I’m obsessed with Olive Garden’s creamy Zuppa Toscana, but I swapped the Italian sausage with ground chicken for my version. Besides this one change, my homemade Zuppa Toscana recipe has all the best parts of the original. This super creamy, one-pot soup is filled with hearty potatoes, kale, and flavorful spices for a deliciously cozy dinner.
Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana with Ground Chicken
I love creating my own copycat recipes for restaurant favorites, like my Olive Garden gnocchi soup. Homemade versions just taste better, and I get to make them exactly how I want them — with chicken! Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana is known for its spicy Italian sausage, but lean ground chicken is a little healthier, and a little better for my kids. I add plenty of spices to the ground meat, then cook it into juicy chunks rather than crumbles, so it has a hearty texture. The chicken, potatoes, and kale simmer together in a rich and creamy broth, turning into the actual soup of my dreams!
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This copycat recipe is even better than Olive Garden!
I’m so happy with how my copycat Zuppa Toscana turned out. My family loved it, but I really made this one for me. I’ll be making this through all of soup season!
Ground Chicken Zuppa Toscana Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken (*)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (lightly crushed**)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground paprika
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (plus more to taste)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 small yellow onion (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (peeled and sliced ⅛-in thick***)
- 4 cups chopped kale (tough stems removed)
- 1 cup heavy cream (room temperature)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (finely-grated)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice (to taste****)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and sprinkle evenly with the fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 pound ground chicken, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground paprika, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Cook for 5-7 minutes, breaking the chicken into large, irregular chunks as it cooks rather than crumbling it finely. Continue cooking until browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate, leaving any browned bits and rendered fat in the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant.1 small yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the chicken broth and scrape the bottom of the pot to loosen any browned bits.6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Add the sliced potatoes and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
- Once the potatoes are tender, use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to gently smash a few potato slices against the side of the pot.
- Add the kale and return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot.4 cups chopped kale
- Add the heavy cream and simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the kale is tender and the soup is hot.1 cup heavy cream
- Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the Parmesan. Taste and adjust the salt and red pepper flakes as needed.½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Stir in 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice to brighten the creamy broth.2 teaspoons lemon juice
- Serve hot with additional Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
- A large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot holds the soup comfortably and distributes heat evenly for browning the chicken and simmering the potatoes. A large soup pot or deep sauté pan can be used instead.
- Adding the dried spices directly to the chicken allows their oils to bloom in the heat and coats the meat evenly. This is more flavorful than adding all the seasoning to the broth later.
- Leaving the browned bits and rendered fat in the pot gives the onion and garlic a flavorful base to cook in.
- A fork should slide easily into the potatoes when they are ready. If they still resist, give them another minute or two rather than moving on, since the potatoes provide both the substance and some of the natural thickening for the soup.
- Lemon juice is added after the Parmesan so you can judge the final balance of richness, salt, and acidity. The goal is not to make the soup taste lemony, but to make the creamy broth taste lighter and more balanced.
- The potatoes continue absorbing broth as the soup sits, so leftovers will generally be thicker than the freshly cooked soup. Add a splash of chicken broth or water when reheating if needed.
Note: Water, salt, pepper, oil, and broth are not counted as ingredients on this site.
Foolproof Tips
- Create thin potato slices for quick cooking. Thick chunks of potato will take much longer to cook through. Instead, cut them into ⅛-inch slices, so they become tender in about 12 to 15 minutes. This keeps the overall cooking time relatively short.
- Don’t crumble the ground chicken too fine. To better mimic Olive Garden’s Zuppa Toscana, I prefer to keep the ground meat in larger chunks. Creating more substantial pieces, similar to Italian sausage, holds up better in this creamy soup!
- Remove from heat before adding cheese. Before stirring in the Parmesan, remove the pot from the heat. This helps the cheese melt smoothly into the broth. High heat can cause it to clump or become stringy.
How to Make Zuppa Toscana with Chicken Step by Step
Prep: Gather the list of ingredients for this copycat Zuppa Toscana recipe. Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Peel the potatoes, then cut them into slices about ⅛-inch thick. Remove any tough stems from the kale, then chop it.
Cook the Ground Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound of ground chicken to the pot, then season it with 1 teaspoon of lightly-crushed fennel seeds, 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, ½ teaspoon of onion powder, ½ teaspoon of ground paprika, ¼ teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste), ½ teaspoon of kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon of ground black pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes, breaking the chicken into large, irregular chunks as it cooks rather than crumbling it finely. Continue cooking until browned and cooked through. Transfer the ground chicken to a plate, leaving any browned bits and rendered fat in the pot.
Build the Broth: Reduce the heat to medium, then add 1 diced yellow onion to the same pot. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Next, add 3 minced cloves of garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until fragrant. Finally, add 6 cups of chicken broth and deglaze the pot to loosen any browned bits.
Cook the Potatoes: Next, add 1½ pounds of sliced Yukon Gold potatoes, and bring the soup to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 12-15 minutes — the potatoes should be easy to pierce with a fork. Once the potatoes are tender, use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to gently smash a few potato slices against the side of the pot. This will release the starches to help thicken the soup broth. You only need to mash a few — we want most of the potatoes in tact.
Add Ingredients: Add 4 cups of chopped kale to the soup. Then return the cooked ground chicken and any accumulated juices to the pot.
Fine-tune the Soup: Stir 1 cup of room temperature heavy cream into the broth. This will make it silky and creamy. Lower the heat first if needed, to help prevent separation. Let the soup simmer for 2-3 minutes, until the kale is tender and the soup is hot. Then remove the pot from heat and stir in ½ cup of grated parmesan cheese. Taste and adjust the salt and red pepper flakes as needed. Finally, stir in 1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice just before serving. This will help cut the richness of the cream and brighten the broth.
Serve: Serve chicken Zuppa Toscana while hot. Garnish bowls with additional Parmesan and red pepper flakes, if desired.
How to Store, Freeze, and Reheat
Let this homemade Zuppa Toscana soup cool fully before storing in an airtight container.
- Fridge: Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezer: I generally don’t recommend freezing this soup, because the cream and Parmesan tends to separate during the thawing process, creating a grainy texture.
- Reheat: Gently reheat the soup on the stovetop over low-medium heat. Bring it to a simmer, not a boil. Stir regularly until the soup is warmed through.
More Chicken Soup Recipes to Try!
Note: This recipe is one of those few exceptions on our site that has more than 10 ingredients. We try to keep things VERY easy around here, and limiting ingredients and time spent is one of our favorite ways. That being said, this recipe is too delicious to leave out of our recipe box! It’s an exception that is so flavorful and worth the extra ingredients if you have the time and resources to make it.
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