Best Chicken Soup with Orzo
Chicken soup for the body, the mind, and the soul; it is ultimate comfort in a bowl. Please note: This is a large recipe!
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken
- 4 quarts chicken stock (16 cups)
- water (up to 8 cups)
- 4 large carrots, diced
- 4-5 stalks celery, diced
- 1 very large onion, chopped (or 2 medium onions)
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 heaping tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 5 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste--this soup actually takes quite a bit of salt because of the vegetables and noodles. It is best to taste and correct seasonings as you go.
- 1 pound orzo or ancini de pepe pasta (I used orzo for this soup.)
Instructions
- In a very large stock pot place the rotisserie chicken and 4 quarts of stock and enough water to completely cover chicken by an inch or two.
- Bring the stock to a boil over high heat, then lower the heat, cover pot and allow chicken to simmer for 45 minutes.
- Remove chicken from the stock pot and set aside to cool. The chicken often falls apart while I am taking it out of the pot, so I use a large slotted spoon to remove all the pieces. Cool, remove meat from bones and chop or tear into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
- To the stock, add the diced vegetables, bay leaves, parsley and poultry seasoning. Adjust the salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer over low heat until the vegetables are almost tender, about 15 minutes more or less. Taste stock and adjust seasonings, if needed. You will want the stock to taste somewhat salty because the pasta will absorb the salt.
- Raise the heat to medium or medium-high. Add the pasta, stir and continue to cook until pasta is almost tender, about 10 minutes.
- Return chicken pieces to pot and allow to cook until the pasta is ready. The cooking time for the chicken is only important in that the chicken needs to return to the temperature of the soup.
- Sometimes I find that I need to add a little more liquid to the pot. If so, I use chicken broth, chicken stock, or bouillon dissolved in water (1 teaspoon or 1 cube of bouillon per cup of water) until I have the consistency I want. I like my chicken soup more on the thick side!
- Serve with warm bread and maybe a side salad.
Notes
- This soup is very flexible. Toss in some sliced mushrooms near the end, if you prefer.
- My mom likes to add a couple of chopped boiled eggs. That may sound strange, but they are actually very good!
- Taste as you go and adjust seasonings as needed. I find that the salt is the seasoning I have to adjust most often. The soup, because of the vegetables and the pasta, takes more salt than most soups.