Tuscan Style Chicken Soup – a hearty soup with veggies and beans to warm up your belly! The broth is really flavourful, yet simple to prepare, and you can use leftover cooked chicken too!Tuscan Style Chicken Soup in a stone bowl with toast and another bowl of soup in the background

I LOVE soup season! There’s something about bowl food that’s so comforting.

Recently we’ve been serving a lot of dinners on our knees. We’ve been batch filming lots of recipe videos lately, so the kitchen table is piled high with equipment – meaning we’re all squashed up on the sofa, getting through multiple episodes of Marvel’s Agents of Shield (quite enjoying watching it all together as a family, but trying not to feel the mum-guilt of not sitting at the table).

Trust me, a lap-served meal requiring a knife and fork just doesn’t mix with kids. The amount of times I’ve watched a sauce-covered knife slowly slip from Lewis’s grasp and end up on one of the cushions, whilst yelling ‘nooooooo’ in that slow-motion Vadar voice from Star Wars is too many to count.

But I’m not giving up!! Bowl food like this delicious soup requires a spoon only.  No juggling of cutlery, just family cuddled up, bowls held under our chins, getting our Sci-Fi TV fix.

We start by softening onions in a pan with oil, then adding garlic and thyme. Next in goes carrots, potato and celery, followed by chicken stock, salt and pepper. Let that simmer together for 20 minutes. Next add cannellini beans and let them cook for 5 minutes before finishing off with cooked shredded chicken and kale. Bubble for another couple of minutes until heated through.

8 image collage showing how to make Tuscan Chicken Soup

Serve it with some granary toast for a filling meal (fortunately my kids prefer it un-buttered, so that saves the cushions from another potential risk!).

Overhead photo of Tuscan Style Chicken Soup in a stone bowl

What is Tuscan soup?

A Tuscan soup is basically an Italian-style soup that contains beans, kale and vegetables. The famous Zuppa Toscana (translated as Tuscan soup) contains Sausage and or bacon. This version is my chicken version.
There are lots of different Italian soups – tomato and bread based ones (Pappa al pomodoro), ones that contain vegetables and bread (Ribollita) and pasta soups (Minestrone) to name a few.

What can I serve this soup with?

I love serving this with granary bread, but you could also make it a more substantial meal by serving with up with:

More of my favourite soup recipes:

The Tuscan Style Chicken Soup Video:

Equipment:

In order to make this heart warming Tuscan Style Chicken Soup you will need:

The Tuscan Style Chicken Soup Recipe:

4.97 from 53 votes

Tuscan Style Chicken Soup

Tuscan Style Chicken Soup - a hearty soup with veggies and beans to warm up your belly!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion peeled and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and minced
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
  • 1 stick of celery sliced
  • 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
  • 2 medium potatoes peeled and diced
  • 1 litre (4 cups) good-quality chicken stock ideally homemade, but water with stock cubes will work too. Use water plus bouillon for gluten-free
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 400 g (14 oz) cooked cannellini beans washed and drained
  • 2 skinless cooked chicken breasts shredded
  • 100 g (3.5 oz) chopped kale
  • small bunch fresh parsley chopped
  • 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan

To Serve:

  • fresh thyme
  • toasted granary bread to serve gluten-free if required - Warburtons Newburn Bakehouse Seeded is a good one
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Instructions 

  • Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes on a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened.
    1 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion
  • Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes.
    2 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs fresh thyme or ½ tsp dried thyme
  • Add the celery, carrots, and potatoes, stir, then add in the chicken stock, salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.
    1 stick of celery, 2 medium carrots, 2 medium potatoes, 1 litre (4 cups) good-quality chicken stock, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
  • Add in the drained cannellini beans and cook for a further 5 minutes
    400 g (14 oz) cooked cannellini beans
  • Add the shredded chicken and heat through for 2-3 minutes, then add the kale. Stir and simmer for 1-2 minutes until the kale has wilted. Test and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
    2 skinless cooked chicken breasts, 100 g (3.5 oz) chopped kale
  • Divide between four bowls, topped with fresh parsley, grated parmesan and a couple of sprigs of fresh thyme. Serve with some toasted granary bread.
    small bunch fresh parsley, 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan, fresh thyme, toasted granary bread to serve

Video

Notes

Can I make it gluten free?

Yes – use gluten free stock and serve with gluten free bread.

Can I make it ahead?

The kale won't be quite as vibrant, but yes, you can make this soup ahead. Make the soup, then quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2-3 days. Reheat in a pan until piping hot before serving. 

Will it freeze?

Yes! Make the soup, then quickly cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan until piping hot before serving.

Other modifications:

  • Stir in chunks of slightly stale bread (like a Ribollita soup) about 15 minutes before the soup is done. This will thicken the soup.
  • Make it a vegetarian version, leaving out the chicken and using a really good quality vegetarian stock. You'll also need to replace the parmesan with vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese.
  • Replace the cannellini beans with tinned chickpeas or butter beans (lima beans)
  • Add extra veggies or replace with different veggies – such as leeks or mushrooms.
  • Stir in a couple of tablespoons of double (heavy) cream and a squeeze of lemon juice at the end, for a creamy version.
Nutritional information is per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcal | Carbohydrates: 52g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 807mg | Potassium: 1651mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 7700IU | Vitamin C: 48.8mg | Calcium: 204mg | Iron: 7.8mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

This post was first created in November 2016 (and I first made this soup for Superfood Magazine). Updated in October 2019 with video, step-by-step photos and some general housekeeping.

If you liked this then please check our some of my other soup recipes.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.

Welcome to Kitchen Sanctuary

Hi, I'm Nicky and I love to cook! I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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Comments

  1. SunFish says:

    5 stars
    I had 90% of these ingredients. I did use spinach instead of kale and northern beans instead of cannellini beans. (We’re having a snow storm and I didn’t want to go to the store.) This was such a fun soup to make and it tastes unbelievably good! We had it with garlic bread. Thanks for the recipe! I will make this again!

  2. Rachael says:

    3 stars
    The measurements are completely off. There’s no way all of those veggies can fit in that amount of broth. As I was making this I had to be mindful of the amount of veggies. I only used one potato and one carrot. Next, this soup is lacking flavor. It kind of tastes like nothing. I ended up adding sriracha to my individual bowl and it tasted so much better. It definitely has an abundance of nutrients and I do love that.

  3. Sharon says:

    5 stars
    I’ve made this several times and it’s always SO good! Definitely add the fresh parsley, Parmesan cheese and crusty bread!

  4. Sharon says:

    5 stars
    I’ve made this soup now a few times and it’s SO good! I serve it with croutons from a local French bakery and oh my!

  5. Al says:

    5 stars
    Outstanding! This will go in my favs recipe folder.

  6. Katherine Montenegro says:

    5 stars
    Loved it

  7. Dave says:

    how much is a litre and grams convert to in us

    1. Chris Corbishley says:

      Hi Dave,

      The US measurments are written next to the UK/metric measurement in the recipe card for example 400 g (14 oz) cooked cannellini beans.

      Thanks

      Chris

  8. Miriam says:

    5 stars
    I love a soup with substance, and this fits the bill! I made a double batch and shared it with in-laws. They loved it, too!

  9. Dawn Klein says:

    5 stars
    My daughter made this for supper tonight. It was so good. We added spinach instead of kale. Otherwise the same.

  10. Shawna Ledesma says:

    5 stars
    My little family REALLY enjoyed this. I used homemade chicken bone broth and 1 “Not Chik-N” bouillon cube with and extra couple cups of water. I really think the broth makes the flavor so great. I also mashed half the beans to make it creamier without having to add dairy. I cooked chicken breasts in the instant pot beforehand with a little broth, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and a pinch of smoked paprika. My 4 and 7 year olds loved it. We will make this again!