WARNING: I’m afraid I’m going to be obsessed with soup this fall. I apologize in advance. Something about the recent lifting of the two-thousand degree weather has made me really excited about finally being able to eat hot food made in pots.
I made three soups last week, unsure of which one(s) I’d use for my
cookbook and which one(s) I’d post here. Yesterday, I closed my eyes and
picked one…and was so happy this was the one I landed on, as it’s the
one I most wanted to share. It’s very loosely based on a classic soup
from a chain Italian restaurant, but departs from it in several key
ways…not the least of which is the addition of heavy cream, which adds
richness to the soup without turning it into…well, a creamy soup. It
really is the best of both worlds.
This is a delightful and delicious soup, but be aware that it’s kind
of pot-heavy (meaning I’m going to drive you crazy saying “get another
pot…get another pot”). It’s also one of those recipes that has a lot of
“set-aside” steps along the way (meaning I’m going to drive you crazy
saying “do this…then set aside.”) You’ll see what I mean.
Finally, to address an issue raised here a couple of weeks ago: I’m going to watch The Princess Bride for the first time ever this week.
Amen.
Throw
the chicken into a pot and cover it with a bunch of chicken broth or
stock. Bring it to a boil, then simmer it with the lid on for 30
minutes. After that, turn off the heat and let it sit in the pot for an
additional thirty minutes. 
After
that, take the chicken out of the pot and shred all the meat. Get ridda
the bones, but keep the broth that the chicken cooked in. Set this all
aside. (This will not be the first time I say “set aside” in this post.
Sorry.)
Meantime, cook the pasta. If you can find it, get this kind. I love it. It’s like macaroni without the curl, and half the size.
That made no sense.
Anyway, just cook the stuff ahead of time. Then rinse it with cold
water and toss it with a little olive oil. I like this better than
throwing the pasta in to cook with the soup, because I have deeply
rooted issues and imagine that all the starchy stuff would fall into the
soup, which it would, which is just fine for normal people who don’t
have issues, but for me I just think of all the starch floating around
in the soup.
Don’t be like me.
Another
“set aside” item: mince up a bunch of oregano. Heat a little skillet
over medium-high heat, then drizzle in some olive oil. Throw the oregano
into the olive oil, then turn off the heat, stirring the oregano
constantly for a good minute or so. Your kitchen will smell like
oregano, and this concoction is going to make the soup so darn good,
you’ll cry.
You can also use dried oregano flakes! Heating it up in the olive oil
really awakens the flavor. If you’re using the dried stuff, though, use
half the quantity since dried herbs are quite a bit stronger.
Next, dice up some onion and green bell pepper (I think red would be nice; I just didn’t have any)…
Some celery…
And
some jalapeno for heat. You can leave this out if your family can’t
HANDLE the spice, but after it’s all said and done, it really turns out
to be nice and mild, with a little bit of spice.
I love jalapenos.
Set Aside Item #254: Chop up a can of whole tomatoes. Then set. Them aside.
Set aside, set aside, set aside-side-side
Set aside, set aside, set aside-side-side
Set aside, set aside, set aside-side-side
Set ASIDE
Set aside-side-side
Set aside, set aside, set aside-side-side
Set aside, set aside, set aside-side-side
Set ASIDE
Set aside-side-side
I feel better now. I hope you do, too.
Throw
all the veggies into a pot (sorry about all the different pots. you can
plan ahead and reuse the same pot if you have the time) with a little
olive oil, and saute them over medium-high heat. 
Sprinkle in some salt and pepper…
Then cook ’em for about ten minutes, or until they’re tender and golden brown.
Next, pour in the chicken broth…
Then stir in the chicken…
The tomatoes…
The cooked pasta…
The heavy cream…
And
all the oregano and olive oil from the little skillet. Look at that
gorgeous oil. When you serve the soup, a little bit will rise to the
surface of the soup and you’ll want to dip a big hunk of bread in it.
I speak from experience here.
Then throw in salt and pepper and simmer it just a few minutes to heat it all up. 
Dish
it up, then sprinkle on plenty of Parmesan cheese. Big, fat shavings
are the best…but all I had was this pregrated stuff. And it was just
fine. 
Goodness gracious.
Great bowls of flavor.
(Get it?)
Yum, yum. Hooray for cooler weather! And hooray for soups that make your soul sing.
Enjoy!
Off to see what the Princess Bride passion is all about,
Pioneer Woman
Pioneer Woman
Recipe
Italian Chicken Soup
- Prep Time:
- 20 Minutes
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Cook Time:
- 90 Minutes
- Servings:
- 8 Servings
- 1 box Ditalini Pasta (very Short Macaroni-type Pasta Noodles)
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken
- 8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
- 2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Diced
- 2 stalks Celery, Diced
- 2 whole Fresh Jalapenos, Diced
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 can (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Oregano
- Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste
- Parmesan Cheese Shavings, For Serving
Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not
to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss in 1
tablespoon olive oil and set aside.
Place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and cover in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and shred meat. Discard bones and set meat aside.
Dice canned tomatoes and return them to their juice. Set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and oregano and turn off heat, stirring over the next minute to keep oregano from burning. Set this aside.
Either pour off chicken broth into a separate container or use a new pot to saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta, cream, and all the oregano and olive oil from the small skillet. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.
Serve with lots of Parmesan sprinkled on the top--the more the better! Crusty Italian bread is good, too.
Place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and cover in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and shred meat. Discard bones and set meat aside.
Dice canned tomatoes and return them to their juice. Set aside.
Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and oregano and turn off heat, stirring over the next minute to keep oregano from burning. Set this aside.
Either pour off chicken broth into a separate container or use a new pot to saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta, cream, and all the oregano and olive oil from the small skillet. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.
Serve with lots of Parmesan sprinkled on the top--the more the better! Crusty Italian bread is good, too.
