If you're looking for a chicken soup recipe that's delicious any time of year, try our marry me chicken soup. It's the perfect balance of creamy broth, tender chicken, and Italian flavors. Parmesan cheese, garlic, and fresh basil go a long way to flavor each bite. Here's how to make marry me chicken soup, including our Test Kitchen's tips for making the dish ahead.
What Is Marry Me Chicken Soup?
Marry me chicken soup is a comforting bowl filled with shredded chicken, dried tomatoes, spinach, garlic, and cheese. Each bite is rich and comforting. The dish is a take on the popular marry me chicken skillet recipe that's made with many of the same ingredients.
Marry Me Chicken Soup Ingredients
Get a quick look at what you'll need to make this marry me chicken soup recipe.
- Dried Tomatoes: You'll need oil-packed dried tomatoes. We'll use both the tomatoes themselves and the oil they are packed in.
- Onion: Choose a white or yellow onion to flavor the soup.
- Garlic: We found a tablespoon of minced garlic was the ideal amount for our recipe testers. If you love garlic, feel free to double the amount.
- Broth: To help control the saltiness of the finished soup, choose reduced sodium chicken broth.
- Seasoning: We're flavoring the chicken soup with Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and fresh basil.
- Chicken: This recipe was made for rotisserie chicken. Shred it up and you're all set.
- Cream Cheese: Add creaminess and body to the finished soup with half a block of cream cheese.
- Parmesan: We highly recommend using freshly grated Parmesan cheese here. It makes all the difference in flavor and texture.
- Spinach: Chop the spinach before adding it for the best texture. In a pinch, you can swap in kale or chard.
- Pasta: Cook the pasta before adding it to this recipe. Use your favorite "short" style of pasta, like macaroni, shells, or penne.
How to Store Marry Me Chicken Soup
You can make this recipe for marry me chicken soup ahead. Store pasta and soup in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Add cooked pasta to each bowl just before serving.
Ingredients
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1/2 cup oil-packed sun dried tomato strips, plus 1 Tbsp. oil from the jar
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1 cup chopped onion
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1 tablespoon minced garlic
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1 (32-ounce) carton reduced sodium chicken broth
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1 teaspoon italian seasoning
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1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
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1/4 teaspoon salt
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1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more for garnish
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2 1/2 cups shredded chicken from a purchased roasted chicken
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4 ounces cream cheese, cubed, softened
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1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
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3 cups chopped fresh spinach
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1/2 cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
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1 1/2 cups shell macaroni pasta, cooked according to package directions (about 4 ounces uncooked)
Directions
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In a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven heat oil from dried tomatoes over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender and starting to brown, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and dried tomato strips. Cook 3 minutes more.
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Add broth, Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, salt, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, spinach, and basil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer, uncovered, until heated through, and cheeses melt. Add macaroni to each serving. Garnish servings with additional basil, Parmesan cheese, and crushed red pepper.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
| 267 | Calories |
| 12g | Fat |
| 17g | Carbs |
| 22g | Protein |
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings Per Recipe 6 | |
| Calories 266.9 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 12.3g | 16% |
| Saturated Fat 5.8g | 29% |
| Cholesterol 66mg | 22% |
| Sodium 652.4mg | 28% |
| Total Carbohydrate 17.1g | 6% |
| Dietary Fiber 1.7g | 6% |
| Total Sugars 3.2g | |
| Protein 21.9g | 44% |
| Vitamin D 0mcg | 0% |
| Vitamin C 8.1mg | 9% |
| Calcium 121.7mg | 9% |
| Iron 2.3mg | 13% |
| Potassium 487.5mg | 10% |
| Fatty acids, total trans 0g | |
| Vitamin D 1.2IU | |
| Alanine 1g | |
| Arginine 1.1g | |
| Ash 3.4g | |
| Aspartic acid 1.6g | |
| Caffeine 0mg | |
| Carotene, alpha 1.4mcg | |
| Choline, total 19.3mg | |
| Copper, Cu 0.2mg | |
| Cystine 0.2g | |
| Energy 1118kJ | |
| Fluoride, F 2.1mcg | |
| Folate, total 69.5mcg | |
| Glutamic acid 3.5g | |
| Glycine 0.9g | |
| Histidine 0.6g | |
| Isoleucine 1g | |
| Leucine 1.5g | |
| Lysine 1.5g | |
| Methionine 0.5g | |
| Magnesium, Mg 42.6mg | |
| Manganese, Mn 0.5mg | |
| Niacin 6.3mg | |
| Phosphorus, P 234.6mg | |
| Pantothenic acid 0.8mg | |
| Phenylalanine 0.8g | |
| Phytosterols 8.7mg | |
| Proline 1.1g | |
| Retinol 78mcg | |
| Selenium, Se 26mcg | |
| Serine 0.8g | |
| Starch 8g | |
| Theobromine 0mg | |
| Threonine 0.8g | |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.7mg | |
| Tryptophan 0.2g | |
| Tyrosine 0.7g | |
| Valine 1g | |
| Vitamin A, IU 2025.9IU | |
| Vitamin A, RAE 166.3mcg | |
| Vitamin B-12 0.4mcg | |
| Vitamin B-6 0.4mg | |
| Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 89.2mcg | |
| Water 266g | |
| Zinc, Zn 1.7mg | |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
