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A close-up of a simmering soup with small herb dumplings, carrots, and herbs visible in a golden broth.
Melissa Jo

Italian Chicken Soup

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I love chicken soup especially on a cold day when I am under the weather; but Italian Chicken Soup is a full on comfort experience! My grandmother and mother always made chicken soup this way with little bread balls in the soup added at the very end and it makes all the difference with the overall taste, or shall I say experience? =-) Once you try this recipe you won't make it any other way!
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 5 people
Course: Main Course

Ingredients
  

Broth:
  • 5 lb. fryer chicken cut into pieces
  • about 8 cups of water
  • 1 large carrot
  • 4 stalks of celery
  • 2 onions
  • 2 bay leaves
  • salt & pepper
Soup:
  • 2-3 tbsp. of olive oil
  • 4 diced carrots
  • 4 diced stalks of celery
  • 1 large sweet onion diced
  • 8 cloves of garlic minced
  • dried or fresh thyme about 1 tbsp.
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp. of chicken base
  • homemade chicken stock
Bread Balls:
  • 1/2 a loaf of day old Italian Bread cut into small cubes
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup of grated Pecorino Romano cheese
  • 2 tbsp. of minced garlic
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • chopped fresh parsley about 1/2 a bunch

Method
 

  1. Add all of the ingredients listed in the "broth" section to a large pot or dutch oven and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer once it comes to a boil; and let it simmer on medium-low for about 1.5 hours.
  2. Strain out all of the broth and then chop up the chicken and discard the bones and skin. Rinse out the pot and add back to the stove.
  3. In the same pot sauté the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, thyme, salt & pepper until golden in olive oil.
  4. Once the veggies are golden add in the chicken base and sauté another few minutes with the vegetables.
  5. Next, add the chicken broth back to the pot and bring to a boil; then lower to a simmer and cook for about 20-30 minutes on the stove.
  6. While the soup is simmering prepare the bread balls. Combine all of the ingredients from the "bread balls" section & combine & squeeze together. Then, form into little balls with your hands.
  7. Add the bread balls to the soup after the soup has simmered at least 20-30 minutes. Drop them in and let them simmer on low only for about 5-10 minutes tops. Then serve up the soup and enjoy! =-)

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Notes

  • Homemade chicken broth is always the best, but when I am in a pinch and pressed for time, I use boxed chicken or vegetable broth. Both varieties work perfectly in this dish.
  • Make sure the Italian bread you use is at least one day old so it's slightly stale. This will ensure that the bread balls hold up in the soup.
  • DO NOT drop the bread balls into the soup until the last 5-10 minutes of cooking time. They don't take long and if you simmer to long they will break apart.
 

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