Chicken & Stars Soup

In celebration of the Fourth of July this week, I am whipping up my version of Chicken & Stars Soup. It's that same soup you may remember from your childhood when you were sick but here at 491 West Main Street, I've added my own spin with a curated blend of my favorite herbs and spices.

LET'S TALK HERBS & SPICES

For the herbs, I used thyme, bay leaves, and oregano like I would in a traditional chicken noodle soup but I also added in some rosemary because it pairs so well with chicken. I also used a creole spice blend (of course) and it added the PERFECT kick.

CHICKEN

I used a rotisserie chicken for this soup that I picked up at my local supermarket. The meat is always juicy and full of flavor. If you wanted to make your own chicken I would recommend cooking the chicken breasts with the same seasoning as the soup (salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and creole seasoning). This soup works better with smaller pieces of chicken. I stripped the rotisserie chicken from the bone and then chopped into small pieces.

Let's get to the recipe...

PREP TIME: 5 minutes

COOK TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 25 minutes

SERVINGS: 6 Bowls

INGREDIENTS

1 MD Yellow Onion, diced

3 Carrots, diced

2 Stalks of Celery, diced

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Cloves of Garlic, minced

1 Tbsp Salt

2 tsp Creole Seasoning

2 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Pepper

1 tsp Thyme

1 tsp Rosemary

2 Bay Leaves

2 Cups of Chopped Chicken Breast

6 Cups of Chicken Broth (I used Better Than Bullion)

1/2 Cups of Pasta Stars

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a Dutch oven, over medium heat, sauté the Onion, Celery, and Carrots in the olive oil, 5-7 minutes or until the onions become translucent.

2. Once the mirepoix is cooked, add in the garlic, stir for about 30 seconds. Next, add in your herbs and spices and stir well to combine.

3. Add in the chopped chicken, stir to combine. Then add in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.

4. Once the soup comes to a boil, add in the pasta stars and cook until they are al dente. This will take about 5 minutes.

5. Remove the 2 Bay Leaves and serve. If you have any left over, you will need some extra chicken broth when you reheat. The stars will continue to grow and absorb the liquid. Enjoy!