Carraba’s Mama Mandola’s Sicilian Chicken Soup

Now that I have shared my current mental health status, I thought that while I work through my stuff, I’d try to go back to a little bit of normalcy. I owe you some delicious soup recipes, so here we go…

I got this recipe from the Carraba’s Italian Grill Cookbook. I borrowed it from the local library and attempted to make one of my favorite soups. The flavor was beyond what I anticipated, so it has become a staple in our household.

Ingredients:

1 lb Chicken*
1 Large Onion, chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
3 Celery Stalks, diced
3 Carrots, diced
3 Green Peppers, diced
3 Medium Baking Potatoes, diced
1 Can (15 oz) Diced Tomatoes
1/2 Cup Parsley
1 Cup Ditalini Pasta
Salt and Pepper, to taste

Steps:

Place chicken, onions, celery, carrots, potatoes, peppers, and tomatoes in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by one inch.
Bring to a boil and skim the top to remove any fat that may accumulate
Add garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook until chicken is tender (approximately two hours)**
Remove the chicken, let it cool down, but keep the pot simmering
Shred the chicken
Cook pasta separately, according to its package instructions
Mash some of the potatoes to thicken the soup
Add chicken and pasta to the pot
Add more salt and pepper, if needed.

Notes:

*This is up to you whether you want to use white or dark meat. I particularly will only eat white meat, so I only use chicken breasts.

**You can also use a rotisserie chicken if you’d rather speed up the process. I have also made this soup using pre-shredded cooked chicken breast with great success.

This isn’t usually a freezer-friendly soup due to the potatoes and pasta, however, you can easily omit these ingredients and freeze the soup in smaller portions for future meals.

I haven’t tried making it without the chicken, but I bet you it can be made without it for a really delicious vegetarian soup. It can also easily be adjusted and omit the pasta, for a gluten-free meal.