Best Chicken Soup Ever
- Author: Vinessa Rae
- Total Time: 55 minutes
Description
A Warm Hug in a Bowl
This chicken soup recipe has been a staple in the family for my entire life and beyond. Sick, sad or celebrating someone is requesting a big, warm hearty bowl. This soup comes together pretty quickly, is filled with delicious and nutritious ingredients and can be tweaked easily to satisfy dietary restrictions. Like using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth or a gluten free pasta or no pasta. I usually just pick up a package of soup greens but you can definitely substitute veggies with whatever you have on hand.
Now, there are a few reasons why I love making this recipe at the beginning of the week. First off is the chicken can be used in other meals throughout the week. That’s why it’s important to keep and store everything separate. Once the chicken is cooked I remove it, shred it and store it in its own container. You most likely will have chicken leftover once the soup is gone. One of my go to things to do with the shredded chicken is make chicken salad (recipe coming soon) or just add on top of a simple salad. This week I’m making chicken fajita bowls using the leftover chicken. This same method applies for whatever pasta you are using in the soup. My go to is orzo and I ALWAYS cook it separate for a couple of reasons – 1. I don’t like pasta cooked in soup. In my opinion it absorbs too much liquid and gets overcooked especially after it’s been reheated. 2. You can use left over pasta to make another meal like a delicious pasta salad! 3. Since I have a little one that is starting out with solid food the vegetables are perfectly tender and soft enough to mush up or puree. The veggies are also packed with tons of new flavors that I am happy to introduce to my little one. I also let her try some of the shredded chicken that is again full of flavor and very tender making it easy for baby to gum on or chew on if they have teeth.
Ingredients
- 1 package of soup greens – can be found in any grocery store. if they don’t have them displayed, you can always ask someone in the produce department to put a pack together for you
- large package of boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- salt & pepper to taste (adjust salt depending on sodium content in the broth you are using)
- 2 cups orzo pasta or any pasta you like
Instructions
- Chop all vegetables in similar size chunks – chop herbs.
- Heat olive oil over medium heat.
- Sauté onion for about a minute and then add remaining veggies and sauté for 3-4 minutes.
- Pour in stock and water, add tomato paste, herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add in chicken breast and cover. Lower heat and cook for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Chicken should have an internal temp of 165 degrees. Remove chicken and shred with two forks, set aside. Meanwhile cook pasta according to package instructions.
- Add pasta to a bowl, then a handful of shredded chicken and then spoon soup on top.
- Add a little parmesan for some extra deliciousness and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove-Top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
Keywords: chicken soup, soup recipes, healthy meals, kid-friendly recipes