Grandma's Chicken Soup
One of our very fondest childhood memories was of our Mom & Grandma Florence bringing us a bowl of their homemade chicken soup. It was the most comforting, get-well soup that we looked forward to whenever we caught a cold or were feeling a little under the weather. Today, there is still a nostalgic sense of well being whenever we make this soup. With every spoonful, we still feel the love and caring that went into every batch of this delicious soup from Mom and Grandma. You don't need to feel under the weather to enjoy this hearty flavorful soup. It's perfect on cold winter days to take away the chill.
Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs with bone & skin
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 3 large celery stalks, large dice
- 4 large carrots, large dice
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced (approximately 2 Tablespoons. Add more or less to suit your taste.
- 1 Tablespoon EVOO
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 Tablespoon dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh & chopped)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 8 ounces Ditalini (small round hollow tubes) or Orzo (cook separately) or rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- Pecorino Romano, freshly grated cheese (Locatelli), or Parmigiano Reggiano (not the stuff in the green container, please!)
Directions
- In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, add the butter. When melted & hot add the bay leaf & chicken thighs, skin-side down first until browned. Flip and brown the other side. When fully cooked, remove to plate & set aside, discard bay leaf.
- In the same pot, add the EVOO, onion, celery, & carrots making sure to scrape all browned bits (fond) from the cooked chicken. Saute for about 5-7 minutes until softened.
- Add garlic, thyme & parsley & cook for another minute.
- Add the broth & combine.
- Remove the chicken skin then shred the chicken. Add to broth and low simmer for 20 minutes.
- While simmering, prepare the pasta of your choice while the broth is simmering.
- Ladle the chicken soup into bowls, add some cooked pasta or rice and garnish with Locatelli cheese and some fresh parsley if desired. Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!
Note: You can double this recipe for a big batch to freeze for later use. Just don’t add the pasta or rice before freezing.
To make this soup gluten-free, use GF broth & GF pasta.
