Tasty Tuesday - Italian Chicken Soup

With the weather cooling down as it has and a weather forecast of rain every day this week, I just had to post another soup recipe.

When I got this recipe in my inbox last week, I got REALLY excited. It sounds just like Carrabba's Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup, which is my favorite soup OF ALL TIME.

This is on the menu for Thursday night and I cannot wait to make it!

Pioneer Woman's Italian Chicken Soup

Picture and recipe found here.

Ingredients

1 box Ditalini Pasta (very Short Macaroni-type Pasta Noodles)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 whole Cut Up Fryer Chicken

8 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth

1 whole Medium Onion, Diced

2 whole Green Bell Peppers, Diced

2 stalks Celery, Diced

2 whole Fresh Jalapenos, Diced

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

1 can (28-ounce) Can Whole Tomatoes

2 cups Heavy Cream

1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 Tablespoons Minced Fresh Oregano

Salt And Freshly Ground Pepper, To Taste

Parmesan Cheese Shavings, For Serving

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta in a pot according to package directions, being sure not to overcook it. Drain and rinse in cold water to cool. Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil and set aside.

Place chicken in a large pot or dutch oven and cover in chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer chicken, covered, for 30 minutes. Turn off heat and leave covered for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and shred meat. Discard bones and set meat aside.

Dice canned tomatoes and return them to their juice. Set aside.

Heat a small skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil and oregano and turn off heat, stirring over the next minute to keep oregano from burning. Set this aside.

Either pour off chicken broth into a separate container or use a new pot to saute onion, green pepper, celery, and jalapenos in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, shredded chicken, and tomatoes with their juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add cooked pasta, cream, and all the oregano and olive oil from the small skillet. Stir to combine. Turn off heat.

Serve with lots of Parmesan sprinkled on the top--the more the better! Crusty Italian bread is good, too.

UPDATE: I made this last night (9.21.11) and it was REALLY spicy, too many noodles and not enough juice. I would cut the amount of pasta in half and only use ONE jalepeno. Delicious other than that! :)