Sicilian Chicken Soup

Clayton and I love soup so I started a post asking for favorite recipes on Facebook.  I had many good responses so I designated this week as soup week.  We will be trying 7 new recipes that are guaranteed to be tried-n-true by my friends.  Day 1 started on Monday but then I ended up working on a movie set on Tuesday (12pm-2am), so day 2 got pushed to Wednesday. Well, I was too exhausted on Wednesday and we went out to eat instead.  Tonight will be day 2 and then I will finish day 7 on Tuesday.  I will post each recipe here along with a review so everyone can try these amazing soups. :)

Last week, we tried a recipe and loved it.  This Sicilian Chicken Soup is very much the same as the chicken soup at Carrabba's.  It is very hearty and the flavor is spot on.  I want to thank Amy for sharing it with me. :)

Sicilian Chicken Soup (Carrabba's clone)

• 5 celery ribs
• 4 medium carrots peeled
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 medium potatoes peeled
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 1 14 oz can Italian plum tomatoes (or whole peeled tomatoes)
• 2 chicken breasts ( or 2-3 B/S thighs)
• 1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 6 quarts chicken broth
• Salt and pepper
• Romano cheese for topping
• pasta

1. Cook chicken. Reserve broth to cook vegetables in. Tear it into 1 inch pieces, kinda thin, but not shredded.

2. Dice celery, carrots, onion, potatoes and bell pepper into 1/4-inch pieces.

3. Chop tomatoes; reserve all juice. 

4. Place chicken broth, vegetables, tomatoes with their juice, parsley and garlic in a 10-quart stockpot. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly bring soup to a boil over low heat. Partially cover pot and simmer until vegetables are soft enough to mash in the bottom of the pot with the back side of a large cooking spoon. (I did not mash my veggies.)

5. Add chicken and bring it back to a simmer.  

6. Add cooked pasta to soup. Sprinkle the fresh Romano cheese on top.

Note---If you prefer, you can refrigerate and remove the fat that solidifies on the surface of the soup.

Stay tuned for: Day 1-Chicken Verde Stew with Hominy (It was another hit!)