Copycat Carrabba’s Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup
Add Preferred SourceI love hearty, chunky soups, and this one tastes like it was made with love! This copycat Carrabba’s Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup is so delicious that I often make a double batch just to freeze enough for meals later! Easy to make and made with common ingredients, it’s a hearty Italian soup recipe that everyone will love!
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I love dining at Carrabba’s Italian Grill, but with the price of dining out getting higher and higher, I find myself making more of my favorite recipes at home. This copycat version of their famous Mama Mandola’s Chicken Soup is so easy and so hearty you can easily make it at home.
The best broth makes the best soup, so I like to poach the chicken in chicken broth to add even more flavor to the broth. Sure, you can use leftover rotisserie chicken and boxed broth, but this extra step is well worth it for all the flavor it adds.
I also like to cook the pasta separately from the soup. This ensures that the pasta is cooked properly, and then I can add just enough pasta for a bowl or the whole pot and heat it before serving. This also ensures that the pasta won’t keep soaking up all your broth when you refrigerate the leftovers – if you have leftovers!
Ingredients
For the chicken
- Chicken breast – I use bone-in breasts because they add more flavor to the broth than boneless.
- Chicken broth – I use low-sodium broth so the soup doesn’t become overly salty as it simmers.
- Bay leaves – Dried bay leaves work best. Remove them before serving—they’re not edible.
For the soup
- Olive oil – Use regular olive oil, not extra virgin. Extra virgin oil can taste bitter when cooked at high heat.
- Carrots – Dice them evenly so they cook at the same rate as the other vegetables.
- Onion – Yellow or white onion works. Red onion is too sweet for this soup.
- Celery – Dice it small so it cooks evenly with the carrots and onion.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic only. Jarred garlic won’t give the same clean flavor and can turn bitter.
- Diced tomatoes – Canned diced tomatoes work best. Don’t drain them—the liquid adds flavor.
- Russet potatoes – Yukon Gold potatoes work too, but Russet potatoes hold their shape better in soup.
- Red bell pepper – Any color bell pepper works, but red adds the best sweetness.
- Italian seasoning – I look for a salt-free, sugar-free blend, but use what you have on hand.
- Onion powder – Not onion salt, or the soup will be too salty.
- Garlic powder – Not garlic salt, or the soup will be too salty.
- Ditali pasta Small pasta like ditalini, orzo, or small shells works. Don’t use large pasta—it won’t fit on a spoon.
- Salt and pepper – Season to taste.
- Fresh parsley – Fresh parsley only. Dried parsley won’t add the same bright finish.
How To Make Copycat Carrabba’s Mama Mandola’s Chicken Soup
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Add the chicken and bay leaves to a large soup pot, then pour in the chicken broth. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked through. Keeping the heat gentle helps create a rich, flavorful broth.
Remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool, then discard the bay leaves. Carefully transfer the broth to a large bowl or pitcher and set it aside for later use.
While the chicken cools, cook the pasta according to the package directions, stopping about 1 minute shy of al dente. Slightly undercooking the pasta keeps it from getting too soft in the soup.
Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium heat, then add the onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, just until fragrant. Stir frequently so the garlic does not burn.
Pour the reserved chicken broth back into the pot and bring it to a boil. Add the diced tomatoes, potatoes, and red bell pepper, then season with Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred or dice it and add it back to the soup. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes so the flavors come together.
Stir in the desired amount of cooked pasta and heat through. Season with additional salt and black pepper as needed, garnish with fresh parsley if desired, and serve warm.
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Don’t rush this soup. Letting it slowly simmer will coax out all the flavor from the veggies.
- For a thicker soup, mash some of the potatoes right in the pot.
- You can prep everything for this soup ahead of time, and then finish it before serving.
Make It A Meal
Pair this hearty soup with a crisp, green salad and a slice of crusty bread for dipping. It’s also lovely served alongside a light, white wine, which complements the bright flavors of the herb dressing perfectly. It’s the perfect starter to any Italian meal, but it is also hearty enough to be a meal all on its own.
Storage
This soup stores wonderfully in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Store the pasta separately so that it doesn’t bloat in the soup liquid. For longer storage, freeze it in portions for easy thawing and reheating. When ready to serve from frozen, simply thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stove over medium heat until warm.
Copycat Carrabba’s Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast I use bone-in chicken breast.
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 carrots sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 2 stalks celery sliced
- 3 – 4 cloves garlic minced
- 14.5 ounces diced tomatoes canned tomatoes
- 2 russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 10 ounces ditali pasta cooked 1 minute less than the suggested cooking time on the package
- salt and pepper to taste
- fresh parsley chopped (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Add the chicken and bay leaves to a soup pot along with the chicken broth. Simmer over low heat for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside to cool. Remove the bay leaves and discard.
- Transfer the broth to a large bowl or pitcher for later use.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the package directions, but cook it to 1 minute less than the recommended al dente cooking time.
- Heat the olive oil in the same large pot over medium heat.
- Sauté the onions, carrots, and celery until they start to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and sauté for another minute until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the diced tomatoes, potatoes, and red bell pepper to the pot.
- Season with Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
- When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it or dice it, then add it to the soup pot and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add the desired amount of cooked pasta and heat through.
- Season with salt and a few grinds of black pepper, then garnish with fresh parsley if desired before serving.
Notes
Chef Jenn’s Tips
- Don’t rush this soup. Letting it slowly simmer will coax out all the flavor from the veggies.
- For a thicker soup, mash some of the potatoes right in the pot.
- You can prep everything for this soup ahead of time, and then finish it before serving.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.
Made this for dinner last night and it was amazing! So flavorful, rich, and it was easy to follow and turned out perfectly good. My family loved it, and it’s definitely going into our regular meal rotation! Thanks for sharing such a fantastic recipe!