The Creative Kitchen | Winter Time Soup

With the snow starting to fall and chilly winter weather here to stay, there is no better way to warm your family up than with a delicious bowl of homemade soup (also great to help fight the flu this winter season!). These two versions of homemade chicken noodle soup from our friends at Cooking Light, are particularly kid-friendly – with the curly fusilli pasta in the first recipe and the zesty lemon flavor featured in the second. No doubt the whole family will be clanging their spoons and bowls for more!

Quick Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

2 cups water

1 (32-ounce) carton fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/2 cup pre-chopped onion

1/2 cup pre-chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 medium carrot, chopped

6 ounces fusilli pasta

2 1/2 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

Combine 2 cups water and chicken broth in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave at HIGH for 5 minutes.
While broth mixture heats, heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, celery, salt, pepper, and carrot; sauté 3 minutes or until almost tender, stirring frequently. Add hot broth mixture and pasta; bring to a boil. Cook 7 minutes or until pasta is almost al dente. Stir in chicken; cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated. Stir in parsley.

Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup

Ingredients

1 (4-pound) whole chicken

2 carrots, peeled, cut in 1-inch pieces

2 celery stalks, cut in 1-pieces

1 medium onion, peeled sliced

6 garlic cloves, crushed

4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

6 cups water

1 1/3 cups chopped carrot

1 1/4 cups chopped onion

1 cup chopped celery

2 teaspoons salt

8 ounces uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta)

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Lemon wedges (optional)

Coarsely cracked black pepper (optional)

Preparation

Remove and discard giblets and neck from chicken. Place chicken in a large Dutch oven. Add 2 chopped carrots, 2 chopped celery stalks, and next 5 ingredients (through bay leaves) to pan. Add 6 cups water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes.
Remove chicken from pan; place chicken in a bowl. Chill 15 minutes. Discard skin; remove chicken from bones, discarding bones. Chop chicken into bite-sized pieces; cover and chill. Strain broth mixture through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Cool broth mixture to room temperature. Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours. Skim fat from surface; discard.
Add enough water to broth to enough water to broth to equal 9 cups; place broth mixture in a large Dutch oven. Add 1 1/3 cups carrot, 1 1/4 cups onion, 1 cup celery, and salt to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add reserved chicken, and simmer 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Keep warm.
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Add pasta to pan with chicken and broth mixture; stir in parsley, rind, and juice. Garnish each serving with lemon wedges and cracked black pepper, if desired.

The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.