Italian Chicken Soup (Brodo Di Pollo)

Ingredients

For Stock

• 1 whole chicken (for stock and soup)
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and halved
• 2 celery ribs, rinsed, trimmed, leaves removed and quartered
• 1 small fennel bulb, stalks removed, then quartered
• ½ garlic bulb, halved widthways
• 2 bay leaves, dried
• 1 handful of fresh continental parsley and stalks
• 1 teaspoon of peppercorns

For Soup

• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium brown onion, roughly diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 medium carrots, diced
• 2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
• 1/3^rd cup dried risoni pasta
• 1 handful of fresh continental parsley to serve
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese to serve, along with salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Stock

• Place whole chicken, carrots, celery, fennel bulb and garlic bulb in a large stock pot, over medium heat
• Top with just enough cold water to cover the chicken.
• Add bay leaves, peppercorns, and parsley
• Allow ingredients to come to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 1 hour, partially covered.
• Remove the chicken, place on a cutting board and allow to cool. Once cooled, discard the skin and bones, and shred the meat with a fork. Set aside.
• Strain the stock through a sieve, into a large bowl to remove the vegetables and aromatics and set aside.

Soup

• Heat olive oil in the stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot and celery and sauté until the onion is translucent but not browned.
• Lower the heat to low, add the stock with the shredded chicken and the risoni.
• Add a handful of roughly chopped thyme and basil
• Simmer until the risoni is cooked, approximately 15-20 minutes.
• Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir through cheese and finely chopped parsley.
• Serve in bowls and enjoy.