A hearty bowl of this Chicken and Cavatelli Noodle Soup will fill your tummy and warm your soul.
Chicken and Cavatelli Soup
This dish is somewhere between a soup and a stew, the flavors reminiscent of my Dad’s chicken and dumplings I grew up eating. You may want to set your table with spoons AND forks! Nothing is better than a warm bowl of soup when the weather starts getting chilly. A few of my other favorite hearty soups are Chicken Soup with Spinach and Whole Wheat Acini Di Pepe, Stuffed Pepper Soup and Left Over Ham Bone Soup with Potatoes and Cabbage.
Cavatellis are Italian pastas, sometimes made with ricotta, sometimes without. The ones made with ricotta are sold frozen in some supermarkets or Italian specialty stores. I realize living in New York, finding Italian delis are like finding banks, we have them everywhere. If this is not common in your neighborhood, you can use orecchiette or egg noodles instead. Even homemade spaetzle would be great.
There is a lot more liquid when you first make this, it’s more like a soup. But as it sits, it thickens, and the pasta absorbs the liquid. This photo was actually taken the next day when I reheated it for lunch. One bowl is very satisfying, even for my husband who has a hearty appetite.
Breast meat lovers, you can replace the thighs with chicken breast but you’ll have to cook it for less time. Let the soup simmer 15 minutes without the chicken, then cook 15 to 20 minutes more with the chicken. Remove chicken, cut or shred, then add back to pot when you add the pasta.
Chicken and Cavatelli Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, sliced thin
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 5 cups low sodium fat free chicken broth
- 1 cup celery, sliced
- 2 large carrots, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and fresh pepper to taste
- 5 skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
- 8 oz frozen ricotta cavatelli
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt butter. Add onion and cook on low about 6 minutes, until onions are soft.
- Add flour and stir, cooking another minute.
- Add chicken broth, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken and bring to a boil, then partially cover, simmer on low 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook cavatelli in a pot of salted water according to package directions.
- Drain and add to soup when soup has cooked. Cook another minute or two.
- Remove bay leaves and divide in five bowls.
- To reheat, you may need to add a little water.
This has been my family’s favorite chicken soup recipe for many years! I can’t find cavatelli, but I just add whatever pasta we have on hand, and they love it. My husband and I can no longer eat pasta, so I now just add the pasta to my kid’s soup bowls and it still a family favorite.
Where can I find ricotta cavatelli? I am not finding it here at my local stores.
“ Cavatellis are Italian pastas, sometimes made with ricotta, sometimes without. The ones made with ricotta are sold frozen in some supermarkets or Italian specialty stores. I realize living in New York, finding Italian delis are like finding banks, we have them everywhere. If this is not common in your neighborhood, you can use orecchiette or egg noodles instead. Even homemade spaetzle would be great.”
Is there an instant pot or slow cooker version of this recipe? It looks delicious! Thank you.
Crock pot version
I enjoy this recipe. It is delicious, warming, and what chicken soup isn’t therapeutic, mind, body, and soul? 🙂
I am wondering what is driving the sodium content up so high? Is it the frozen cavatelli? If so, is there a lower sodium option to work with? Many thanks.
A favorite in our house. And perfect for cold Detroit days.
This is one of my favorite soups! I just entered all of the ingredients into the create a recipe section
of the Weight Watchers website and it only came to 3 points, using
chicken breasts. Your site says it should be 7. Did I do something wrong?
This was delicious. I put it in the ww calculator and came up with 11 points. Do you know why there would be a difference?
Are you using the recipe builder?
I currently have a cold, and making this was definitely the right choice! This tasted so good, really hit the spot, and was so soothing.
This is by far the best soup I ever made. Thanks!
Thank you!
Does anyone know if you are supposed to use the bone-in thighs or the boneless? I have made this before and SOOO delicious, but I can’t remember which I used. I assume it doesn’t really matter, but I think bone-in has more flavor!
You can use either. 🙂
This was so good. I have made many of your recipes and this is one of my favorites. Very flavorful and easy to make.
This soup is so good; I am soup-challenged, and seldom make soup because it never seems as flavorful as I would like…… but this soup is easy, simple and very flavorful. I made some for a sick friend and she loved it. The cavatelli is more like a dumpling than a noodle; thick and delicious!
I followed this recipe to the "t" and it was delicious! Everyone loved it (even my daughter who isn't a fan of soup). This recipe is an A+.
I see that 2 thighs are in a serving but how many cups of broth & cavatelli in a serving? I'm not too good trying to eyeball 5 servings of it although I guess I can measure it by cups into a bowl to figure it out.
This is my new go to meal every week for the last month!!! Nothing like an amazing bowl of chicken soup/stew to take the chill off your bones when the weather begins to change for real. I have added sprigs of fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme for an extra aromatic effect. I often bring this to work for lunch and must add a little extra for all the spoons that get plunged into my bowl since the aroma is simply irresistible to my coworkers! Oh, and I lost 6 lbs without trying! Thanks girl!!!
Luscious02, thanks for the idea of using beans and corn instead of chicken! Often times I am off meat and this sounds like a good substitute. Gina, do you know if anyone was ever successful in making this in the crockpot? And I will thank you once again for your wonderful recipes. Many have become my "normal" everyday recipes. So much healthier, and I have my friends and my daughter coking the Skinnytaste way as well!
I was looking for a 'chicken-less' chicken soup and used this recipe to adapt it for my needs….came out PERFECT. I used all the same measurements/ingredients, except instead of chicken I threw in a 1/2 can of white beans and added some chopped kale and fresh cooked corn off the cob. It was amazing. I have become a huge SkinnyTaste fan….you are my go to site for recipes now. Thank you!
How many chicken breasts would you use if you substituted them for the thighs? Still ten?
Thanks!
Chicken thighs are my favorite! Made this for dinner last night and had leftovers for lunch today. It was AWESOME!!! I have to say it tasted better today after it soaked up all the brothy goodness.
about how many cups is a serving?
Made this for dinner tonight. I used cubed chicken breast and accidentally bought non-ricotta cavatelli but it was soooo good. Definitely a hit over here! Yum!
I cant rave about your website enough! I have lost over 36 lbs on Weight Watchers and am less than 5 lbs from my goal! Question- how much salt and pepper do you suggest to start out with? After my 1st time of making a recipe, I then can adjust but just wondering how much you suggest vs to taste?
My fiance made this last night with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. It is AMAZING. Just the right amount of flavoring. Your recipes are simply divine! Thank you so much for sharing – you make losing weight and maintaining a healthy lifestyle delicious!
Are you supposed to use boneless chicken thighs or bone-in? Thanks.
I had leftovers from a store-bought rotisserie chicken so I used that instead. Made for a easy, quick and husband approved dinner. Thank you!
I'm cooking this tonight for tomorrow with the orecchiette noodles. I can't wait to taste it!
Wow 2 days to make a soup, that must be a great soup!! I'm glad you enjoyed this!
This was delicious. My husband makes a delicious chicken soup but it 1-2 days to make. I was amazed that I was able to make this in such a short period of time and the flavors were amazing. I pre-cooked the chicken first and I cooked the pasta with the soup. All the flavors melded together quite nicely. Thanks for a great recipe Gina!
Such simple ingredients and great flavor!! I used chicken breasts and followed your instructions for them – it turned out great! The whole family enjoyed it! Thanks again – Kristen
Susan, great!!
Any Italian specialty store, or even Home Goods sells them dry sometimes. You could use noodles instead or even Spatzle!
I wasn't able to find the pasta needed for this recipe. Any ideas?
Check the frozen foods section that has ravioli, gnocchi, etc.
This was absolutely the BEST homemade chicken soup I've ever made…and possibly ever had! The chicken thighs just make this! The seasoning and flavor were just wonderful. My 4 year old and I had a FAB lunch today. I made this with no yolks egg noodles due to personal preference and just added the pasta to each individual bowl. Gina…your recipes are unbelievable! This will be my go-to from now on!
I love lurkers 🙂
I have been lurking on your site for a while now 🙂 I love your recipes … every single one I have tried has come out wonderfully! Thank you so much for all the time you put into this!
Love your recipes! I often come here to figure out something to eat. We used many of your recipes for our Superbowl party. Thanks for posting!
Heather
www.thingsthatkeepmesane.com
Jayne, I was waiting for someone to ask me that question. I like to make it separate but I suppose you could do it right in the pot.
This looks so good and perfect for a cold day. Just wondering – Do you have to cook the pasta separately or can you add it to the soup at the end and cook it that way?
Thanks for sharing that delicious recipe. Love it. Yummy!
I'm not sure how this would be in the crock… Let me know if you try it.
Lauren, yay!
Looks yummy and healthy. Will try this out tomorrow. Thanks for sharing!
I wonder how this would do in the crock pot? I may give it a try this week, it sounds delish, and even my annoyingly picky DH said it looks yummy!
I love your recipes and I soooo appreciate your time and hard work to make it easy for the rest of us:)
Making this tomorrow:)
Gina, this looks so warm, comforting and flavorful. I would love to dig into a soup like this while it's still cold outside. Thanks for sharing this! I'll have to try it soon. All of your recipes are just fantastic!
I would looooove to get together! I'm planning a NYC trip in the spring so I will definitely let you know 🙂
Here is some info on nutritional yeast: http://www.biochemista.com/2010/12/be-real-human.html
Basically, it has a cheesy flavor, is protein-packed (for little calories) and is a great addition to any sauce/soup you want to make a little cheesier or amp up the protein 🙂
Lauren, what a small world!!
Marg, good for you! Thank you for sharing with your friends, it's very much appreciated!
You put the raw chicken in the pot, not cooked. It cooks in the soup.
Question- do you have to cook the chicken before putting it in or can you put the raw chicken in the pot?
I am officially down 50 pounds since May 18th 2010 and I would have not been able to do it without you. I recommend your site to all my friends and the folks in my Weight Watchers class but even to friends who are just trying to cut back. You provide a great service and thank you sooooo much.
hmmmm this really does look VERY good. I will need to check this one out in MY kitchen. I'm thinking that even my picky eaters here would like this one. Especially as winter seems to drag on here in the Northeast.
Thanks for sharing.
Soups are always a great diet food because most of them or 300 calories or less. Good Choice!
Looks hearty and healthy!
Hi lady! This looks so good! (as does literally EVERYTHING you post). I wanted to tell you I was hanging out with a friend of mine recently that lost a lot of weight on Weight Watchers and she mentioned your blog and called it her "Bible". I was like "I know her!" hahaha 🙂
I love cavatelli pasta. This reminds me of a soup my mom makes. Yum.
Thanks for sharing!
Looks Dee-lish Gina!