With this cooler weather making its presence known, I’m sorry I didn’t get this post, Chicken Minestrone alla All Our Way, out to you sooner. All the way home from our latest fishing trip, I thought and planned about making this soup with our area’s seasonal vegetables. I wanted to share my mamma’s method of making minestrone with you. You see, there are about as many variations of this minestra (soup) as there are cooks in Italy. Minestrone just means thick soup. Since it was a thirteen-hour trip home, I came up with a lot of ideas on how to present this to you. Once you understand the basic formula and adapt it to incorporate the seasonal vegetables, you’ll have countless variations of chicken vegetable soups you can create. This recipe has been updated from the original November 2015 in order to provide a better experience for our readers. Last update January 2019.
Yard work before Italian Minestrone Soup
Unfortunately, once we drove up to our house, I realized that making our chicken vegetable soup had to wait. Our yard was blanketed in leaves — lots and lots of leaves. Our community isn’t nicknamed tree town for nothing. Frankly, I believe our trees were some of the first planted here. They are humongous, and they love to make their presence know by dropping twigs, limbs, leaves and anything else they decide to discard.
It’s a never ending job keeping up with the debris. But don’t think I’m whining about the leaves and debris, oh no, heaven forbid, after all, my Honey did tell me what to expect when we decided to purchase this house. I’d never want to admit this out loud, but he was right!
Making this rustic minestrone soup is not as quick as our Roasted Chicken Vegetable Soup but the flavor is certainly worth the time.
Fresh ingredients for Chicken Minestrone
The next day we got an early start. The pantry and fridge were bare-boned, so grocery shopping was first on the list. We had plenty of frozen vegetables in our freezer but we wanted fresh. The Farmer’s Market had all the fresh vegetables we’d need for the soup.
We returned from the store, tackled the yard and finished in record time.
Even though it was mid afternoon, the recipe for the vegetable soup would not take that all.
Formula for Minestrone
Once I had the ingredients all around me, I recalled how mamma made her minestrone; it was almost as if she had a formula in her mind.
- She would always add some form of beans
- One or more sort of greens such as savoy cabbage, spinach, Swiss chard
- Always some pasta.
Then she would add whatever else was in season plus her basics — carrots, onions, and celery.
She always started by finely chopping together garlic, Italian parsley and sometimes rosemary, in a little bit of bacon fat.
Mamma would chop, chop, chop until it became a paste or trito. (Mamma always called it a pesto, it was after I’d started reading up on recipes indigenous to Isola D’Istria that I found Lidia’s Bastianich’s reference to it as trito).
Mamma would take a large soup pot, and she would brown the diced onions first in some olive oil and only then would she add the trito because onions took longer to sauté than garlic. ( I asked why and that is what she said)
Chicken Minestrone Soup light and delicious
The color and texture of her minestrone changed with the seasons. Sometimes the minestra was darker in color, heavy with winter vegetables or light and clear with gently flavored springtime vegetables.
Minestre play important roles in our kitchen and in Italian cuisine. They are versatile, and mamma changed the ingredients with the seasons. They never tasted the same; they always tasted delicious. I believe mamma and papà would heartily approved of this Chicken Minestrone Soup.
Do you have a soup that reminds you of your childhood? We’d love to have you share what it was!
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
More Italian Soups You Might Enjoy
YOU MAY NEED . . .
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We love enjoying our soup in >oversized mugs like these and if you’re a latte lover they also make a great coffee cup.
Chicken Minestrone A Rustic Italian Vegetable Soup
You don’t have to wait for any particular time of year to enjoy this soup. The vegetables you use are seasonal and fresh. Put in the veggies you like, the beans you favor, and the pasta you prefer. Make this your own recipe. Just follow the basics and you’ll see how much you enjoy making this hearty Italian vegetable soup.
Chicken Minestrone alla All Our Way
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken breasts with skin and bones
- 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 3 slices bacon or pancetta
- 3 garlic cloves peeled
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 3 peeled carrots sliced
- 2-3 stalks celery sliced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 small zucchinis washed, ends trimmed, sliced
- 3 cups fresh green beans cleaned and diced -- you my add frozen
- 3 cups Savoy cabbage shredded
- 1 1/2 cups baby kale
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 14 oz. can Cannellini or Great Northern beans Lima any kind you like drained or 1 3/4 cup frozen beans or even your choice of dried beans that have been cooked according to directions.
- 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley
- 2 Tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 Tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
- 8 cups Homemade Chicken Broth or low-sodium canned broth warmed
- Salt and Pepper qb quanto basta -- to taste
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese if you have a piece of crust from a hunk of parmigiano-reggianno cheese you can add it to the soup. Be sure the crust is scraped clean
- Small pasta cooked al dente no more! -- It is served in a bowl with minestrone
- Optional: 2 TBLS tomato paste -- deeper tomato flavor
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Remove the bone from the breast leaving the skin on the breast. Rub the chicken bones with olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the bones in a foiled lined pan with 1/2 cup of water. Roast the bones for 30 to 45 minutes until they start to brown.
- Make a pesto (trito) out of the Italian parsley, garlic and bacon or pancetta by chopping together until you get a paste. Set aside
- Choose a heavy stockpot or Dutch oven that will accommodate all the ingredients. Put 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in the pot and turn on the heat to medium high. Brown the chicken breasts by first placing the breasts skin side down. Cook about 4 minutes on one side and then 4 minutes on the other side. Pour the warmed chicken broth over the breasts and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the roasted chicken breastbones plus any renderings to the pan and slowly simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and bones from the broth. Pass the broth through a fine sieve and into another heat-proof container. Throw away the bones and let the chicken breast cool then shred or dice into bite-size pieces.
- Put in the butter, oil and diced onion into the stockpot or Dutch oven and turn the heat to medium low. Cook the onion in the uncovered pot until it it wilts and becomes a pale gold color about 6 minutes. Don't let them burn or turn dark.
- Stir in the trito and continue cooking until it melts and is lightly browned and very fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add the green beans and sliced carrots. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, stirring once or twice. These vegetables will take longer to cook so you want to layer as you cook.
- Add the sliced celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and continue stirring the ingredients. Add the shredded cabbage and continue cooking for another 5 or 6 minutes. Add the thyme and oregano. Stir to combine.
- Add the broth and the tomatoes with their juice plus a light sprinkling of salt and pepper. You can adjust the salt and pepper later on. Add the optional cheese crust now if you have it.
- Cover the pot and lower the heat so that the soup cooks steadily and slowly at a gentle simmer.
- When the soup has cooked for 2 hours, add the chicken, kale, peas and the beans. Stir well, cook for an additional 30 minutes.
- When soup is done remove the cheese crust ,if you used it, and taste for the correct amount of salt and pepper.
- To serve add pasta and ladle the chicken minestrone on top. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top. This is delicious served with Italian bread.
Notes
- Minestrone is delicious served right away but it is even better reheated. Store in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Note: Recipes and content from © 2014-2019 All Our Way are copyright protected. Please do not use content or recipe without prior written permission. If you want to share the information, please link to this post. Grazie.
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Sara says
This looks like the kinda soup that would take the chill out of your bones after yard work or shoveling snow. I dont know if I have ever had chicken in minestrone soup, but it sure looks like something I would love!
Jagruti Dhanecha says
Love rustic recipes, and this hearty and filling chicken minestrone soup is perfect for cold and rainy days. It’s wholesome and delish!
Marisa Franca says
Thank you, Jagruti! It’s snowing here and we are enjoying it.
Loreto Nardelli says
Reading your poste reminds me so much of family life growing up. We always had a garden and minestrone was always part of the weekly recipe repertoire. My favorite soup is a stracciatella. Love how soft the egg is in a rich broth with spinach
Thanks for sharing your story and recipe!
Amanda Mason says
Your pictures of this soup are making my mouth water! Looks so delish! I’m loving me some soups right now and I’m excited to try this one!!
Veronika's Kitchen says
This is my favorite soup and I need it now!) it’s finally snowing here today in PA and all I want is a bowl of this soup!)
Kathryn | Urban Foodie Kitchen says
Such a great soup and one I don’t make often. Putting your recipe on my need to make list for this winter!
Analida Braeger says
What a hearty and healthy treat to warm up in the chilly weather. I love a nice veggie soup. Especially minestrone. Thanks for sharing.
Kiki Johnson says
Is there anything better than a steaming bowl of homemade minestrone to warm your bones on a cold winter day? I love that you use so many different veggies, which makes it easy to get rid of all those bits and bobs of vegetables that we always find towards the end of our workweek. The perfect recipe to clean out the fridge! And I LOVE the pictures! So appetizing
Leslie Haasch says
I’m such a soup fiend this time of year. Going to add this to my ever-rotating lists of dinner options!
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Light yet flavorful and filling, what a nice lunch this would make.
Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says
Yummy! This looks and sounds like a hearty and comforting soup! I love all things Italian, these flavours are singing to me!!
Aleta says
Minestrone has always been my most favourite type of soup. I love how your is jam packed with vegetables and Cannellini beans are the best kind! This soup is loaded with hearty deliciousness, I can’t wait to make it for my family!
Elaine Benoit says
Minestrone soup is one of my favorites! Your chicken minestrone soup looks delicious and comforting! I can’t wait to try it.
Sherri says
This soup looks like a bowl…I mean…a mug of happiness! This is some serious comfort food right here and healthy at the same time! All those fresh veggies…yes, please! A perfect minestrone! 🙂
Gene says
I want to be Italian and eat pasta all day long when I see recipes like this. Looks mostly healthy, moderation hey! My husband has a thing about soups and having lots of them in winter. I may try this one on the family.
Mahy Elamin says
This was so yummy. I cooked this at the farm for the volunteers and guests and it was so good. I prepared it in the morning and by the evening it was so delicious that I feel I must thank you as it was simple and tasty.
Thank you 🙂
Arlene Mobley says
Minestrone soup is one of my favorites. I love reading about how you learned to cook from your mother.
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I have not heard the term trito before and loved the background information about the preparation! The soup is so colorful and lovely! I can’t wait to try it.
Veena Azmanov says
It’s cold and rainy here so this bowl of soup would be absolute heaven. I love minestrone not only is it so hearty and wholesome but it’s also so comforting. Love the flavors.
Gloria says
I could use a bowl of this right now. We are in for a snowstorm. What a great meal to have waiting for us when we come in from the cold. The perfect bowl of warmth to have after cleaning all the snow. Hearty, nutritious and delicious. A total win for comfort food season.
Jolina says
We cannot get enough of soup these days. This looks delicious! I love how you can change it up with what’s in season. Fantastic lady, your mamma 🙂
Claudia Lamascolo says
My grandmothers favorite kind of soup. Back in the early 70’s she would make this hearty soup. I never liked it now boy wouldnt I give anything to have her soup again. This sure reminds me of hers and I must try this next week! I just got a crock pot express and love it! Beautiful photos too!
Jeannette (Jay Joy) says
I didn’t know minestrone meant thick soup! Interesting. How cool your town is called tree town. I live in an area where they are cutting down trees left and right. Good to know that some places are embracing them (no matter the frustrating keeping up after them, lol)