How to Make Carrabba’s Spicy Chicken Soup Recipe At Home
Nothing quite matches the disappointment of wanting to enjoy your favorite menu item at a restaurant but being unable to get there. The good news is that if you want something like Carrabba’s Spicy Chicken Soup, you just might be able to make your own at home. You only need to follow a recipe to create a homemade version of your favorite spicy chicken soup!
Making Your Spicy Chicken Soup at Home
No matter what dish you make, the ingredients can make all the difference in how the end result will taste. Luckily, many of the ingredients you need to make a pot of authentic Carrabba’s Spicy Chicken Soup are likely already in your kitchen!
Here’s How to Make Your Spicy Chicken Soup
You don’t need any fancy skills to put together this soup. The only thing that might be helpful is to have a little patience since this recipe calls for several fresh vegetables that must be prepped and take some cooking time.
Here’s how to make your soup:
Ingredients:
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 green bell peppers, cored and diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and diced
- 3 baking potatoes diced into ½ in. cubes
- 8 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (with the juice)
- 1 whole 4-4 ½ pound whole chicken (remove the giblets)
- 8 ounces of pasta (ditalini for authenticity, although any pasta will do)
- 1 ½ tsp crushed red pepper (optional, but this brings that spiciness!)
- 1 tsp salt (or more if desired)
- 1 tsp pepper (or more if desired)
- Grated parmesan cheese for serving if desired (fresh is great, but prepackaged works fine)
Directions:
- Prepare the onion, carrots, celery, peppers, and potatoes.
- Take the giblets out of the chicken and then gently dry the bird with a clean paper towel. When done, set the chicken into a large soup or stock pot.
- Add the prepared vegetables to the pot on top of the chicken.
- Add water to your pot to cover the chicken and the vegetables. (This typically measures out to be six to seven cups of water, give or take.)
- Turn the burner to high and bring the soup to a boil. You may see a foam-like substance form on the water. Use a slotted spoon to skim and dispose of it. (You may need to repeat this if the foam forms throughout the cooking process.)
- If using, add your garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low to bring the soup to a simmer.
- Partially cover the soup and allow it to cook for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until the chicken is cooked through.
- While the soup is cooking, make your pasta according to the package directions. Make sure it’s completely drained and set it aside.
- When the chicken is completely cooked, remove it and set it on a cutting board or safe-to-cut surface. Let it sit and cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Make sure you keep the soup simmering as you wait. You may add more water if you wish to replenish any moisture that’s cooked off.
- When the chicken is cool enough, take off the bird’s skin and remove the meat from the bones. Cut large chunks of meat into bite-sized pieces as necessary. Set the chicken aside.
- You may mash down some of the potatoes using a masher if you’d prefer a thicker broth. An immersion blender would also work, but it may mash other vegetables that may create a texture unpleasing to some palates.
- If you like, add the chicken to the pot or place it in a bowl before covering it with the hot soup. Either way is fine, and it won’t impact the flavor.
- As with the chicken, you can add the pasta to the soup or place it in a bowl before ladling in the soup.
- Top with parmesan cheese, if desired, and enjoy!
Also Don’t Forget:
You can keep the leftovers (if you have any!) in the refrigerator for a few days. If you’d like to put it in the freezer, add the chicken and pasta to the soup if you didn’t already, and then put the soup into freezer-safe containers. If your container is safe for it, you can directly set it in the microwave to heat a fast, nourishing meal!
What About Personalizing Your Own Carrabba’s Spicy Chicken Soup Recipe?
If you’re going to spend the kind of time it takes to make this original recipe, you should feel free to make it exactly the way you like it! Maybe you like the recipe, but it seems to be missing something. You can add or remove ingredients as you like!
For example, you can:
- Add or remove spices (basil, sage, cayenne pepper, to name a few!)
- Substitute pasta with rice or quinoa
- Add more veggies
- Use fire-roasted tomatoes instead of plain
- Create a creamy version with heavy cream or coconut milk
- Try different cheeses like cheddar, mozzarella, or another favorite
- Make it vegetarian by substituting beans or tofu for the chicken
These are just a few suggestions and by no means the only alternatives. Get creative and listen to your own palate. You may make the best version ever based on your own creativity!
Quick and Easy Spicy Chicken Soup Version for Busy Days
When you love this soup but don’t have the time to put into it, you can still have it in about 20 to 30 minutes with convenience hacks! Here’s how:
- You can buy rotisserie chicken at the store or use canned chicken. This significantly reduces the cooking time needed if you were to use raw chicken!
- Use smaller chicken parts to reduce cooking time (breasts and/or thighs are great).
- Buy pre-cut vegetables. You can often find these in your produce section. While you’ll pay more for the work that went into getting them diced or chopped, it’s usually worth it when you’re short on time.
- Use frozen vegetables. They’re usually less expensive than freshly cut ones. You can also play around with adding different combinations of veggies that you might not have considered.
- Buy seasoned broth. Instead of measuring the recommended herbs into the soup, buy prepackaged broth already seasoned or infused with them.
Again, these are merely suggestions and can be used with any of your ideas!
Make Your Carrabba’s Spicy Chicken Soup Your Own
It’s always exciting to make your favorite restaurant soup at home, especially when it tastes just like it! Once you get the recipe down, you’ll be able to adjust it and perfect it according to your own tastes.
Remember, a recipe is a guide. You can add, remove, or adjust as needed. The most excellent cook in the world is the one who makes their food uniquely their own, and it’s easy to do with a great recipe like this as a guide.
