We're big fans of Dinner, A Love Story around here, and this soup has got to be my all time favorite recipe from the book so far. Since discovering it about 2 years ago, I've made it at least twice a month. It's gotten to the point where my daughter walks in the door and immediately smells the air and goes "ahhhh, chicken soup". I make it that much.
Why do I love it so much? Well, for starters, it's a one pot meal - the soup, chicken and orzo are all cooked in the same soup pot, which makes for easier clean-up. I also love it because two of my three kids still don't like the texture of chicken very much, so this is a great way to get some into them by chopping it very, VERY small. And lastly? It's one of those magical meals that everyone happily gobbles up - no whining, asking how many bites to eat, or fussing. It just goes straight down the hatch with a big smile.
I pretty much follow the original recipe exactly except for adding an extra carrot, a clove of minced garlic, and a shake of dried oregano and parsley. I have yet to use the parmesan cheese rind called for, but I do always serve it with grated parmesan - it absolutely makes this soup. I also usually end up needing all 8 cups of broth plus more to thin it out for lunch the next day.
Please, please, please give this recipe a try!
K I D D U T I E S : (kids can do any or all)
Peel carrots
Chop carrots (closely supervised, 8+)
Wash and chop celery into large pieces for food processor (closely supervised, 6+)
Chop celery and onion in food processor
I N G R E D I E N T S :
(Adapted from Dinner, A Love Story by Jenny Rosenstrach - you can find the original recipe here or in her highly recommended book here)
2 tbsp olive oil
4 carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped (*tip: use a small food processor to make this job easier for celery and onion)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried parsley
1 clove minced garlic
1/2 cup white wine
8 cups chicken stock
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, each cut into 3 equal chunks (or 4 if particularly large)
1.5 cups orzo
salt and pepper to taste
grated parmesan cheese and sliced avocado for serving
I N S T R U C T I O N S :
Heat oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium to medium-low heat.
Add carrots, onion, celery, minced garlic, dried parsley and oregano, a pinch of salt and pepper and saute about 10 minutes.
Add 1/2 cup white wine, increase the heat, and stir until liquid evaporates.
Add 6 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add chicken breast (making sure it is fully immersed in the broth), reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes until cooked. Once cooked, remove chicken to a cutting board, add 2 more cups of chicken stock and bring soup back up to boil. Add orzo and cook for 8 minutes, meanwhile chopping or shredding chicken into bite size pieces (I seriously mince my chicken for my toddler, as you can see in the pictures). Once orzo is cooked, remove soup from heat, add chicken back to soup pot and serve with a side of grated parmesan, sliced avocado and crusty bread or corn bread.
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