This slow cooker Sicilian chicken soup tastes just like Mama Mandola’s soup from Carrabba’s Italian Grill. Even better, you can make it in your slow cooker allowing you to go about your day and have a hearty dinner when you arrive home.
There’s nothing quite like a bowl of Sicilian Chicken Soup to soothe your soul and tantalize your taste buds. This recipe brings together tender, slow-cooked chicken, a wide variety of vegetables, and a hint of spice to warm you up from the inside out. It’s the perfect blend of comfort and flavor, with each spoonful offering a taste of Sicily’s rich culinary heritage. Whether you’re fighting off a cold or simply craving a bowl of spicy chicken noodle soup, this Sicilian-inspired dish is guaranteed to hit the spot.
Inspired by Carrabba’s chicken soup, my version has a unique twist, giving it the bold flavors of traditional Italian cooking with a little extra kick. I have a copycat recipe for Carrabba’s Minestrone Soup and I wanted to perfect the Carrabba’s spicy Sicilian chicken soup recipe. Packed with savory spices, fresh herbs, and hearty ingredients, this Sicilian Chicken Soup is more than just a meal—it’s an experience. Imagine sitting down to a steamy bowl filled with tender noodles, succulent chicken, and a zesty broth that’s as satisfying as it is delicious.
I opted to use my slow cooker for this recipe verse cooking on the stovetop. I’ve tried it both ways and I found that unless I’m planning to camp at home all day that the slow cooker is the best method for me. Best of all it still fills your home with the delicious smell of a slow simmering soup!
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Why this Recipe Works
Easy to Make: This soup cooks in a slow cooker making this ideal for an easy weeknight dinner. Prep the vegetables the night ahead (minus the potatoes) and put it together before you head out for the day. You’ll come home to the aromatics of a home cooked meal — who doesn’t like that?
Hearty and Nutritious Ingredients: This recipe is packed with nourishing ingredients like protein-rich chicken, fiber-filled veggies, and satisfying noodles, making it a complete, balanced meal in a bowl. The soup is both filling and wholesome, providing you with the sustenance you need, especially on colder days when you just want to warm your soul
Customizable Heat and Texture: Don’t let this spicy chicken soup recipe scare you. You can easily adjust the level of spice, add extra veggies, or swap in your favorite noodles. This flexibility lets you cater the dish to your preferences, making it an ideal choice for those who like a spicy chicken noodle soup with a personal twist.
Ingredients
- Vegetables – This recipe is packed with veggies like carrots, celery, onion, green bell pepper, russet potato, garlic, and diced tomatoes.
- Seasonings – Italian chicken soup requires a wide variety of spices such as Italian seasoning, white pepper (one of the key ingredients to the spicyness), crushed red pepper, and salt. If you have it available you will want fresh parsley for garnishing the soup before you serve3 it.
- Chicken – I like to use boneless skinless chicken breast because that’s what I normally have on hand. However you can use boneless chicken thighs if you would prefer.
- Stock – I like to use a low-sodium chicken stock for this recipe.
- Pasta – To make this recipe just like Carrabbas chicken soup you will want a short tubed pasta such as Ditalini Pasta.
How to Make Italian Chicken Soup
The most time consuming part of this entire soup is all the prep you need to do to get the vegetables ready for the soup. Lots of dicing and chopping but totally worth it! Once you have prepped all the vegetables you will want to place the carrots, celery, green bell pepper, baking potatoes, onion, garlic cloves and diced tomatoes in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with parsley, Italian seasoning, white pepper, and red pepper flakes, mix well.
FUN FACT – the key ingredients to this soup is the green bell pepper followed by the white pepper. Not black pepper but white pepper. It’s a bit spicier and will give the hint of spice you get when you eat this soup at the restaurant.
Add in the chicken breast and chicken stock.
Mix well until everything is covered.
Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW heat for 8 hours.
Once the soup is done, remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker. Shred in a bowl and place back in the soup pot. Mix and top with additional fresh parsley.
FAQs
I personally never cook the pasta directly in the soup. I like to cook the ditalini pasta noodles separately and place a few spoonful’s into the bowl. Then ladle the chicken and vegetables and broth on top of the noodles.
By not cooking the pasta in with the soup you maximize the broth. The noodles will suck up all the broth over time and will leave you with noodles, chicken, and vegetables and it will be more stew like than soup-like! So take my advice and stretch your soup even further and take the extra step to cook your pasta separately!
This crock pot chicken soup recipe makes a lot! It is only good for about 3-5 days. Before the 5th day I’ll typically freeze the soup in small 1-2 portion servings.
Freezing soup is a great way to reduce waste and stockpile your freezer for a future easy lunch or dinner. I typically like to freeze soup in 1-2 serving portions. To do this you can use a freezer safe container or even freezer ziploc bags. Make sure to always label the bag. If using a bag you want to make sure you lay it on a flat surface so it freezes flat making it easier to maximized freezer space. You should always freeze soup no later then 3 days after making the soup.
Whenever I make soup I always like to include a salad and bread. Here are a few of my favorite side dishes to go with soup.
Italian Bread
Insalata Capreese with Balsamic Reducation Sauce
Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Sliced Almonds—
Recipe Tips and Tricks
These tips ensure that your spicy chicken noodle soup is perfectly seasoned and satisfyingly hearty every time.
- Spices for chicken soup – I use a blend of salt, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and to get the extra spiciness I use white pepper. It’s sharper in taste and will give the same punch that Carrabba’s chicken soup gives.
- Cook Pasta Separately – To keep the noodles from getting too soft, I cook them separately then I add them into each bowl individually. If you’re storing leftovers, consider storing them separately.
- Customize with Vegetables – While carrots, celery, and onions are classic choices, feel free to add other vegetables like zucchini, spinach, or even green beans for added texture and flavor.
Whether you’re craving Carrabba’s chicken soup or just want a comforting bowl with a bit of a kick, this Sicilian Chicken Soup is your answer!
If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a ⭐ star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Sicilian Chicken Soup
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
- Knife
- Cutting Board
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 4 Carrots peeled and diced
- 4 Celery Stalks diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper cored and diced
- 2 Medium Baking Potatoes diced
- 1 White onion diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 14.5 ounces Diced Tomatoes with juice
- 1 tablespoon Fresh Parsley minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon White Pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
- 2 32 ounces Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 1 pound Ditalini Pasta
Instructions
Cook the Soup
- Place the carrots, celery, green bell pepper, baking potatoes, onion, garlic cloves and diced tomatoes in the slow cooker. Sprinkle with parsley, Italian seasoning, white pepper, and red pepper flakes, mix well.
- Add in the chicken breast and chicken stock. Mix well until everything is covered. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW heat for 8 hours.
- Once the soup is done, remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker. Shred in a bowl and place back in the soup pot. Mix and top with additional fresh parsley.
Cook the Noodles
- Once soup is ready, bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt, and add in the ditalini pasta once the water is boiling.
- Cook for 10 minutes, drain, rinse and set to the side.
- Ladle chicken soup in bowls and top with ¼ cup cooked ditalini noodles per bowl.
Notes
- Spices for chicken soup – I use a blend of salt, parsley, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and to get the extra spiciness I use white pepper. It’s sharper in taste and will give the same punch that Carrabba’s chicken soup gives.
- Cook Pasta Separately – To keep the noodles from getting too soft, I cook them separately then I add them into each bowl individually. If you’re storing leftovers, consider storing them separately.
- Customize with Vegetables – While carrots, celery, and onions are classic choices, feel free to add other vegetables like zucchini, spinach, or even green beans for added texture and flavor.
Jim
Good soup but not Carrabbas.
Katie
Hi Jim, Thank you for your feedback. Hope you enjoyed it at least.
William ollar
I was wondering how many people will this serve?
Katie
Easily 8 people! It makes a lot of soup!