Hearty Chicken Soup with Orzo and Spring Vegetables

By LaLaCooks

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Classic chicken noodle soup is one of the all-time comfort foods. We eat it to nurse a cold or pair it with a simple sandwich for a satisfying meal. But making chicken noodle soup from scratch can take all day. We wanted a simple recipe but we wanted to make it the old-fashioned way—starting with a whole chicken— rather than cheating with store-bought broth.

We began by cutting the chicken into small pieces that could be browned in batches. To develop additional flavor, we sweated the browned pieces in a covered pot with an onion, then simmered them for less than half an hour. Now we had a stock that just needed some salt and a bay leaf to round out its flavor. We reserved some of the skimmed fat from the stock to sauté aromatics for the soup, and we added in tender chicken breast pieces that had already been poached in our stock. With a final sprinkling of fresh tarragon, our chicken noodle soup was complete—rich, homemade broth, moist pieces of chicken, tender vegetables, and perfectly cooked noodles.

Ingredients

• 1tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds), breast removed and split, remaining chicken cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion , cut into medium dice
• 2quarts boiling water
• Table salt
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 large carrot , peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1medium rib celery , sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 1 medium leek , rinsed thoroughly, quartered lengthwise, then sliced thin crosswise
• 1/4teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2cup orzo
• 1/4pound asparagus , ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
• 1/4cup green peas (fresh or frozen)
• 2tablespoons minced fresh tarragon

Preparation

Step 1

1. Heat oil in large soup kettle. When oil shimmers and starts to smoke, add chicken breast halves; sauté until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Add chopped onions to kettle; sauté until colored and softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to medium bowl; set aside. Add half of chicken pieces; sauté until no longer pink, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl with onions. Sauté remaining chicken pieces. Return onions and chicken pieces (excluding breasts) to kettle. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes. Increase heat to high; add boiling water along with both breast halves, 2 teaspoons salt, and bay leaves. Return to simmer, then cover and barely simmer until chicken breasts are cooked and broth is rich and flavorful, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove chicken breasts from kettle; set aside. When cool enough to handle, remove skin from breasts, then remove meat from bones and shred into bite-size pieces; discard skin and bone. Strain broth; discard bones. Skim fat from broth, reserving 2 tablespoons. (Broth and meat can be covered and refrigerated up to 2 days.)
3. Return soup kettle to medium-high heat. Add reserved chicken fat. Add carrot, celery, and leek; sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, along with broth and chicken; simmer until vegetables are tender and flavors meld, 10 to 15 minutes. Add orzo, asparagus, and peas and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings, stir in tarragon, and serve.