How to Make Sicialian Chicken Soup with a Whole Chicken:
To take the authentic approach, simply chop a whole body chicken into sections and place it in a large pot. Fill pot with water just until it covers all of the chicken. Bring the pot to a full boil and cook for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking another 90 minutes, until chicken is fully cooked.
Remove the chicken from the pot, peel off the skin and discard. Chop the chicken into pieces and place the meat back into the pot along with the remaining ingredients except for the pasta.
Return soup to a boil and cook until carrots and potatoes have softened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the pasta and cook another 8 minutes, until pasta is al dente. Serve and enjoy!
If you have tried Carrabba’s Sicilian Chicken Soup and are itching to try a quick, easy, gluten-free version at home, here’s your shot!
Recipe Adaptations:
- Add any of your favorite vegetables, like cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
- Use vegetable or beef broth instead of chicken broth if it’s what you have on hand.
- Use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs.
- If you don’t eat a gluten-free diet, use regular ditalini pasta instead of the gluten-free spiral noodles
- If you aren’t dairy-free, serve soup with grated parmesan on top.
- Add cannelini beans or garbanzo beans to the soup if you do beans.
I hope you love this soup as much as my family does!
xo
You May Also Love:
- Rustic Minestrone Soup with Rice and Kale
- Immunity Boosting Turmeric Chicken Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Soup with Rice
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken
- Mediterranean Salmon in Parchment Paper
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Sicilian Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
- 3 large carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 red bell pepper cored and chopped
- 2 yukon gold potatoes chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 cup gluten-free pasta noodles
- 1/2 tsp sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Add everything except the pasta to a stock pot, cover, and bring to a full boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
- Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and use two forks to shred it. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot.
- Add the pasta to the soup and return to a gentle boil. Cook just until pasta is al dente, about 8 to 15 minutes.
- Serve soup with fresh parsley and a hunk of rustic bread.
Julia, I used rotisserie chicken to make this soup even quicker. I added it to everything else after 15 minutes of simmer time. I also cooked the pasta separately as I knew we would have soup left over. Delicious!! Thanks for a simple flavorful soup recipe!
I’m so happy you like it, Connie! It’s been such a lovely go-to in my own house!