Chicken Pastina Soup
Chicken pastina soup is heartwarming and comforting. It features charming, tiny pastina pasta and savory chicken in a rich, flavorful broth. With a traditional soffritto of carrots, celery, and onions, simmered with fresh thyme and rosemary, this aromatic pasta soup embodies the essence of homemade comfort food.
What we love about this hearty pastina soup
- The combination of fresh rosemary and thyme add an aromatic complexity that truly makes this chicken soup stand out. The flavors are satisfying and the soup is nourishing making it perfect for chilly days, soothing for sick days, or simply a warm family meal.
- This chicken soup is easy to make and it’s budget friendly. It reheats well – making it a great lunch for the week. You can also freeze this soup and thaw it out in a pinch – so you’ll have a hearty and homemade last minute dinner.
Here’s what you’ll need to make it
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- Pastina – You can use other miniature pasta styles such as acini di pepe, orzo, ditalini or stelline.
- Chicken breast
- Fresh rosemary
- Fresh thyme
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Chicken stock
- White wine
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed below are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
How to make this chicken pastina soup
Sear the chicken. In a large dutch oven over medium high heat, sear chicken breast until golden. When the chicken has cooked to and internal temperature of 165˚F, remove from pot and set aside.
Simmer the aromatics. Add garlic, onions, celery and carrots cooking until onions become translucent.
Add the liquids. Stir in chicken stock, white wine, salt and herbs, bringing them to a rolling simmer. Return the chicken to the pot and continue to simmer the chicken breast whole.
Stir in the pasta. Remove the chicken breast from the pot, setting aside to shred while pasta is cooking. Add pastina and water to pot, continuing to cook until pasta is tender. Remove stems from fresh herbs and return shredded chicken to pot before serving.
Everything you need to know about pastina soup
Pastina is a tiny and charming pasta variety that’s commonly made from durum wheat semolina, water and sometimes egg, just like many other pasta types. It’s rolled out the and cut to shape it into those adorable little pasta stars.
Pastina and stelline are not exactly the same, but they are very similar. Both pastina and stelline refer to small, star-shaped pasta, and they’re often used interchangeably in recipes. “Pastina” can be a catch all term – referring to various tiny pasta shapes. Stelline specifically refers to “little stars” so it’s more specifically named for the star shape of this pasta.
Because pastina is a quick-cooking pasta you can add them directly to the chicken pastina soup. They will cook quickly and efficiently while making soup. If you decide to go with a larger sized pasta the cooking time will be slightly longer than with the pastina.
The availability of specific pasta products, including pastina, can vary by region and brand. It’s possible that in some areas or from certain manufacturers, you may find changes in product availability or variations in product lines. Rumor has it that Ronzoni has discontinued manufacturing their pastina, but there are other companies out there still making it, such as Barilla.
You can find pastina pasta from some popular pasta makers like Barilla, De Cecco, Ronco, Creamette, Colavita. They all make a variation of tiny pasta shapes that are either pastina, stelline or something similar that will work perfect for any pastina recipe.
More pastina recipes you will love
- Homemade spaghettios
- Lemon orzo salad
- Pastina (Italian penicillin)
Other soup recipes you should try
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Chicken Pastina Soup
Chicken pastina soup is heartwarming and comforting. It features charming, tiny pastina pasta and savory chicken in a rich, flavorful broth. With a traditional soffritto of carrots, celery, and onions, simmered with fresh thyme and rosemary, this aromatic pasta soup embodies the essence of homemade comfort food.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Pastina
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 – 1 ½ pounds chicken breasts, or 2 small breasts
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ cups diced yellow onion
- 1 cup diced carrots, about 1 large carrot
- 1 cup celery, diced finely
- 1 32-ounce container chicken stock (4 cups)
- 1 ½ cups pastina pasta
- 3 cups water
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 244
- Sugar: 4.6 g
- Sodium: 376 mg
- Fat: 7.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4 g
- Carbohydrates: 22.2 g
- Fiber: 1.8 g
- Protein: 21.8 g
- Cholesterol: 55.3 mg
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