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| Thick and Hearty |
Store-bought rotisserie chickens are one of the best bargains at the grocery store. Here is a good way to use the leftovers. You can freeze the carcasses until you have enough meat to make a soup. Thaw completely before starting to make the soup.
---Barbara
Rotisserie Chicken Noodle Soup
Makes 6 cups or 2 dinner-size servings
leftover grocery-store rotisserie chicken, removed from the carcass, cut into bite sized pieces (2 cups), discard skin, watch for bones, save jelly (coagulated juices) to add to the pot
1 medium to large sweet onion, halved, sliced into crescents
2 medium to large carrots, scraped and cut into small coins (bite-sized)
2 medium to large celery ribs, washed and cut down the middle then sliced crosswise into crescents
2 14.5 ounce cans low sodium chicken broth
1 14.5 ounce can water
salt and pepper
2 T. olive oil
1 cup cooked pasta (orzo or other small pasta)
Shredded Parmesan-Reggiano cheese for garnish
If you have frozen the carcass(es), defrost completely in the fridge.
Pick the meat off the chicken, remove all bones, remove skin, save the jelly (the coagulated juices). Ideally you will have about 2 cups of chicken. Chop into bite-size pieces.
Chop veggies and set aside.
Heat oil in a 3 quart stock pot with lid, and saute veggies with salt and pepper until onions are translucent, about 5-10 minutes.
Add jelly from the chicken, the stock, and water, then bring to low boil and cook veggies --- about 5 minutes.
Add chopped chicken and bring to low boil again to reheat the chicken.
Add the ccoked pasta and stir. Note: you can add uncooked pasta if you do it at the very end just before serving. Use 1/3 cup instead.
Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
Turn off the heat and cover. Let sit until dinnertime for the flavors to blend.
Gently reheat.
If you are adding uncooked pasta, do it now. Stir in 1/3 cup of orzo and cook for the amount of time specificed in the pasta directions, about 8 minutes for al dente. Check to see that the pasta is cooked before serving and if needed, cook a little longer.
Ladle into bowls, and add shredded cheese to the top of each serving.
B