Marry Me Chicken Soup

Marry Me Chicken Soup

Servings: 8 | Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
¼ tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp olive or avocado oil

For the Soup:
2 Tbsp butter
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
⅔ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
7 cups chicken broth, plus more as needed
1½ cups dry ditalini pasta
2 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp red pepper flakes, optional
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz cream cheese, softened and cubed
¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:
1. Toss the diced chicken with paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, and black pepper until evenly coated.
2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
3. Reduce heat to medium and melt the butter in the same pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook for 6-7 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another 30-60 seconds.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1-2 minutes, until it darkens slightly. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for another minute.
5. Pour in about ½ cup of the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen all those browned bits.
6. Add the remaining broth, Italian seasoning, paprika, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a gentle boil.
7. Stir in the ditalini. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook according to the package directions until just al dente, stirring occasionally so the pasta doesn't stick to the bottom.
8. Reduce the heat to low. Add the cream cheese a few pieces at a time, stirring until completely melted into the broth. Stir in the heavy cream.
9. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot. Stir in the Parmesan until melted and the broth is creamy.
10. Fold in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh basil.
11. Taste and season with freshly cracked black pepper as needed. If the soup has thickened more than you'd like, stir in additional chicken broth until it reaches your preferred consistency.