Italian Chicken Pastina Soup goes by many names including minestrina meaning "little soup," or Italian penicillin, an ode to its nourishing qualities. This is an easy one pot dish which is perfect for enjoying on chilly nights or for soothing sniffles.
This Italian penicillin is essentially a hug in a bowl. It's perfect when you need something warm and cozy to make you feel better, whether you're feeling under the weather or just need something to lift your spirits. It's chicken soup for your soul.
This simple soup only needs about 35 minutes to make from start to finish. Most of the ingredients are likely already in your pantry or fridge. It's unique compared to a typical chicken noodle soup because the softened soup vegetables are blended into the soup, giving it both body and complexity.
Italian pastina soup is quite flavorful, which is surprising given the ingredients are basic staples. This quick and comforting dish will surely become your new favorite chicken soup recipe.
Ingredient notes
- Broth: I use good quality store-bought chicken broth or stock. You can certainly use homemade stock, or replace the chicken broth/stock with vegetable broth/stock for a vegetarian version.
- Pastina: Pastina means small pasta in Italian. Common shapes include stelline (tiny stars), acini di pepe (tiny balls), pepe bucato (tiny hollow cylinders), orzo (rice-shaped), farfalline (tiny bow ties), anellini (O's), and alfabeto (alphabet shapes). Any of these shapes would work well for this chicken pastina soup.
- Soffritto/Mirepoix: In whichever language to say it, the combination of chopped onion, celery, and carrots is a building block of flavor for countless recipes, including Italian penicillin. If you plan to puree all the vegetables for a smooth broth, you can roughly chop them. However, if you plan to keep some texture (only pureeing some of the veggies), I recommend chopping them more finely so the veggie pieces remaining in the soup are small.
- Shredded Chicken: Use leftover rotisserie chicken or other cooked chicken and roughly shred into pieces to add to the soup. This is a great way to use up leftovers. If you don't have any or prefer a vegetarian Italian pastina soup, you can omit this ingredient.
How to make it
In a large pot combine broth, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, parmesan rind (if using), thyme, salt and pepper.
Cover and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Remove the soup from the heat and discard the bay leaf and parmesan rind, if using. Here you have two options on how to proceed.
Option 1 - For a smooth soup broth: Puree all of the vegetables using either an immersion blender or transfer all of the vegetables to the jar of a blender along with some of the broth and puree until smooth. Then return it to the pot with the rest of the broth.
Option 2 - For a soup broth that still has some texture: use an immersion blender to puree some of the vegetables or transfer some of the vegetables to the jar of a blender along with some of the broth and puree until smooth. Then return it to the pot with the rest of the broth and vegetables. (This is what I do).
Taste and adjust the seasoning, then bring the soup back up to a boil. Add pastina and cook until tender.
In the last couple of minutes of cooking, stir in shredded chicken. Taste and adjust seasoning again, if needed.
Ladle the chicken pastina soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve grated parmesan cheese on the side for topping as desired.
Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Expert tips
It goes without saying, but when blending the hot soup, be careful. If using an immersion blender, be careful how you lift/move it around the pot so you don't splatter hot soup on you or your kitchen. When blending hot soup in a regular blender, remove the plastic cap from the center of the blender lid and cover the open hole with a folded up paper towel. Start the blender on low speed and then increase it gradually, occasionally lifting the edge of the paper towel to allow some steam to escape.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the soup for 2 to 3 months, though I would recommend only freezing the soup portion before adding the pastina and chicken. Then thaw the soup and bring to a boil. Then cook the pastina and add the chicken as directed in the recipe.
Pastina will also continue to soak up liquid after you finish boiling. For that reason, if you don't plan to serve this soup right away or finish it in one sitting, don't cook the pastina directly in the soup. Instead, cook it separately in boiling water. Then drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Then, just stir in a portion of cooked pastina into each bowl of hot soup when you're ready to eat.
If you've already added pastina to all of the soup but don't finish it, don't panic. Although the pastina will soften up more and the amount of broth in the soup will reduce, you can add a bit more broth or water when reheating the soup to thin it back out.
Minestrina is easy to adapt. Make it vegan or vegetarian by replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth, omit the shredded chicken and increase the pastina to 1 cup (180 grams).
Other recipes you may like
- Healthy Chicken and Dumplings
- Arroz Caldoso de Pollo (Soupy Rice with Chicken)
- Italian Minestrone Soup
- Česnečka (Czech Garlic Soup aka Hangover Soup)
- Armenian Lentil Soup with Macaroni
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also follow me on social media on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Italian Chicken Pastina Soup (Italian Penicillin / Minestrina)
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken broth or stock
- 2 carrots finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery finely chopped
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 parmesan rind (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup (90 grams) pastina such as stelline (little stars) or acini di pepe
- 1 ½ cups (150 grams) shredded rotisserie or leftover chicken
- Chopped parsley for garnish
- Grated parmesan for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot combine the broth, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, parmesan rind (if using), thyme (crush it between your palms while rubbing them together as you add it to the pot), and some salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil over high heat. When boiling, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove the soup from the heat and discard the bay leaf and parmesan rind, if using. Here you have two options on how to proceed.
- Option 1 - For a smooth soup broth: Puree all of the vegetables. Option A) use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth directly in the pot. Option B) use a slotted spoon or small wire mesh strainer to transfer all of the vegetables to the jar of a blender or bowl of a food processor along with some of the broth and puree until smooth. Then return it to the pot with the rest of the broth.
- Option 2 - For a soup broth that still has some texture: Option A) use an immersion blender to puree some but not all of the vegetables directly in the pot. Option B) use a slotted spoon or small wire mesh strainer to transfer about 1 ½ to 2 cups of the vegetables to the jar of a blender or bowl of a food processor along with some of the broth and puree until smooth. Then return it to the pot with the rest of the broth and vegetables.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning, then bring the soup back up to a boil. Add the pastina and cook until tender. This could range from 5 to 10 minutes, give or take, depending on the shape and brand. In the last couple of minutes of cooking, stir in the shredded chicken to heat it back through. Taste and adjust seasoning again, if needed.
- Ladle the chicken pastina soup into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve grated parmesan cheese on the side for topping as desired.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the soup for 2 to 3 months, though I would recommend only freezing the soup portion before adding the pastina and chicken. Then thaw the soup and bring to a boil. Then cook the pastina and add the chicken as directed in the recipe.
- Pastina will also continue to soak up liquid after you finish boiling. For that reason, if you don't plan to serve this soup right away or finish it in one sitting, don't cook the pastina directly in the soup. Instead, cook it separately in boiling water. Then drain and toss with a little olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Then, just stir in a portion of cooked pastina into each bowl of hot soup when you're ready to eat.
- Make pastina soup vegan or vegetarian by replacing the chicken broth with vegetable broth, omit the shredded chicken and increase the pastina to 1 cup (180 grams).
Nutrition
*All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.*
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