Chicken Farro Soup With Spinach – Hearty and Comforting
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Chicken farro soup with spinach makes a hearty, comforting dinner in one bowl. This simple, healthy one-pot soup is made with garlic, tomatoes, and rich chicken broth for a deep, flavorful taste. Farro adds a satisfying nutty chew, the chicken cooks up tender enough to shred and the spinach wilts in at the end for a fresh pop of green. It’s ready in under an hour with most of the time spent on hands-off simmering. Real food, minimal effort and leftovers you will actually look forward to.
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Chicken Farro Soup Recipe Highlights
⏱️Prep Time: 10 Minutes
⏱️Cook Time: 20 Minutes
🍽️Serves: 4 – Easy to scale up or down
✔️ This soup is a hearty one-pot meal made with simple, fresh ingredients (garlic, tomatoes, broth, tender chicken and chewy farro).
✔️It’s a healthy choice packed with lean protein from chicken, fiber-rich farro, and nutrient-dense spinach.
Here is What You Will Need
Ingredient List
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or your favorite cooking oil
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs
- 3/4 cup large dice zucchini (about 1 small or medium squash)
- 1/2 cup chopped onions – any variety, I like yellow onions for soup
- 2 cloves minced garlic – fresh is best, but garlic powder (1/2 teaspoon) will work in a pinch.
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock – low sodium is best, you can adjust the salt alter.
- 1 cup diced tomatoes – fresh or canned works.
- 1/4 cup uncooked farro
- 2 teaspoons of herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
- Baby spinach – baby spinach wilts fast and keeps it bright. You can also use regular spinach.
Missing an ingredient? Find a substitute with the ingredient swap assistant!
Are you cooking for two?
This recipe serves 4. Use the scale recipe button in the recipe card to halve the ingredients for cooking for two, or make the full batch and freeze leftovers for easy meals later. Cooking time remains the same.
How to Make Chicken and Farro Soup with Spinach
- Heat the oil – Warm olive oil in a heavy 4 to 6-quart pot over medium heat.
- Brown the Chicken – Add the chicken and let it cook until it gets a little color on the outside.
- Sauté the aromatics and veggies – Stir in chopped onion, garlic, and zucchini. Cook for a few minutes until they begin to turn tender.
- Simmer – Pour in the broth, tomatoes and farro. Stir it then cover. Reduce to low heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Keep it at a gentle simmer not a boil.
- Shred the chicken – Remove the chicken and use two forks to shred it. If it’s properly cooked, it should pull apart easily. Once shredded, return the chicken to the pot.
- Add spinach – Stir in the spinach until it wilts. Adjust the flavor and serve.
Tips For the Best Flavor and Texture
- Don’t skip the sauté step. Giving the chicken a little browning and the onions time to soften builds flavor.
- Add garlic after the zucchini and onion have started to cook. Garlic burns fast, and burnt garlic can make the whole pot taste bitter.
- Simmer the soup gently. A steady bubble is perfect. A hard or rolling boil can make the chicken tough.
- Shred the chicken while it’s warm which will make it easier to shred.
- Save the spinach for the end. It wilts in minutes and keeps a nicer color.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper just before serving.
Serving Suggestions
This chicken farro soup is filling on its own, but sides can make it feel like a full meal.
- Salad – A simple salad like this spinach salad is perfect for this soup.
- Crusty bread – Perfect for dunking, especially like this rosemary sourdough bread.
- Simple side veggie – Something like roasted broccoli or air-fryer cauliflower work well.
Variations
Add beans – Stir in 1 can of drained cannellini beans or kidney beans near the end once the farro is tender for a little extra protein and fiber.
Swap chicken for sausage – Brown the sausage first in teh pot then continue with zucchini and onion. Sausage contains salt, so taste before adding extra salt.
Spicy – Add crushed red pepper flakes when you cook the garlic, or stir them in at the end for a gentler heat.
Swap spinach for kale – Add chopped kale in place of spinach toward the end, it also wilts quickly for a heartier structure.
Add more veggies – Toss diced carrots and celery with the onion for a healthy version, or add leeks, or finish with chopped parsley.
Pasta – Instead of farro, add small pasta to the soup 10 minutes before serving.
For another hearty, veggie-packed soup idea, try this One-Pot Veggie Minestrone Recipe.
How to store it (and reheat without drying it out)
Storage
- Cool the soup, then store it in an airtight container. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days – perfect for meal prepping.
- For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge for the best texture.
Reheating Instructions
Stovetop – Place in a saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring often. Add liquid as needed.
Microwave – Cover loosely, heat in short bursts while stirring in between. Add broth if it seems thick.
Farro absorbs broth as it sits, so leftovers from this soup recipe will thick. When you reheat, add a splash of chicken broth or water to loosen it back up, or cook the farro separately and add it when you serve it.
Chicken Farro Soup Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, add frozen spinach near the end, just like fresh spinach. Stir until heated through. The broth may turn greener, that’s from the spinach.
Yes, skip the browning of raw chicken. Simmer the broth, tomatoes, onion, zucchini, and garlic until tender. Stir in the shredded rotisserie chicken before adding the farro.
No, farro is wheat, so it’s not gluten-free. Swap farro for rice or quinoa, then follow the package cook time and adjust as needed.
Are you cooking for two?
Soups like this freeze well. You can scale the recipe down by using the button in the recipe card (cook time is the same), or make the full batch and save portions for later.
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Click on serving size to scale this recipe
Chicken Farro Soup with Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil or your favorite cooking oil
- 1 Pound Boneless chicken breasts Thighs work too
- 3/4 Cup Large Dice Zucchini about 1 small to medium squash
- 1/2 Cup Chopped onions any variety
- 2 Cloves Minced garlic or 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 Cups Low-sodium chicken broth or chicken stock
- 1 Cup Diced tomatoes Fresh or canned
- 1/4 Cup Uncooked Farro
- 2 Teaspoons Herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning
- 8 Ounces Baby spinach
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a heavy 4–6 quart pot over medium heat.
- Add the chicken and cook until lightly browned on the outside.
- Stir in the onion, garlic, and zucchini. Cook for a few minutes, until softened.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, and farro. Stir, cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer gently (not boiling) for about 20 minutes.
- Remove the chicken, shred with two forks, then return it to the pot. Return to pot and simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Add the spinach, let it wilt and then serve.
Notes
- Let the first sauté do its job. Giving the chicken a little browning and the onions time to soften builds flavor.
- Add garlic after the zucchini and onion have started to cook. Garlic burns fast, and burnt garlic can make the whole pot taste bitter.
- Simmer the soup gently. A steady bubble is perfect. A hard or rolling boil can make the chicken tough.
- Shred the chicken while it’s warm which will make it easier to shred.
- Save the spinach for the end. It wilts in minutes and keeps a nicer color.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper just before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
