Quick Authentic Italian Chicken Minestrone Soup

This healthy chicken minestrone soup made from scratch can warm up any cold winter evening. It's a delightful twist on the classic minestrone, marrying the goodness of chicken vegetable soup with the richness of a good minestrone recipe. Prepare to fill your large pot with this big soup that promises a flavorful comforting soup experience. It's a delicious meal that offers a yummy treat for the whole family.

Jump to:

• Minestra, minestrone, or zuppa
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Shortcuts
• Don'ts
• Variations and more shortcuts
• How to serve it
• How to store it
• Origine of the word minestrone
• Other types of Minestrone
• More soup recipes you may like
• 📋 Italian Chicken Soup Minestrone

In the rich tapestry of culinary art, soups and stews have consistently secured their spot at our tables, especially during winter seasons.

Among the most appetizing recipes during these times are comforting soups, velvety stews, creams, and classic minestrone soup. 

Originating from the practical need to utilize pantry staples, the evolution of soups speaks to the progress of gastronomic art itself: transitioning from the lavish banquets of ancient Rome's Apicius to the iconic Campbell's Soup cans of the 1960s.

These dishes, emblematic of traditional gastronomy, can be reinvented and adapted in numerous ways.

Whether served as an appetizer, transformed into a hearty main, or standing as a singular, big soup dish dominating the meal, they offer a versatile, yummy meal for the whole family. 

Every simmer in a large soup pot and every carefully selected ingredient reinforces the idea that, beyond being just a comforting food, soups, especially a well-crafted chicken minestrone soup recipe, are a celebration of culinary heritage and creativity.

Made with plenty of fresh vegetables, Borlotti beans, and homemade chicken stock, you can eat this flavorful chicken minestrone soup as it is with some toasted bread or add some pastina.

For more soup recipes, you can check: how to make beef Consomme, Romanesco soup, roast pumpkin soup served in a pumpkin, Chayote soup, fresh tomato soup Salmorejo, seafood chowder served in a bread bowl.

Minestra, minestrone, or zuppa

Minestra, minestrone and zuppa are 3 different ways of defining an Italian soup. 

They are always served at the beginning of the meal as a Primo piatto. 

This is how they differ:

• Minestra is a watery vegetable and/or meat soup with the addition of rice, pasta spelled, barley, or pulse. It is considered a poor people dish, and the name minestra originated from "ministrare" meaning shared/served by the head of the family. You can find it on the blog Minestra Primavera made with broad beans, peas, artichokes, and lettuce.
• Zuppa is also a vegetable and/or meat soup that is never served with rice or pasta. Instead, it is usually served with bread or croutons, and as they absorb the liquid, a zuppa tends to be creamier than a minestra. On the blog, you can find a Spanish soup called Salmorejo, a summer version of the Tuscan Pappa al Pomodoro, tomato soup.
• Minestrone, which means large minestra, has a more consistent and rich composition than a minestra with the addition of beans and/or potatoes, which arrived in Italy with the discovery of the new world. This Italian Chicken Soup is a minestrone and can also be served with pasta or rice. You will find more information below.

Ingredients

There is no list of ingredients for a minestrone as it is not an exact recipe.

It varies with the season, the region, and what you fancy.

Anything can go into a minestrone; the more the merrier!

However, there are some important rules to earn the name Minestrone:

1. Always use fresh veggies that are in season
2. Large onion or leek: Adding an onion or leek to minestrone enhances its depth of flavor, providing a subtly sweet and aromatic base that complements the medley of vegetables and enriches the overall taste.
3. Include beans (like borlotti or cannellini beans) or potatoes to make it creamier
4. If you are using dried beans, soak them in water overnight
5. Pulse and vegetables may require different cooking times. Do not cook them all at once but paste them according to their cooking time. Vegetables should not be too mushy or undercooked. Generally, you would first need to add beans, potatoes, solid vegetables like green beans, broccoli, carrots, and zucchini, and leaves-vegetable ( like chard, spinach, cabbage) in the last 3 to 5 minutes of cooking. Seasoning at the end. 
6. Chicken stock will give a rich flavor to the minestrone, I always have frozen homemade chicken stock in the freezer
7. You can season with herbs like fresh parsley, bay leaves, extra virgin olive oil, fat (butter or lard), Parmesan, or Pecorino cheese. However, they should be added carefully not too abundant to overtake the flavor nor too scarce. You need to find the right balance. 
8. A tablespoon of tomato paste can add color and depth of flavor 
9. You can add pasta or rice (minestrone Milanese) but read further before you do.

Adding shredded chicken

Incorporating shredded chicken into minestrone soup can elevate its texture and flavor profile.

Mostly I use the chicken leftover from making homemade chicken stock which I stock up and freeze.

If you need other ideas on how to use up the meat, you can read the article: 5 Quick and Healthy Dinner Ideas: Boiled Chicken Recipes

Using chicken pieces from a rotisserie chicken is also a convenient option, particularly if you have leftover chicken on hand.

This juicy chicken, especially from boneless skinless chicken thighs, adds richness to the broth.

Alternatively, boneless skinless chicken breasts can be used for a leaner addition.

Whether you're adding tender chicken from leftovers or using raw chicken, ensuring it's properly cooked and shredded will allow it to meld seamlessly with the soup's other ingredients, making for a hearty and satisfying dish.

Adding pasta or rice

I never add pasta or rice to the main pot of a minestrone because if you have leftover the pasta or the rice will absorb all the broth becoming mushy and soggy.

Cook the pasta or the rice separately, still al dente, and add them to the serving plate. 

You can use pastina or small pasta like ditalini pasta or small elbow macaroni.

If you want to add them to the minestrone and cook it with the vegetables, ensure you don't have leftovers.

Leftovers minestrone with soaking pasta is uneatable (at least for Italians).

Instructions

1. Stir fry in the pan the chopped onion
2. Add the borlotti beans and any vegetables that require a longer cooking time, stir for a minute to absorb the flavor of the stir-fried onion
3. Add the chicken stock and let it boil for 15 minutes 
4. Add the rest of the leaves and vegetables and boil for 5 more minutes
5. Add the cooked shredded chicken at the end, enough time to warm it up
6. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve piping hot

Shortcuts

To save time when making a minestrone, I have two tips:

1. I always have frozen stock in the fridge (chicken stock and brows stock) stored in small containers (1 quarter- 1 lt / ½ quarters - 500 ml). I can quickly defrost one and use it in the minestrone. I make this rich broth with the pressure cooker, which only takes 30 minutes. You can find the recipes on the link above.

2. It is common in Italy to find already cleaned and chopped seasonal vegetables at the market stand. The Ortolano (greengrocer) would use his spare time at the market stands to clean and chop the vegetables, which he/she can then sell at a slighter higher price. A win-win for everyone.

If that doesn't happen at your farmer's market, you may suggest it.

However, I did it once in a remote farmer's market in the South of Italy and received a disappointed look from a lady implying: "Are you so lazy you cannot chop them yourself?"

Don'ts

To make a good minestrone, follow all the rules above. 

In addition, I would suggest the following:

• Do not use unsalted stock, even if you add the salt after it is not the same. Unsalted stock is used mainly if you must reduce it to make a consomme. I rarely use unsalted stock in my cooking
• Do not use frozen vegetables; they will be soggy and mushy
• Do not use canned vegetables; they have no flavor 
• If you don't have time to chop fresh vegetables and cannot find them already chopped at your store, you will be better off buying a fresh already made minestrone as it is probably tastier than one made with canned vegetables

Variations and more shortcuts

• it is not necessary to stir fry the onion, I do it as it adds flavor. You can also stir-fry a mix of onion, celery, and carrot (soffritto)
• you can chop your vegetables so that the cooking time is more or less equal, and you can put all the vegetables in the pot at once
• add some tomato paste or sauce to give color and flavor
• you can add any other meat stock: beef for stew, lamb, sausage, or ham. Whatever meat stock you use, a bone will add much more flavor than just plain meat. Always make the stock before, as bone stock must cook for hours, not the minestrone. I make my meat stock in the pressure cooker, and it only requires 30 minutes
• a minestrone without chicken can have a vegan option; it is unnecessary to add meat, and you can cook it in a vegetable broth made with onion, carrot, and celery.
• for added flavor, you can boil with the vegetables a piece of Parmesan rind

How to serve it

This Italian chicken minestrone should be served piping hot; add some pasta or rice or serve it with a slice of rustic bread.

As I mentioned above, I do not add pasta or rice directly to the main serving dish as it can get soggy.

Each can drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and Parmesan cheese in their own bowl. 

Spicy olive oil would be the perfect finish for those who like spicy hot.

Usually, in Italy, we would serve it as a first dish Primo Piatto, before the main.

However, as a chicken minestrone is a complete meal, it can be served as a main dish for a light dinner.

In Italy, we may serve some cold meat and cheese after an abundant minestrone to end the meal with an extra treat.

How to store it

Once cold, a minestrone should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container. 

It can last a few days, and the flavor will improve daily—no pasta or rice soaking.

If you make a large quantity, you can freeze it. I like to freeze it into portions to defrost only the necessary amount.

If I want to cook some pastina with it once it defrosts, I will ensure there is enough liquid so the pastina can boil in the stock for at least 5 minutes without the soup becoming too dry.

Never freeze a minestrone with pasta or rice.

Origine of the word minestrone

Minestrone and zuppa, both soup forms, have distinct roots in Italian cuisine. 

The term "minestra" can be traced back to the 13th century, originating from the Latin "minestrare," meaning to administer and to serve at the table.

Over time, its meaning has evolved, often drawing parallels with broth.

This association birthed various sayings related to repetitively eating the same soup or the universal appeal of a soup plate. "Minestrone" is a variation of the term, with its diminutive form referring to dishes in a light broth, whereas its augmentative form signifies preparations rich in vegetables, pasta, and rice.

On the other hand, "zuppa" is a relatively recent term from the 15th-16th centuries. Deriving from the Gothic word "suppa," which translates to "soaked slice," its preparation traditionally involves (stale) bread doused in a broth of legumes and vegetables.

This period also saw the popularization of chickpeas, lentils, and bean-based soups. 

Other types of Minestrone

Here are some other classic minestrone:

• Minestrone alla Milanese: with lard, pork and rice
• Minestrone alla genovese: pesto is added at the end
• Minestrone Maritata: wedded minestrone when vegetables and different type of meats are married together

More soup recipes you may like

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