chicken pastina soup

Chicken Pastina Soup is ready in less than an hour and is the best Italian comfort food! Feel free to halve the recipe, if you need a smaller batch.

Chicken Pastina Soup

olive oil

chicken breasts ((boneless & skinless))

garlic powder

pepper ((divided use))

salt

medium yellow onion ((or white, red))

celery

carrots

chicken stock ((1 1/2 quarts))

water

pastina ((Acini di pepe

Parmesan cheese ((plus extra for serving))

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a soup pot and place it over medium heat. Use a long spoon to push the oil around the bottom of the pan so it completely covers the bottom. Heat the oil until it&#039;s sizzling.

When the oil is sizzling, pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and add them to the pot with tongs. In a tiny bowl, stir together 1/4 teaspoon of garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Season the chicken with this mixture. Let the chicken sear for five minutes on the first side, until it&#039;s golden brown.

Wear oven mitts while using tongs to flip the chicken over (the oil may splash). If the chicken is sticking to the pan, use the tongs to push under the chicken to separate it from the pan. When the chicken is flipped over, pour one cup of the chicken stock over it and cover the pot. Let the chicken simmer gently over medium heat for seven minutes.

While the chicken is simmering, prepare the vegetables. Peel half an onion and chop it. Rinse the celery, scraping off any dirt, and trim off the ends. Cut the celery into small pieces (dice). (Cut a stalk in half the short way, then slice each of those pieces in half the long way. Then cut into small pieces.) Rinse the carrots and peel them. Trim off the ends. Cut the carrots into small pieces like the celery.

When the chicken has simmered for seven minutes, use tongs to remove the chicken to a  large bowl to sit for a couple minutes to cool. (If you have a stand mixer, place the chicken in the bowl of the stand mixer.) You will be shredding the chicken after you get the vegetables going in the pan (see the next step).

While the chicken is cooling off a bit, add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot over medium-high heat and give them a stir. Sauté the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until the carrots and celery are soft. It could take 15 minutes. (You want to make sure you don&#039;t have crunchy vegetables in your soup.) If the liquid evaporates during this time, you can add a little stock to the pan, so the veggies don&#039;t burn.

While the vegetables are cooking, shred the chicken. The easiest way is to use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to shred the chicken on a low setting. If you don&#039;t have a stand mixer, use two forks to shred the chicken. The chicken should be cooked through, but if it seems slightly undercooked, it will finish cooking later in the soup.

When the vegetables are tender, add the rest of the chicken stock and 3 cups of water to the pot. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon of black pepper. Cover the pot, increase the heat to high, and let the soup come to a boil.

When it is boiling, add the pastina to the pot. Lower the heat slightly, give the pasta a stir, and boil it for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Do not drain it. (Acini de pepe needs the 10 minutes, but stelline may cook faster.)

After 10 minutes, stir in the shredded chicken and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan. Lower the heat and let the pot simmer for a couple minutes until the chicken is heated through. Taste to see if any additional salt is needed. (It will depend on how much salt was in your chicken stock.)

Serve immediately by ladling some soup with pastina into each bowl. Sprinkle Parmesan (or Romano) on each serving. Any pastina left in the pot will absorb the broth quickly, so use a slotted spoon to remove the pastina to a separate container so it can be refrigerated later.

Store leftover pastina separately from the broth. Refrigerate each for up to four days. To reheat, add some of the broth to the pastina in a bowl and heat, covered loosely with wax paper, in the microwave. If you run out of soup broth for leftovers, you can add some chicken stock to the pastina or serve it with butter and cheese.

The leftovers also freeze well. Freeze the pastina and broth separately.

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Chicken Pastina Soup is ready in less than an hour! This Italian chicken soup with little pasta shapes features shredded chicken breasts and full-bodied flavor from onions, carrots, celery and stock.

Chicken Pastina Soup, or Chicken and Stars, is a light yet satisfying dish perfect for when you want something warm to cozy up to.

Chicken Pastina Soup Recipe (Chicken and Stars)

chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)

salt and pepper,

carrots,

celery,

½ medium white onion, diced

garlic,

chicken broth

thyme

rosemary

bay leaf

pastina pasta

Heat olive oil in a medium dutch oven...

Heat olive oil in a medium dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then add them to the pot skin side down and sear until they begin to brown up, about 4-5 minutes. Flip and sear other side 4-5 minutes. Remove to a plate.

Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of oil...

Remove all but about 2 tablespoons of oil (the chicken will have released some additional), and reduce heat to medium. Add onion, carrots and celery. Sauté until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 additional minute.

Add in chicken broth and stir, making sure...

Add in chicken broth and stir, making sure to scrap up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return chicken to pan, along with thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for at least 20 minutes. Cooking with the skin on may result in a lot of grease floating to the top of the broth. In this case, skim it off into a bowl.

Take chicken out of broth and put on...

Take chicken out of broth and put on a plate. Remove and discard skin and bones. Shred the meat, then add back into the soup.

Bring soup to a boil. Add in pasta,...

Bring soup to a boil. Add in pasta, and cook until it is done, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and serve.

This cozy, comforting Chicken Pastina Soup is also called Italian Nonna's Penicillin soup because it's known to cure just about anything that ails you! It hits the spot on a chilly day, for sure!

Italian Chicken Pastina Soup (aka Italian Nonna's Penicillin Soup)

extra virgin olive oil

butter

onion (diced small)

shallot (finely chopped)

celery (diced small)

yellow bell pepper (diced small)

garlic (minced)

chicken broth (maybe more)

carrots (diced small)

parmesan rind ((optional))

(more

pastina (tiny pasta, double if you

chicken

Parmesan (for serving)

rosemary thyme leaves

Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot or medium heat. Add the oil, butter, onion, shallot, celery and bell pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, stir well and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the broth, carrots, parmesan rind (if using) and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes (uncovered) or until the veggies are nice and tender.

With a slotted spoon, removed 2 cups of the diced veggies and set aside.

With an immersion blender (or a regular blender) puree the broth/veggie mixture in the pot until smooth.

****NOTE: If you use a regular blender, be sure to let the mixture cool down a bit before blending. Also, remove the center cap on the blender top and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or several thicknesses of paper towels. This will allow the heat to vent and prevent it from building up.

Add the pasta, bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer. Cook, uncovered for whatever the time on your bag or box of pastina instructs. (Acini de pepe takes 9 minutes.)

Add the rotisserie (or leftover) chicken and the reserved veggies. Stir to combine. Cover and allow the soup to rest for 20 minutes.

Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt if needed.

Serve with grated parmesan, a scatter of finely chopped fresh rosemary or fresh thyme leaves (or both) and fresh ground black pepper. Enjoy!

Made this  and will be making it again!  Excellent soup, easy instructions and it is like a warm hug.  Helped me through my cold!

This is the best soup I have ever made. .made it exactly as written....so delish, so flavorful....my hubby and I were a bit under the weather so this hit the spot.....thank you so much for sharing!!!

My mom recommended this recipe for me and myself and kids (all under 6 uears old) loved it. 

I will say I used a cup of larger sized pasta (ditalini) and ended up having too much pasta but I just added some extra water for a broth. 

Some additional I did:
3 bay leaves as mentioned by another commenter
Fresh Thyme and rosemary in the simmering broth
I used homemade bone broth (chicken and venison)
ACV as I like some acid to cut my savory broths (about a half cup)
Ground ginger (as I did not have fresh or juice) 
Fresh sage from my garden (a handful of mature leaves with stems)
And tumeric for added benefits (about a tablespoon)

This soup was delicious and so easy to make. My husband and son ate three bowls! I served toasted sourdough bread brushed with olive oil as a side. I will be making this again!

Delicious and easy!

Word of advice - even if 1 cup of pasta seems like not enough, DO NOT ADD MORE. I added 2 cups because 1 just seemed so little. I regret my decision. It turned out more like a creamy pasta dish for me. Regardless, the flavor was delicious and I will definitely be making this again with only 2/3 or 1 cup of pasta.

This easy Crock Pot Chicken Pastina Soup will become a year-round staple in your home. With simple ingredients and minimal prep time, it&#039;s perfect for lunch or dinner for busy families!

Crock Pot Chicken Pastina Soup

onion

black pepper

bay leaves

Parmesan (more for garnish)

parsley (minced)

Pastina pasta

Prep

Slice or dice the carrots, celery and onion.

Place

Place the boneless chicken at the bottom of your Crock Pot.

Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery to the crock pot. Then add the salt, ground black pepper, and bay leaves.

Pour

Pour the chicken broth over the soup ingredients in the 7 or 8 quart crock pot.

Stir

Use a large wooden spoon to stir the ingredients.

Slow Cook

Cover and slow cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours or until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F. degrees.

Shred

Once the chicken is cooked remove the chicken and let it rest for about 5 minutes before shredding it into bite size pieces.

Stir in the pastina, ½ cup of shredded Parmesan cheese and 1 or 2 tablespoons of fresh minced parsley.

Add the shredded chicken and stir in. Recover and cook until the pasta is tender, about 30 minutes.

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