Marry Me Chicken Soup has everything everyone loves in the viral Marry Me Chicken but in soup form! It’s creamy and light at the same time and packed with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and Parmesan flavors.
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If you’ve been on social media lately, you may have noticed the huge number of “Marry Me” recipes out there. I admit I’m not a big fan of the name of this trend myself but my gosh, is the flavor combo tasty!
So I decided to take everything I like from the viral Marry Me Chicken recipe and make a soup out of it. If you’ve been on Skinny Spatula before, you might have seen this coming, as you already know how much I love soup!
This Marry Me Chicken soup aka Tuscan chicken soup is rich and creamy without being heavy and it’s absolutely packed with flavor from the sundried tomatoes, fresh basil, garlic and Parmesan.
And if you love the flavor combination, check out my Marry Me Chicken Pasta next.
Why you’ll love this Marry Me Chicken soup
- Ultimate comfort food that will bring you lots of compliments
- Bursting with flavor and extra creamy
- Perfect recipe for using up that leftover rotisserie chicken!
What you’ll need
Onion, carrot and celery — Dice them all on the smaller side so they cook quickly.
Garlic — Fresh garlic is always best for flavor. I recommend at least two plump cloves but go with your heart here.
Sundried tomatoes - I typically use sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil. I place them on a kitchen towel to remove excess oil before chopping.
Pasta — Ditalini pasta is an excellent choice here, but any other small pasta would do, including orzo.
Cream cheese — I used low-fat cream cheese, but you can go for the full-fat version for extra creaminess. The cream cheese should be at room temperature so it melts quickly.
Half and half — It’s best to temper the half and half if you don’t have it at room temperature to avoid curdling.
Cooked chicken — Leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken is the perfect choice for this Marry Me chicken soup. These air fryer chicken bites work well, too.
You can also use turkey leftovers after a holiday if you like. If you’d like to use fresh chicken, cut it into bite-sized pieces and cook it with the veggies until no longer pink, then continue with the recipe.
Parmesan — For loads of extra flavor and a bit of cheesy saltiness.
Baby spinach — Both spinach and Tuscan kale work great in this soup.
Pro tip
Cook a few strips of chopped bacon until crispy, then sauté the veggies in the flavorful bacon fat. Sprinkle the bacon on top of the finished soup for extra flavor and texture.
How to make Marry Me Chicken soup
This is a quick overview with step-by-step photos. See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Sauté the onion, carrot, and celery until softened. Add garlic, sundried tomatoes, and red chili flakes, cooking for another minute.
Add bay leaf, ditalini pasta, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the pasta is almost cooked.
Stir in cream cheese and half and half. Simmer until thickened. Add chicken, Parmesan, and spinach. Cook briefly until spinach wilts and chicken is heated.
Season generously with salt and pepper. Serve hot, optionally garnishing with extra Parmesan.
Substitutions and variations
- Add some more veggies such as zucchini, yellow squash, peas or diced potatoes.
- Stir in a dollop of pesto towards the end for a burst of herby flavor.
- Make it vegetarian by using crumbled firm tofu or white beans instead of chicken.
Helpful tips
- If I have leftover rotisserie chicken – that's my go-to. But you can easily cook up some chicken breasts or thighs for this.
- Add a splash of white wine to the broth to deepen the flavors.
- Don't skip the fresh herbs! Chopped basil at the end adds a burst of freshness that brings everything together.
What to serve with this Tuscan chicken soup
Serve your Marry Me Chicken Soup with your favorite crusty bread for dipping or a simple green salad on the side.
Leftovers and storage
- The leftovers taste amazing! To store, allow the soup to cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for 3-4 days.
- Reheat the soup on the stovetop or in the microwave. You may need to add a bit of chicken stock or water because the pasta tends to soak up the liquid.
- Freeze the soup for up to 2 months in a freezer-safe container. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
If you’ve tried this Marry Me Chicken Soup recipe, please rate it and leave me a comment below! I’d love to hear how it turned out.
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Marry Me Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 medium carrot, diced
- 2-3 celery stalks, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ cup (50 g) sundried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- A pinch of red chili flakes
- 1 bay leaf
- ¾ cup (125 g) ditalini pasta
- 6 cups (1.5 l) chicken stock
- ½ cup (125 g) low-fat cream cheese
- ½ cup (125 ml) half and half, single cream
- 2 cups (300 g) rotisserie chicken, shredded
- ⅓ cup (30 g) Parmesan, grated
- 2 cups (60 g) fresh baby spinach, or kale
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute, then add the sundried tomatoes and red chili flakes and cook for a further minute.
- Add the bay leaf, ditalini pasta, and chicken stock. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the pasta is almost cooked through. This should take about 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in the cream cheese and half and half. Let it simmer until the cream cheese has melted and the soup starts to thicken slightly.½ cup low-fat cream cheese½ cup half and half
- Add the shredded rotisserie chicken, Parmesan cheese and spinach. Stir well to combine, then cook for 1-2 minutes with a lid on until the spinach is wilted and the chicken is heated through.
- Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve hot, with extra freshly grated Parmesan on top if you like.Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition is per serving and is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Cathie says
This soup is one of the best I’ve ever made! It’s not heavy, but has all the flavors of a great creamy soup!! Will definitely be on dinner rotation list!!
Alice says
I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed the soup, Cathie!
Rachel says
What would you change to make this in an Instapot?
Alice says
I haven't tried this in the Instant Pot unfortunately so I can't recommend any timings.
Rita Yee says
Made this and absolutely loved it the night it was made. However, the ditalini soaked up all the broth, so it wasn't much of a "soup" the next day. Still tasty, but next time I will either double the broth ingredients or cook the ditalini separately, adding it to individual bowls while serving.
June says
Nice cold weather soup! Husband loved it. Used chicken breast and cooked with the vegetables as recommended. Thank you for sharing.
Kelly says
Made this soup for our annual pumpkin carving party and EVERYONE love it. It’s so flavorful. Making more to freeze!
Makinzie Amos says
we LOVE this recipe! I’ve made it TWICE in a week!! I didn’t use the ditalini i used spinach and ricotta ravioli! it’s sooooo good !
Becky King says
I didn’t have any sun dried tomatoes (and used bacon grease to sauté my veggies) …. But it was absolutely delicious!!!
Colleen Lennox says
What is half and half
Alice says
It's single cream in the UK.