The best way to spend a snowy weekend curled up by the fire is with a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup. I could never find the perfect recipe until I was invited to my friend Marisha's for dinner one night, and she served this fantastic take on an old standard. This is a recipe that you'll need to commit an entire day to, or roast the chicken one day and make the soup the next.
Chicken Tortellini Soup
One whole roasting chicken
4 whole cloves garlic
One whole onion, peeled and quartered
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
one 16 oz. can chicken broth, low sodium, low fat
one teaspoon poultry seasoning
Roast the chicken in a covered dutch oven at 350. Place chicken in pot, stuff cavity with garlic cloves and thyme. Pour chicken broth in bottom of pot and sprinkle with poultry seasoning. Bake until done according to weight of bird. Place chicken on a platter and allow to cool, transfer all remaining ingredients and liquid into a large stockpot. To the stockpot add:
The leafy tops from an entire bunch of celery
4 whole cloves
1 TBSP Pampered Chef's Southwest Seasoning
2 bay leaves
8 C water
1 32 oz. box Kitchen Basics Chicken Stock
Once the chicken has cooled, remove and discard the skin. Pick off all meat, place into a bowl, cover and refrigerate. Once the soup base is complete, you will come back and chop the chicken, but avoid doing it immediately so it doesn't dry out. Take the remaining chicken carcass and drop it in the stockpot with the other ingredients. Bring the base to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to a simmer for two hours. While base is simmering, saute in a large skillet:
4 TBSP Butter
Entire bunch of celery, chopped
One pound bag baby carrots, chopped
One white onion, minced
1/2 C fresh parsley, finely chopped
When onions are translucent, turn off heat and set aside. Once base has simmered for two hours, pour entire contents of pot through a strainer, discarding all solids. Return base to stockpot, and add the celery mixture. Taste the base to see if it's "chickeny" enough. If the chicken flavor isn't strong enough, add one tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon chicken base, dissolving into soup. Continue to add one tablespoon at a time until base flavor has reached desired intensity. Keep heated just below a simmer. In a separate pot, cook one family sized package of Buitoni Three Cheese Tortellini for half the recommended cooking time. Drain off water, then add pasta to soup base. Chop the chicken into large chunks and add to pot. Once chicken is warmed through, serve immediately with a hearty, crusty bread. Serves 6-8.
