Dry up the Sniffles with My "Quick, But it Tastes Like it Took All Day" Chicken Soup

quickchicksoup1

For the past several days I have had the mother lode of colds. You know the kind. One of those sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, feverish affairs where your eyes won't stop watering and your head feels like it's locked up inside a steel drum. Many of you out there have shared with me that you are going through this too. Now, I don't know about you, but when I feel this way, all I want to do is sit on my pathetic, sick little butt and let certain other people wait on me hand and foot, (like I do for them when they're sick). Yeah, right. Like that's ever gonna happen!

sadgirlwithcaption

Wouldn't it be nice to at least have some nice, hot, homemade chicken soup to slurp up? You bet your a$$ it would! But, that can take hours, and frankly, when I feel this crappy, I just can't be bothered.

What if I told you that I've found a way for you to have a whole pot of nurturing, comforting, restorative, delicious, made from scratch Jewish penicillin in under an hour? Would you be interested? Well, this is your lucky day, because I am about to show you how! I promise that if you'll keep an open mind, your sinuses will soon follow suit.

The first thing you will need for this soup is one of these:

delichicken

This is just what it looks like, a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket. I generally try to get the plain, roasted kind, but in a pinch, a lemon pepper one will do. Just don't go for the barbecue kind. Not a good flavor for chicken soup! The great thing about using an already roasted chicken is that whomever you send to the store really can't mess it up.

VegForSoup

The next things you'll need are some vegetables. I always use carrots, celery and onions to start, but sometimes I add parsnips, rutabaga, green beans or zucchini. It just depends on what you have and what you like. If you feel so crummy that you can't even bear the thought of chopping a few vegetables, you can also use frozen ones. I would still suggest you use some fresh carrots, celery and an onion though, because they will help to flavor your soup.

You will also need some canned chicken broth. Either regular or low sodium will do. I mix it half and half with water.

college inn broth souppasta

I also suggest having some kind of small pasta or pastina on hand to add at the end. You could also use microwaveable rice. Personally, I don't care for it, but it works in a pinch.

Fresh parsley or dill adds a nice touch, but if you don't already have some, skip it. The whole point of this is to keep things quick and easy, so you can rest!

quickchicksoup2

Once you have all of your ingredients ready, all you have to do is toss them all (except the pastina) in a large stock pot and simmer for about 30-40 minutes. Then, take out the chicken and remove the meat from the carcass. Shred it and add it back to the soup. Remove the vegetables, slice them up and add them back in too. About ten minutes before you plan to eat your soup, add the pastina or rice to cook and voila! You're done!

quickchicksoup3

This soup is really hearty and full of deep, rich homemade flavor. It's the perfect thing to nurse yourself back to health!

"Quick, But it Tastes Like it Took All Day" Chicken Soup (Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 fully cooked rotisserie chicken

3 carrots, trimmed, rinsed and scrubbed

3 ribs celery, trimmed and rinsed

1-2 onions, unpeeled and quartered

4 whole cloves

Small handful of parsley or dill sprigs

1 quart chicken broth

1-2 quarts water

1-2 cups uncooked pastina or other small pasta

Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Stud each clove in one onion quarter.

In a large stock pot, add the whole chicken, carrots, celery, onions and parsley or dill.

Add broth and water until chicken is just covered. Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes.

Remove chicken and vegetables. Strain soup and return to pot.

Add pastina to the soup and simmer about 8-10 minutes more, until pasta is tender.

Meanwhile, remove chicken meat from the carcass and slice the carrots and celery. Add all back to the pot.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh parsley or dill, if desired.

Enjoy!

Comments

La Bella Cooks said…
Now that is a chicken soup I can definitely be bothered to make! This would make anyone feel better, I think. I sure hope you are better soon! There is a bad cold running around the kids school and I am hoping it doesn't find its way over to our house. One can only hope! Get well!
Anonymous said…
I hope you're feeling a little bit better now!!

When I make Pity Party Soup (aka "FINE, I'LL MAKE IT MYSELF. EVEN IF I AM ON DEATH'S DOOR AND THIS MIGHT BE THE LAST THING I EVER COOK!!")I also add a very generous dose of garlic to it (to speed the healing AND flavour) and sometimes tabasco to remind my body that it has a metabolism.
Deborah said…
Luckily, I haven't been sick yet (knock on wood) but even not being sick, I would enjoy this soup! HOpe you are feeling better soon!!
Heather said…
mmmm i love chicken noodle soup. i've never thought of putting cloves in the onions... sounds delicious! do you remove them or do they just boil off while cooking? and i love rotisserie chicken!!!!
TeaLady said…
Don't have to be sick to make this. Quick, easy, and looks wonderful. Hope you are better.
Susan @ SGCC said…
Bridgett- Thanks! Yeah, I hope you don't catch this one. Very icky!

Tina- "Pity Party Soup"! I love it! Wish I'd thought of it. I don't usually put garlic in my soup, but I do often splash in some hot sauce.

Deborah- Thank you! Glad you like it.

Heather- I got the cloves idea from the old Silver Palate cookbook. It really does add something. I just take them out when I strain the soup.

TeaLady- Thanks!
CECIL said…
Oh, I have been feeling the same too and this soup just looks like the perfect comfort food! Of course, the fact that it is 'quick' version..it's all better! Hope you feel better soon :)
Rotisserie chickens are my life.......although that is ingenious putting it in water and simmering........never thought of that one. I just bring them home and debone them. I will try this definately.
Anonymous said…
Oh, excellent! This looks so tasty! The Permanent Dinner Guest loves chicken noodle soup, but I'm so lazy about soups because good ones often take so long. That, and he needs to avoid the canned stuff because of the sodium content. I'll have to pacify him with this the next time he begs for my chicken n dumplings that half a day to prepare. Thanks!
Manggy said…
Oh, that's terrible! (The cold, not the soup, of course!) I hope you've passed the worst of it. It's one of my biggest qualms about living alone-- when you get sick, you're stuck caring for yourself even if you're weak and malaise-y!
I'll keep this soup recipe in mind for (IF! hopefully not when!) that happens! It looks so easy, and so good too!
CookiePie said…
Mmmmmm - that looks so comforting and delicious...
Steph said…
I didn't think chicken soup in one hour is possible, but you sure made it work! I love the baby pasta you added.
What a brilliant idea! Stick the whole chicken in the pot for a while, I love it! I can't wait till I get a miserable cold to try this!! Hope your getting better Susan.
Anonymous said…
This is great. Can you send some over ASAP? ;)
Lien said…
Looks great! Love the title too :)
Get well soon!
Mary said…
I love homemade chicken soup! I even have some of the stuff that simmers for hours in my freezer just in case I catch that cold. It's really making the rounds! I hope you feel better soon!
Anonymous said…
I would just plop some Matzo Balls in there and be on the road to recovery!

Beautiful soup, I hope you are feeling better.
Lisa said…
Great recipe. Don't you just love those rotisserie chickens? I do the same sort of thing with aunt's Chicken and Dumplings recipe when I'm in a hurry. Delicious!
Peter M said…
I could use a bowl of this soup...cold, rainy day here and this would hit the spot. Love the pastina.
Lori Lynn said…
Hope you're feeling better by the time you read this post. I think the rotisserie chick gives a nice depth of flavor. And yea, no BBQ chicken, please. Oy.
Cakelaw said…
Yum! I wouldn't have to be sick to enjoy this.
grace said…
get well, get well soon, we want you to get well. :)
meanwhile, awesome soup, and by the by, isn't ditalini a fun word? :)
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the great tips and recipe. Rotisserie chicken is so convenient but I rarely go for it. It must be a pride/ego thing (I can roast chicken better, damn it!)
Anonymous said…
Hope you are feeling better, Susan! Your soup looks like the perfect comfort and medicine for times like this.

I love your addition of dill, something I find very soothing and medicinal too.
Cynthia said…
Sniffles or not, I want some of this.
Anonymous said…
I make soup like this too! Today I figured out that you can buy large cut mirepox(carrots celery and onion) in the fresh vegetable section at Wegmans. I boil the vegs for @ 25 minutes, dump in the chicken and add noodles after veggies are cooked. You1

Popular Posts