Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo

There are just some recipes that you make again and again.  Maybe it's ease of making them, maybe it's the memory attached to them or maybe it's just that they are absolutely delicious, but we all have those recipes that constantly make it into our weekly menu.  This is one of mine.  Ever since I found it I've made it over and over, at least during the winter months.  Of course I should tell you that I can get a bit obsessive.  Like last summer when I seriously would make my hummus recipe at least once a week and sometimes twice a week.  When invited as a guest to dinner, I think people stopped asked me to bring an appetizer for fear that I would bring it... again.  Although it is still one of my favorites and very delicious, I did get a bit sick of it.  Not sick of it like I'm not going to make it again, but just down to the hummus-eating pattern of a normal person.  This recipe I'm not sick of yet and I'm on year two of making it.  Although I guess I only make it during the fall and winter so maybe that's why. But it's not just me.  My friend Steph makes it basically weekly now after getting the cookbook it is written in as a Christmas gift.  That's the sign of a great recipe.

Everyone I know that has tried this soup loves it, which is funny because it is pretty simple.  It has a relatively straightforward ingredient list and doesn't take long to make at all, but I think maybe it just reminds everyone of home.  I made this at my parents once last year and my uncle came over for lunch and said, "What is it about the Pond women, they all know how to make soup so well?" Of course this was in comparison to my mom's soup skills.  Quite the high compliment in my book.

Everyone craves chicken soup when they are sick.  My mom would always make us soup when we were sick.  And not the kind from the can, but the homemade kind.  With real chicken and real homemade noodles.  (Mental note, another recipe I need to figure out of hers.)  And although I love that one, this one is a bit different.  When I am sick I don't want any of the other ones, just the simple straightforward one, but when I'm not sick I tend to crave a bit bolder flavors so will be more apt to make chicken soup with a twist.  Like a Thai version with coconut milk, a Mexican chicken tortilla soup or recently I tried a Polish pickle soup that my friend Kasia made for me.  (Very good, give it a try.)

Or, more than likely, I will make this one and of course it has a twist as well.  It's actually very similar to a Greek Soup called Chicken Avgolemono or Chicken Lemon Rice Soup.  You've probably had some version of it at some point.  I like it because it's just a bit turned up from your regular soup.  There's some lemon in it and the teeny tiny orzo noodles instead of the long egg noodles.  Which I love because I never did like eating chicken noodle soup when the noodles slop all over and won't stay on your spoon.  And the process of adding the egg threw me off too; it thickens it a bit so it's not as thin as regular chicken noodle soup so I think it makes it a bit more hearty.  It's different, but yet familiar.

Of course there's still a place for both.  I still need to figure out my mom's chicken noodle, but for now this will probably remain on my menu.  For the next few months at least.

Trish's Tips:  This, like most soups, keeps well.  It does however thicken quite a bit in the fridge.  I like to keep extra chicken stock on hand to thin out the next day, mainly because I'm a broth-loving girl.  I tried whole-wheat orzo for the first time.  And... not a fan.  I do love whole wheat and try to use it in almost everything but just didn't feel like it went here.  It turned out a bit gummier than the regular white pasta.  Make sure the vegetables are cooked before you add the orzo because once you add that your time is limited and you will then either have underdone veggies or overcooked noodles.  I like to cut up a lemon and serve it with the soup for those that like it with a bit more zest.  (Like me!)

Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo
Adapted from Ellie Krieger

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 bone-in, skin-on split chicken breast
1 medium onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
2 tsp chopped fresh thme
6-8 cups chicken broth
1 cup orzo pasta
2 large eggs
3 TBL fresh lemon juice
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Put chicken in pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper then drizzle with olive oil.  Rub with your hands over the chicken to coat all sides of the chicken.  Put in oven and roast for 35-40 minutes or until done.  Let cool until cool enough to handle, remove and discard skin and shred or cube chicken.    Set aside.

Heat soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add 1 TBL olive oil.  When oil is heated add the onion, celery, carrot and thyme and cook, stirring over medium-high heat until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.  Add 5 cups of the broth and bring to a boil.  Add the orzo and let simmer until tender, about 8 minutes.  Turn the heat down to low to keep soup hot but not boiling.

Warm the remaining 1 cup broth in a small saucepan until it is hot but not boiling.  In a medium bowl, beat the eggs.  Gradually whisk the lemon juice into the eggs.  Then gradually add the hot broth to the egg-lemon mixture, whisking all the while.  Add the mixture to the soup, stirring well until the soup is thickened.  Do NOT let the soup come to a boil.  Add the cooked chicken to the soup.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Add remaining broth if desired depending on the level of thickness that you like or save the extra for when reheating to thin out.

Soup Season

As the name of my blog would suggest, there really isn't a soup season.  But I don't think anyone will argue that when the weather drops like it has in the last couple of weeks in Chicago, soup sounds pretty darn good.  Especially Tomato Soup, maybe with a grilled cheese?  Other than mac 'n cheese, I can't think of a better comfort food.  I would say soup is definitely up there as the top things that my mom was great at making.  That and bread, which probably comes as no surprise to anyone reading this as those are the only posts I have made, although I will argue stew isn't really the same as soup.  All right, a bit of a stretch I know, but worth a try.

This recipe isn't one of my mom's, although I think she would have liked it.  It's one of Giada De Laurentiis' and my mom had all of her cookbooks.  She didn't always, okay never, cook from them verbatim but used them as inspiration.  She may have said, "I'm making tomato soup"  to which I would ask, "who's recipe?" to which she would answer, "a combination of Giada's, Barefoot's and Tyler Florence".  That translated meant that she would used aspects of each recipe and combine them to make her own creation.  And it was always good!  Hoping I can pick up that talent at some point.

I also think this time of year is very fitting for this recipe because it would be perfect for a Holiday Open House.  The deep red color with the rosemary garnish is particularly festive.  And, of course, soup is always great for entertaining.  In fact this is already on the menu for a baby shower that I am co-hosting in January.

I think the thing that I like best about it is that although it's a tomato soup, it's much more filling due to the beans than your standard tomato soup.  The white beans add a creaminess factor that you would otherwise have to add cream to get.  So it's also on the healthy side as you get the fiber and protein from the beans without all of the fat from the cream.  My mom probably wouldn't have liked that part of it, in fact I'm pretty sure she would have still added cream to it, and you should try that too.  It probably would be even better than it is here.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Trish's Tips:  Make sure to cut the carrot smaller than the onions or let simmer for longer than 30 minutes.  If not, they don't do well in the puree stage and you will end up with chunks of carrot.  You could also use a food mill to puree.  If you are using a blender BE CAREFUL! The steam can literally blow the top off of your blender.  I suggest filling only halfway, then removing the cap from the little whole and covering with a towel while you blend.  This enables the steam to get out.  This soup has a little bit of a kick.  If you are a bit wimpy when it comes to spice, decrease the amount of red pepper flakes or leave them out all together.  (By my use of the word 'wimpy', can you tell that I love spice?)  I certainly wouldn't describe this as spicy, but it does have a bit of a kick to it.

Hearty Tomato Soup with Lemon Zest & Rosemary
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
2 TBL olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 carrots, (about 1 cup) peeled and chopped (better to chop smaller than the onions)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1- 15 oz can cannelini or other white beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 28 oz can crushed or diced tomatoes with liquid
3 cups chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 tsp minced fresh rosemary, separated (1 tsp for mixing in and 1 tsp for garnish)
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
Slices of fresh mozzarella or goat cheese to top with
Zest of one lemon

Directions
Heat a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, carrots and garlic and cook until the vegetables are tender but not browned, about 5-10 minutes.  Add the beans, tomatoes, broth, bay leaf, 1 tsp rosemary, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.  Bring the soup to a boil over high heat and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, covered.

Puree the soup in a blender in batches, being careful to remove and discard the bay leaf.  Return the soup to a soup pot and keep warm over low heat.  Taste and season as needed.

Serve topped with cheese and a bit of lemon zest and remaining 1 tsp rosemary.