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Healthy Lemon Recipes

Italian Lemony Chicken & Orzo Soup

Italian mothers know there away around the healing powers of chicken soup. Just try it and find out for yourself!
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Prep Time 1 day 40 minutes
Cook Time 9 hours
Course Soup
Servings 4 persons

Equipment

  • Large Soup Pot
  • Kitchen Twine

Ingredients
  

  • 1 whole chicken
  • 4 whole carrots cut in large chunks, crosswise
  • 1 medium white onion chopped
  • 1 28 ounce canned San Marzano whole tomatoes
  • 1 whole turnip cut into large pieces
  • 1 whole lemon cut into slices
  • 4 sprigs fresh dill
  • 3 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley chopped
  • 8 cups chicken broth preferably homemade or Kitchen Basics
  • 3 stalks celery chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Wash chicken or chicken pieces thoroughly. Fill large pot nearly full with water. Insert whole chicken or chicken pieces into water and boil until chicken is cooked through.
  • Remove from heat. Reserve 1 cup of broth. Cut or tear chicken into bite-sized pieces, removing the skin and bones along the way. Clean and wash stock pot.
  • In clean stock pot, add 2 tablespoons EVOO and chopped white onion. Once it starts to melt, add in cut celery, and allow to melt with onions, approximately 10-15 minutes over a low simmer. Add in cut carrots and reserved chicken broth. Cook for approximately 20 minutes.
  • Add in canned tomatoes. (I cut the whole tomatoes by hand into smaller pieces - I prefer larger pieces than a pomodoro cut.) Add in cut turnip pieces.
  • Fill pot with 4-6 cups of chicken broth. Bring pot to boil, and then lower heat. Continue to cook gently with lid partially on pot for several hours, stirring frequently. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Thirty minutes prior to serving, add in desired amount of orzo. Add in additional chicken broth, as needed, to keep soup brothy.
  • Just prior to serving, combine chopped parsley and dill and 1 tablespoon or so of fresh lemon juice in a small bowl. When soup is ready to serve, ladle into warm bowls and sprinkle with lemon parsley mixture on top.