Chicken Meatball Soup (Homemade Chickarina Soup)

Homemade Mini Chicken Meatball Soup (Chickarina Soup) is comforting and nourishing chicken meatball soup made with soft pearl couscous, veggies and flavorful broth. Enjoy the amazing comfort of this homemade version of the Progresso's canned soup.

I also love this easy Ground Chicken Soup with Veggies and Pasta.

I don’t know what it is about homemade chicken soup but it just hits the spot every. Single. Time. Especially when you’re sick/ cold/ sad/ lonely/ depressed or all of the above.

I have three chicken soup recipes on the blog before: my family’s recipe for Polish Chicken Noodle Soup, this creamy Chicken and Butternut Squash Soup and this rich Chicken Bone Broth Soup. All 3 are absolutely delicious!

Today I’m sharing a chicken soup that is my kids’ favorite: Chickarina Soup, or chicken meatball soup. This recipe is inspired by Progresso’s canned Chickarina Soup which features mini meatballs, white chicken meat and pearl couscous.

My homemade Chickarina Soup recipe is way healthier, tastier and made with high quality ingredients. I dropped the cooked chicken meat because our family is partial to meatballs only but if you prefer, you can add some leftover rotisserie chicken meat, too.

Ingredients and substitutions

Ground Chicken: use good quality lean ground chicken. If you can't find any at your local grocery store, you can grind your own meat (use boneless skinless chicken thighs). Ground turkey will also work in this soup, especially ground turkey breast
Chicken Broth: for best flavor results use the best quality chicken broth you can find, homemade or store bought. I like Organic Chicken Broth from Pacific Foods
Carrot and Celery: dice them small
Pearl Couscous: also known as Israeli couscous or pasta pearls. It's essentially small round pasta, similar to orzo.
Breadcrumbs: plain, seasoned or panko breadcrumbs will all work
Grated Parmesan Cheese: for the meatballs. Swap it for pecorino romano or skip it all together.
Fresh Parsley: added both to the meatballs and as garnish, fresh parsley adds freshness and color that you won’t want to skip
Onion: yellow onion will work, but so will white or sweet onion
Garlic: fresh is best
Olive Oil: extra virgin olive oil adds a dose of healthy fat and color to the soup. If you prefer, you can swap it for other plant oil (avocado, sunflower or canola oil) or butter.
Nutritional Yeast: this is optional but I highly recommend adding yeast to the soup, as it adds great umami flavor and nice deep yellow color to the soup
Salt and Black Pepper: to taste

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make chicken meatballs. In a medium mixing bowl add ground chicken meat, one egg, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley, salt and pepper (Images 1 & 2). Mix with a spoon or with clean hands until just combined. Don’t overmix.

2. Using a small cookie scoop or a spoon, divide the meat mixture into small balls, the size of walnuts (Images 3 & 4). Roll with your fingers and place on a parchment paper or aluminum foil lined baking tray. Place in the fridge until ready to cook.

3. Heat a little olive oil in a large Dutch oven or a large pot. Add diced onion, carrot and celery and sauté on medium heat, stirring often until softened, 5-7 minutes (Image 5). Add minced garlic and cook for another minute, stirring.
4. Add chicken broth and onion powder. Bring to a boil and turn the heat down to medium low (Image 6).

5. Add pearl couscous and carefully drop the meatballs in the soup with a spoon, one by one (Image 7). Partially cover with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the couscous is soft.
6. Stir in nutritional yeas and fresh parsley (Image 8). Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Stoarge and freezing suggestions

Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the frdge before reheating on the stove or in the microwave. 

More expert tips

• Keep the meatballs small. Rolling tiny meatballs is a bit more work but since soup is meant to be eaten with a spoon, make the meatballs bite-sized, no larger than a walnut
• Use REALLY good quality chicken broth
• Don’t skip the nutritional yeast - it adds a great deal of umami flavor to the soup
• Add fresh herbs. Parsley leaves are my top choice for chicken soup, but if you don’t have any, dill or chives will work fine, too. Dried parsley will also work, especially in meatballs
• Adjust the thickness to your preferences. This soup is thick and chunky, thanks to the pasta, veggies and meatballs. If you prefer brothier soup, thin it out with more broth or water at the end. Always taste and season, as needed, especially if you’re adding more liquid.
• If you want to add some dark leafy greens to the soup (like in Italian Wedding Soup), you absolutely can! Spinach or kale will work great. 

More cozy soup recipes

• Polish Mushroom Noodle Soup
• Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup
• Tuscan Tomato White Bean Soup
• Spicy Lentil Soup
• Loaded Cauliflower Potato Soup