This Marry Me Chicken Soup is everything you love about the famous creamy, sun-dried tomato chicken dinner, ladled into a bowl. Shredded rotisserie chicken, tender ditalini, spinach, and parmesan simmer together in a cozy, golden broth that tastes like it was on the stove all afternoon, even though most of the work is chopping a few vegetables and letting the pot do its thing. It’s hearty, it’s comforting, and it’s one of the best soups I’ve ever made. Like, EVER.
Friends, I officially have a whole Marry Me lineup at this point, and I have zero regrets. If you’ve made my Marry Me Italian Sausage Soup or my One-Pan Marry Me Chicken Orzo, you already know how I feel about the sun-dried tomato, parmesan, and cream combination. It’s rich and savory with a little bit of heat, and I keep finding new ways to work it into dinner.
This version comes together so fast thanks to one of my favorite shortcuts: rotisserie chicken. Instead of searing or poaching chicken from scratch, you shred a store-bought chicken and add it straight to the pot. If you know me, you know I’ll always take a time-saving hack when it doesn’t cost anything in flavor, and here it doesn’t. The chicken soaks up all of that creamy, herby broth while it simmers, so you get flavor in every single bite.
It’s also officially soup season, which is my favorite time of year to be in the kitchen. This recipe makes 8 servings, so you’ll have plenty of leftovers for lunches throughout the week. As for whether a bowl of this will get you a ring? I’m going to go ahead and say yes. 100%.
What You Need to Make This Cozy Marry Me Chicken Soup
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use a good-quality olive oil that you like the taste of.
- Yellow Onion: It softens as it cooks and adds a mellow sweetness to the broth. A white onion works in a pinch.
- Carrots: Bring a little natural sweetness and a pop of color.
- Celery: It adds that savory, slightly herby flavor that makes chicken soup taste like chicken soup.
- Garlic: Jarred minced garlic will work if that’s what you have, but fresh has a bolder flavor.
- Dried Thyme: It’s earthy and warm.
- Red Pepper Flakes: Adds a gentle heat that builds as you eat. If you’re sensitive to spice, start with half and add more at the end.
- Kosher Salt: Salt brings all of the other flavors to life. Since the rotisserie chicken, broth, and parmesan all bring their own saltiness, taste the soup before you add any extra at the end.
- Ground Black Pepper: Black pepper adds a little bite to balance out the creamy broth.
- Ground Turmeric: Gives this soup its golden color and a warm, slightly earthy flavor.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: These are the heart of any Marry Me recipe. Look for the kind packed in oil, since they’re softer and more flavorful than the dry-packed version, and chop them up so you get a little bit in every spoonful.
- Chicken Broth: Low-sodium broth gives you more control over the final salt level.
- Rotisserie Chicken: This is the shortcut that makes this soup so easy. You’ll need about 4 cups of shredded chicken, which is usually most of one rotisserie chicken (grab a second one if yours is on the smaller side). Leftover cooked chicken works too.
- Ditalini Pasta: Ditalini are tiny tube-shaped noodles that fit perfectly on a spoon, which makes them ideal for soup. You can cook them separately or right in the pot (more on that below). To keep this recipe gluten-free, swap in your favorite gluten-free short pasta.
- Heavy Cream or Coconut Milk: Half a cup of heavy cream gives the broth that signature creamy Marry Me texture. Full-fat canned coconut milk works too if you’d rather skip the cream.
- Fresh Spinach: Four cups sounds like a lot, but spinach wilts down to almost nothing in hot broth. It adds color and an easy serving of greens to every bowl, and using baby spinach means there’s no chopping required.
- Parmesan Cheese: Grated parmesan melts into the broth and gives it a rich, nutty, salty flavor.
How to Make This Easy Marry Me Chicken Soup
To make this soup, start by prepping your ingredients. Dice the onion, carrots, and celery, mince the garlic, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, and shred the rotisserie chicken. If you’re cooking the pasta separately (which is what I like to do), bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ditalini according to the package directions. Drain it and set it aside.
Next, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften. Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, just until it’s fragrant.
Add the seasonings (the thyme, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, and turmeric) along with the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and stir so the vegetables get fully coated. Then, pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream or coconut milk, and add the shredded chicken, cooked pasta, spinach, and parmesan.
Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes so the flavors can build. Give it a taste and adjust the salt if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with extra parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
A quick note on the pasta: I like to cook it separately so it doesn’t soak up so much of the broth. But if you’d rather keep everything in one pot, you can add the dry ditalini along with the broth and let it cook during the simmer. Your soup will just be a little thicker. You do you!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can chop the vegetables and shred the chicken up to 2 days in advance and store them in the fridge, so all that’s left is cooking. You can also make the entire soup a day ahead. If you do, store the pasta separately and add it when you reheat, so it doesn’t absorb all of the broth overnight.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The pasta will keep absorbing liquid as the soup sits, so add a splash of chicken broth when you reheat it on the stovetop over medium-low heat.
You can, but for the best texture, freeze it before adding the pasta and spinach. Cream-based soups can separate slightly when frozen, so stir well as it reheats, then add freshly cooked pasta and spinach. It will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes. Use full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream, and swap the parmesan for a dairy-free parmesan alternative or a few tablespoons of nutritional yeast for that savory, cheesy flavor.
Absolutely. Use a gluten-free short pasta in place of the ditalini, and cook it separately, since gluten-free pasta can get soft quickly when it sits in broth. Double-check the label on your chicken broth too, as some brands contain gluten.
Any small pasta works well here. Orzo, small shells, or mini farfalle are all great swaps for ditalini.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new!
** Photography by Lorena Masso
Equipment
- Microplane
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 carrots, diced
- 3 stalks celery , diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, in oil, chopped
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 4 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1 cup ditalini pasta, cooked or uncooked**
- ½ cup heavy cream or coconut milk
- 4 cups fresh spinach
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- To make this soup, start by prepping your ingredients. Dice the onion, carrots, and celery, mince the garlic, chop the sun-dried tomatoes, and shred the rotisserie chicken.
- If you’re cooking the pasta separately (which is what I like to do), bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and cook the ditalini according to the package directions. Drain it and set it aside.
- Next, heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables start to soften.
- Add the garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, just until it’s fragrant.
- Add the seasonings (the thyme, red pepper flakes, kosher salt, black pepper, and turmeric) along with the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, and stir so the vegetables get fully coated.
- Then, pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream or coconut milk, and add the shredded chicken, cooked pasta, spinach, and parmesan.
- Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes so the flavors can build. Give it a taste and adjust the salt if needed. Ladle the soup into bowls, top with extra parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
Rate & review
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