Description
Chicken Pastina Soup is an easy and comforting bowl filled with tender chicken and tiny pastina in savory broth with carrots and celery. It is one of the best healthy dinner ideas when you need something quick and simple for a busy weeknight dinner or meal prep. Every spoonful feels cozy while the vegetables add freshness and the pasta gives the soup a satisfying texture that makes this family friendly recipe perfect for chilly evenings.
Ingredients
- 2 medium breasts about 1 pound total Boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 2 medium diced Carrots
- 2 stalks diced Celery
- 1 small diced Yellow onion
- 3 cloves minced Garlic
- 6 cups Chicken broth
- 1 cup dry Pastina
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon plus more to taste Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped Fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the diced carrots plus celery plus onion and olive oil together and cook until the vegetables lose their raw firmness and the onion becomes translucent. The vegetables should shift around naturally as they soften while their colors deepen slightly and the pieces remain irregular rather than perfectly uniform.
- Stir the minced garlic into the softened vegetables and then add both whole chicken breasts plus chicken broth plus Italian seasoning plus salt and black pepper. As the mixture simmers the chicken turns opaque and firm while the vegetables float and redistribute throughout the golden broth instead of staying in their original positions.
- Once the 2 chicken breasts are fully cooked pull them into irregular bite size shreds and return all of the chicken to the broth. The soup changes from 2 solid chicken pieces to scattered strands and chunks that mingle unevenly with the softened carrots plus celery and onion.
- Stir the dry pastina into the simmering soup so the tiny pasta spreads between the shredded chicken and vegetables before gradually becoming plump and tender. The broth becomes slightly fuller in body as the pasta releases starch while the chicken and vegetables shift into a thicker and more evenly distributed mixture.
- Fold the fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley through the fully cooked soup and let the green flecks scatter naturally among the tender chicken plus pastina and vegetables. Serve one portion and finish it with grated Parmesan so some cheese begins melting into the hot surface while other strands remain visible and uneven.
Notes
Pro Tips:
- Cut the carrots plus celery and onion into small similar pieces so they soften evenly while keeping a rustic homemade appearance.
- Simmer the chicken gently instead of boiling hard because a steady low simmer keeps the meat tender and the broth pleasantly clear.
- Stir the pastina several times as it cooks because the tiny pasta settles quickly and releases starch that naturally thickens the broth.
- If the soup thickens after resting then loosen each serving with extra warm broth before reheating so the pastina stays pleasantly soupy.
Storage: Allow the Chicken Pastina Soup to cool before transferring it into airtight containers and then refrigerate it promptly. The soup keeps well in the refrigerator for up to four days. Pastina continues absorbing broth as it sits so the chilled soup will become noticeably thicker. Add a small amount of chicken broth when reheating until the consistency becomes loose and spoonable again. Reheat individual portions gently until steaming hot while stirring occasionally so the tiny pasta heats evenly. Avoid prolonged high heat because the chicken can become firmer and the pastina can turn overly soft. For freezing it is best to freeze the broth plus chicken and vegetables before adding pastina whenever possible. Freshly cooked pastina can then be stirred into the reheated soup for a better final texture.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian inspired