In Greek: κοτόσουπα, pronounced koh-TOH-soo-pah
A favorite nourishing cold weather soup, this works well as a first course soup or main dish. The recipe calls for small orzo pasta, but feel free to use your favorite soup pasta.
Prep Time: 1 hours
Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 3/4 pounds of chicken (about 1/2 chicken)
- 1 whole onion
- 2-3 whole stalks of celery with leaves (or 1/2 bunch of cutting celery)
- 12-14 cups of water
- 2 teaspoons of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
- 1/3 cup of olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup of chopped roma or plum tomatoes
- 1 potato, cut in small pieces
- 2 carrots, cut in small pieces
- 3-4 stalks of celery, thinly sliced (or 1/2 bunch of cutting celery, chopped)
- 1 large zucchini (Italian squash), sliced, quartered
- water (see below)
- 1/2 cup of small orzo, stars, or other favorite small soup pasta
Preparation:
Clean the chicken to remove any debris and rinse well. Place in a pot along with the whole onion, celery, salt, and pepper. Add 12-14 cups of water (enough to cover comfortably), and bring to a boil. Skim off foam as it rises to the top. Reduce heat to a slow boil and boil for 40-45 minutes.
Remove chicken with a slotted spoon (do not discard broth), remove and discard chicken skin and bones. Cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Strain the broth into a bowl and set aside; discard whole onion and celery.
In the soup pot, heat the oil and sauté the chopped onion until soft. Add tomatoes and sauté 3-4 minutes longer. Add chicken broth, potato, carrots, sliced celery, and zucchini. (If additional liquid is needed to cover the vegetables by 1 1/2 inches, add water.) Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a slow boil and cook for 1 hour. Stir in the chicken and continue to boil for 15 minutes. Add the pasta and boil for 5 minutes longer.
Turn off heat, leaving the pot on the burner. Cover and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving.
Yield: serves 6-8