Related recipes: Carrots, Celery, Garlic, Herbs, Kid-Friendly, Low-Sugar, Pasta, Poultry, Rotisserie Chickens to the Rescue, Soups, Soups/Salads
Homemade chicken soup is truly comfort in a bowl. Few people have time these days to make soup, but with canned broth, baby carrots, and a rotisserie chicken, you can have a heartwarming homemade chicken soup on the table in a matter of minutes. The squirt of freshly-squeezed lemon juice brightens the flavor. Serve with crackers.
Yield: 4 servings
3 (14 1/2 ounce) cans fat-free less-sodium chicken broth (about 5 1/4 cups)
1/2 cup water
1 Tbs freshly-squeezed lemon juice
3 sprigs plus 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1 bay leaf
1 large clove garlic, peeled and smashed
1 cup baby carrots
1 1/2 cups uncooked vermicelli or angel hair pasta
1/3 cup finely chopped celery (optional)
2 cups bite-size chunks rotisserie chicken, skin removed
salt and pepper, to taste
Combine the chicken broth, water, lemon juice, parsley sprigs, bay leaf, and garlic in a medium saucepan with a lid. Stir, cover the pan, place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, slice the carrots crosswise into 1/2-inch rounds.
When the mixture reaches a boil, lower the heat to medium and stir in the sliced carrots, vermicelli, and celery (if used). Cover the pan, leaving the top slightly ajar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the noodles are almost tender, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the chicken. Cover and simmer until the noodles are tender and the carrots are slightly soft, 3-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Use a slotted spoon to remove the parsley sprigs, bay leaf, and garlic. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle with the minced parsley.
Homemade Chicken and Rice Soup Variation: Substitute 1 cup leftover cooked rice for the vermicelli. Add the rice to the hot broth mixture when you add the chicken. Or stir 1/2 cup uncooked long-grain white rice into the boiling chicken broth mixture and cook for 5 minutes before lowering the heat to medium and adding the carrots and optional celery. Proceed with the recipe, adding the chicken when the rice is almost tender, about 5 minutes after the carrots are added.
Recipe courtesy of Rotisserie Chickens to the Rescue by Carla Fitzgerald Williams. Copyright © 2003 Carla Fitzgerald Williams. All Rights Reserved. Published by Hyperion. Available wherever books are sold.
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The information presented in the Food Guide is for informational purposes only and was created by a team of US–registered dietitians and food experts. Consult your doctor, practitioner, and/or pharmacist for any health problem and before using any supplements, making dietary changes, or before making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires September 2008.