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    Home » Recipes » Soups

    Chicken Minestrone Soup

    Published: Aug 10, 2022 by Alana Lieberman · As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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    Pin graphic for chicken minestrone soup.

    This Chicken Minestrone Soup is my favorite Italian soup to make year round. It's full of fresh vegetables, white beans, tomatoes, and shredded chicken. Serve with parmesan, red pepper flakes, and a crusty baguette to soak up the delicious broth.

    Chicken minestrone soup in a blue bowl with a spoon.
    Jump to:
    • 📋 About the Recipe
    • 🛒 Ingredients
    • 📓 Instructions
    • ⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
    • ❄️ How to Store
    • 🔍 FAQs
    • 💭 One More Tip
    • 🍴 Related Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    📋 About the Recipe

    • Easy one pot soup. This chicken vegetable soup all cooks together in one pot. No need to cook the pasta separately, or prepare the chicken ahead of time. Real simple soup with hearty chicken to make for your family on weeknights!
    • Vegetarian and vegan friendly option. Make this soup without the chicken for a meat free dinner.
    • Great way to use up shredded chicken. In this recipe, I show you how to cook chicken directly in the soup, but if you have leftover shredded chicken to use, making this chicken minestrone soup is a great way to repurpose it.

    🛒 Ingredients

    Labelled ingredients for chicken minestrone soup (see recipe for details).

    A few notes about the ingredients:

    1. chicken - I used uncooked boneless skinless chicken breasts that are cooked directly in the chicken soup to make it more flavorful. You can substitute ¾ pound of precooked, shredded chicken to make this soup even quicker. If you have bone-in chicken thighs to use, try my Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup.
    2. tomatoes - I used 2 cans of petite diced tomatoes. These are different from diced tomatoes - they are cut about twice as small and blend well into the soup without being too chunky. If you are sensitive to sodium, use low-sodium or salt free cans of petite diced tomatoes. If you prefer a chicken soup without tomatoes, try my Chicken Chili Without Tomatoes.
    3. beans - Traditional minestrone soup is made with white beans. My favorite to use are canned Great Northern beans because they are firm enough to hold up in the soup without becoming mushy. If you are using dry beans, make sure to cook them beforehand.
    4. pasta - Any small pasta will work in this chicken soup, but ditalini is classic to use in Italian soups. Avoid using larger pastas because they will over power the soup and make the soup ingredients unbalanced.
    5. vegetables - The best part of homemade minestrone soup is you can pack it full of fresh vegetables. I love using green beans, carrots, and celery, but use a combination of your favorites, depending on what you have on hand.

    📓 Instructions

    1. Sauté the vegetables. In a large pot over medium heat, saute the onion, carrots, celery, and green beans in olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is fragrant and softened.
    2. Add in the garlic. Cook for another minute, stirring frequently to prevent the garlic from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot.
    Vegetables for chicken minestrone soup cooking in a large pot.
    1. Pour in remaining ingredients, except chicken and pasta. Stir to combine.
    2. Add the chicken. Carefully place the chicken breasts into the soup and submerge them completely in the broth.
    3. Bring the soup to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat from medium to low heat. Cover the pot and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the minestrone broth and set aside.
    Broth, tomatoes, beans, and bay leaves added to the large pot along with raw chicken breasts.
    1. Add the pasta. Pour the dry ditalini pasta into the soup and stir to combine. Boil, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente. Stir occasionally to prevent the pasta from sticking.
    2. Shred the chicken. While the pasta cooks, shred the cooked chicken breasts using two forks.
    Uncooked pasta added to the pot. Chicken shredded on a plate with two forks.
    1. Transfer the chicken back into the minestrone soup. At this time, I also like to remove the bay leaves.
    Shredded chicken added back to the soup pot.
    1. Serve. Stir the shredded chicken into the stew until evenly dispersed, then serve immediately while hot with fresh parsley and parmesan cheese.
    A ladle scooping out some chicken minestrone soup.

    ⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations

    • Great northern bean substitutes: In place of the great northern beans, you can use cannellini beans, navy beans, red kidney beans, garbanzo beans, or even black beans.
    • Broth substitutes: Use chicken broth or vegetable broth interchangeably. If you only have a full sodium broth, use half broth, half water and add additional salt to taste.
    • Vegetable substitutes: You can use any vegetables that you'd like. Chicken minestrone soup with zucchini would be a great way to use up zucchini from the garden. If you are substituting, use the same measured amount to keep the soup ratios the same. Fresh vegetables are recommended over frozen.
    • Vegetarian and vegan option: To make this soup vegetarian and vegan, use vegetable broth and omit the chicken. You can substitute the chicken with an additional can of Great northern beans or another type of beans like red kidney beans or black beans.
    • Pasta substitutes: Use small pasta shells or elbow pasta in place of the ditalini pasta.

    ❄️ How to Store

    To store: Store leftover chicken minestrone soup in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The taste will even improve over time as the flavors continue to meld together.

    Can minestrone soup be frozen? This chicken vegetable soup with pasta freezes beautifully. To freeze, allow the soup to cool completely at room temperature, then transfer into a freezer safe container, jar, or a freezer safe bag. Freeze for up to 3 months for optimal texture preservation.

    To reheat: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 30 second bursts until hot or reheat on the stovetop until warm.

    🔍 FAQs

    What is the difference between minestrone and vegetable soup?

    Although similar, the main difference between vegetable soup and minestrone soup is that minestrone soup is made with beans and pasta in addition to vegetables. Minestrone is a more filling vegetable soup.

    What can I serve with minestrone soup?

    I love serving chicken minestrone soup with some type of bread. You can serve with a simple french baguette, Quick and Easy Air Fryer Garlic Bread, or sliced Round Challah. You can also serve with a simple romaine salad or roasted vegetables. Check out my tips for How to Cut Romaine Lettuce for Salad the quick and easy way.

    Can you eat minestrone soup cold?

    This chicken minestrone soup is typically served hot, but it is safe to eat cold, if preferred.

    💭 One More Tip

    Watch the pasta as it cooks. Although the other soup ingredients can be simmered for a longer time, be careful not to overcook the pasta in the soup. Once the pasta is al dente, remove the soup from the heat to prevent it from becoming too soft.

    Chicken minestrone soup in two bowls with a side of french bread and fresh chopped parsley.

    🍴 Related Recipes

    • Chicken Chili Without Tomatoes
    • One Pot Vegetable, Bean, and Barley Soup
    • Instant Pot Chicken Rice Soup
    • Instant Pot Italian Wedding Soup

    Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!

    📖 Recipe

    A bowl of minestrone soup with a spoon and crusty bread on the side.

    Chicken Minestrone Soup

    This Chicken Minestrone Soup can be made year-round. It's full of fresh vegetables, white beans, tomatoes, and shredded chicken. Serve with parmesan, red pepper flakes, and a crusty baguette to soak up the delicious broth.
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Appetizer, Lunch, Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine: American, Italian
    Diet: Kosher, Low Fat, Low Lactose
    Prep Time: 40 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
    Servings: 6 servings
    Calories: 287kcal
    Author: Alana Lieberman
    Cost: $20

    Equipment

    • large pot

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 2 cups diced yellow onion (about 1 onion)
    • 1 cup diced carrots (about 2 carrots)
    • 1 cup diced celery (about 3 celery ribs)
    • 1 cup green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 garlic cloves)
    • 6 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
    • 2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes do NOT drain
    • 1 (15.5 ounce) can great northern beans rinsed and drained
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound) uncooked
    • ¾ cup dry ditalini pasta or other small shaped pasta
    • ½ cup chopped fresh parsley

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, and green beans. Cook about 5 minutes, or until the onions start to soften.
    • Stir in garlic. Cook another 1 minute.
    • Pour in chicken (or vegetable) broth, diced tomatoes, and great northern beans. Season with bay leaves, oregano, thyme, salt, and pepper.
    • Carefully place chicken breasts into the pot. Make sure they are submerged in the broth.
    • Bring soup to a boil. Decrease the heat to low. Cover and let simmer 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the pot and place on a cutting board or plate. Set aside.
    • Add ditalini pasta to the soup. Boil, uncovered, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pasta is al-dente. Stir occasionally so the pasta doesn’t stick together.
    • While the pasta cooks, shred the chicken using two forks.
    • Remove bay leaves. Add shredded chicken to the pot. Stir in fresh parsley.

    Notes

    1. Make this soup vegetarian or vegan-friendly by using vegetable broth and leaving out the chicken breasts.
    2. Serve with red pepper flakes, grated parmesan cheese, and a crusty french baguette.
    3. If you don't have great northern beans on hand, you can use kidney, garbanzo, or black beans instead.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 287kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 799mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 4226IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg
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    More Healthy Soup Recipes

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Kate O'Neill

      October 30, 2022 at 6:50 pm

      We used to make our minestrone (a fabulous French Time-Life Cooking recipe) with a beef soup bone, but we're done with beef, so this was a great replacement recipe. Our old recipe called for several new potatoes to be cooked with the soup, then blended with pesto. This thickened the soup, and I might try it next time. But for now, this recipe, as is, is an awesome addition to our repertoire.

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        November 01, 2022 at 10:07 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it and hopefully didn't miss the meat at all! I like the idea of using a potato to thicken it. Thanks for the suggestion.

        Reply
    2. Iris Barnett

      August 31, 2022 at 9:22 pm

      5 stars
      The house smelled great and then the soup was delicious, flavorful and chock full of chicken and vegetables. I will definitely make this again.

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        November 01, 2022 at 10:12 pm

        Glad I can provide a new soup for your collection! Thanks for giving it a try!

        Reply
    3. Nora

      August 16, 2022 at 8:31 pm

      5 stars
      This soup was amazing! The chicken was so flavorful and the broth and veggies were delicious. We felt like we were eating at an Italian restaurant!

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        November 01, 2022 at 10:12 pm

        That's so amazing! I'm happy it was a success for you!

        Reply
    4. Franci Silver

      August 11, 2022 at 10:14 am

      5 stars
      Easy to make and super delicious. Very filling and can't wait for left overs.

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        November 01, 2022 at 10:11 pm

        So happy you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
        • Marni

          November 18, 2022 at 9:12 pm

          5 stars
          This is so delicious I can’t wait to have it again! The flavors and warmth this soup brings is wonderful on a cold winter evening.

        • Alana Lieberman

          December 03, 2022 at 11:52 pm

          Definitely a great recipe to warm you up on those cold winter nights!

    5. Mike L.

      August 10, 2022 at 9:37 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is awesome!! Very hearty, filling and flavorful. You can adjust the amount of broth to make it more of a meal, as opposed to an appetizer or accompaniment. This will definitely be in my Fall and Winter meal rotation. Highly recommended.

      Reply
      • Alana Lieberman

        November 01, 2022 at 10:06 pm

        Thank you! You always need a good soup in the fall and winter rotation!

        Reply

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    Hi There! I'm Alana.

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    I'm the recipe developer, photographer, and writer behind Your Home, Made Healthy! I hope to inspire you to create healthy meals for your family without spending tons of time in the kitchen. Although my recipes focus on healthy eating and fresh ingredients, there is no diet talk here. Click below to find out why!

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