Yesterday afternoon my throat started getting a little scratchy and by last night I was feeling pretty rough. This morning I’m rallying but still not 100 percent and it’s very cloudy outside. I cleaned out the fridge this morning in an effort to make a grocery list and there was a bag of celery and carrots that were still edible, but looking a little sad. And that is when I decided today was a good day to make chicken soup.
I love making soups, because I feel like the recipes are just suggestions. Things are so easy to substitute and soups are a great way to clean out the fridge. I also had a quart of homemade chicken stock in the fridge I decided to throw in, which I normally do not do with this recipe, so I am excited about the extra richness it will hopefully add. And if not, no harm, no foul. I do not have fresh parsley, so I am leaving it out today. You may notice something leafy and chopped, but that is the ends of my celery and it is my very favorite part, so please use it. I also did not have red bell pepper, but I did have yellow and orange mini peppers, so I threw those in as well.
You will need a very large pot. I have a large old enamel cast iron pot I have had for many years that is perfect for this soup. I keep dreaming of those pricey French pots…maybe one day! **Full disclosure- this pot was not big enough to cover completely with water. So after I deboned the chicken I put an additional quart of water in the pot.
Keep the vegetable peelings, ends or scraps and place them all in a freezer bag for homemade stock. After you debone the chicken, place the bones in the bag as well. There is nothing better than homemade chicken stock.
You can easily omit the pasta or substitute it with rice. You may want to cook the pasta separately and serve the soup over the pasta. It is your soup, customize it with what you like. If you plan on freezing the soup, keep the pasta separate.
Lastly, this soup calls for freshly ground black pepper. Please throw the ground black pepper in your cabinet away. It is not anything remotely similar to freshly ground black pepper. And if you love it as much as me, find a good battery powered pepper grinder. It is a wonderful invention.
We paired this with a 2019 Volunteer Chardonnay from Miller Family Wine Company. It is dry, with just a touch of sweetness and very well balanced. My trusty Vivino App rates this a 4.2, which is high accolades for a white. It has a warm hint of vanilla and the clean taste of pear which goes beautifully with just about anything, especially this soup. We scored 3 bottles at Grape Escape last week, a local fundraiser for the Museum Center at 5ive Points created by my friends, Kathy and Carl Rohsenberger. A very special thank you to my friend, Lucy Rymer who was the actual auction winner and allowed me to split it with her. Now that is a good friend!
Chicken Soup
This pot of soup is a soul warming concoction that feels and tastes comforting.
Ingredients
1 4-5lb whole chicken
3 carrots, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2lb small pasta (small rings, ditalini, etc.)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
In a large pot, toss in everything except the pasta. and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. Remove the chicken, debone and return the chicken to the pot. Toss in the pasta and finishing cooking until the pasta is cooked through. Add salt to taste and lots of freshly ground black pepper.
Make this recipe your own. If you don’t have fresh parsley, skip it. Substitute rice for the pasta. Add in lots more crushed red pepper for extra heat. Add in some extra richness by adding in broth instead of water. A touch of lemon juice would be amazing in the soup.
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