(30 min prep, at least 1 hour to cook*, but the longer it cooks the better it is!)
Ingredients
Whole chicken*
carrots
celery
onion
mushrooms
oil
salt
pepper
oregano
chicken broth (~96 oz per whole chicken)
pasta (ditalini) *
Chop carrots, onions, celery and mushrooms.
In a pot, sautée, with oil, the carrots, celery and onions for 3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Then add the mushrooms and sautée all together for another 3 minutes. Switch the heat to low and put the top on the pot to cook.
While the vegetables are cooking, take apart the whole chicken. Once all chicken has been removed from the bones, shred with two forks as best you can. Then chop with a knife.
Put chicken into the pot with the vegetables.
Add enough chicken brother to fully cover all ingredients (about 1-2 inches above the ingredients in the pot. For a whole chicken with vegetables that's about 96oz for me, but do as you see fit!) Cook on medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes and stir occasionally. Then let simmer with lid on for as long as you would like, the longer it cooks the better! I prefer mine to simmer for at least 1 hour before serving.
When ready to serve, make the pasta and serve in same bowl as the soup!
*you can certainly buy a raw whole chicken and make it from scratch - but what mom has time for that on top of making the soup?! Most grocery stores should have pre made whole chickens!
*I like ditalini pasta the best. I'm not sure why, maybe its because my mom always made it that way. But feel free to use any small pasta (elbows, small shells, etc)
*This is often a Sunday dinner meal, especially for working moms. I will usually cook this around lunch time and serve for dinner to let it simmer for a nice long time! The perk is that it freezes perfectly - so make a lot and use it often!
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