Roasted Chicken Soup with Riso Pasta

After my husband and I returned to the “real” world on Monday after some wonderful time off during the holidays, we knew the magical time of year had come and gone. Saturday was deemed the day to take down the holiday decorations. We put them up the day after Thanksgiving since we were hosting the annual Ornament Exchange party this year. They had been up long enough. We dreaded the task since there was so much to take down and put away. The good news was that we were extremely organized and efficient; it only took us just under three hours.





With all of this work behind us, we were famished. I had two leftover roasted chicken breasts in the refrigerator and all of the ingredients to whip up a quick chicken soup. It was overcast and chilly all day, so chicken soup was perfect. The Riso pasta from De Cecco is tiny and ideal for this soup. I believe the secret to making this soup extra special is adding fresh parmesan cheese. It adds a salty yet rich quality to the soup.

Chicken Soup with Riso Pasta

2 quarts of Chicken Stock
2 Roasted chicken breasts with bones, taken off the bone and shredded
5 Celery stalks, sliced into ½ pieces
1 Medium onion, diced small
2 C. carrots – shredded or coins
¼ C. Flat leaf parsely, chopped medium
3 sprigs of fresh thyme – just leaves
½ t. Lowry’s Season Salt
1 t. Garlic powder
½ C. De Cecco – Riso Pasta (Orzo is a good substitute)
Salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese – sprinkle on each bowl of soup

Roast two chicken breasts with bones and skin. Season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Put oven on for 375. In a large skillet, add a touch of olive oil and turn burner on medium high. Add chicken breasts skin down. Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes or until skin is golden brown. Turn skin side up and add about 2/3 cup of water. Put into the oven for about 30 to 40 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly and firm to the touch. Let cool, then shred the chicken.

In a large stock pot add the stock and bring to a boil. Once to a boil, turn down the heat to medium. Add the celery, onions, carrots, thyme leaves, garlic powder, season salt and chicken. Cook for about 10 minutes. Next add the chicken & flat leaf parsley, riso pasta and cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat.