One of the challenges I face is when one has leftover rotisserie chicken, what do you do?  There’s only so much chicken salad that a gal can make. Well, faced with a partial leftover chicken taking up valuable real estate in my refrigerator, I thought “Soup”.  However, I was not in the mood for my normal Southwestern Chicken soup.  Sadly, I found myself in a winter recipe rut.  My tried & true recipes were not an option and add a case of the winter blahs and I found myself in a winter recipe rut. 

Giada de Laurentiis had a recipe for a Lemon Chicken Soup with Spaghetti but since I’m not much of a spaghetti fan (don’t ask – it’s a childhood thing), I looked in the pantry and substituted egg noodles.  I also added the zest of one lemon and some garlic and celery and I found a new spin on an old favorite. 

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Lemon Chicken Noodle Soup

Recipe adapted Giada de Laurentiis, Food Network

Ingredients

• 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1-2 lemons) [I used one lemon and the zest]
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 (2-inch) piece Parmesan cheese rind, optional  [I just added some extra parmesan]
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4-inch pieces
• 1 rib of celery, sliced into moons
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1 cup (about 2 1/2 ounces) spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces, *see Cook’s Note [I used 2 cups of egg noodles]
• 2 cups diced cooked rotisserie chicken, preferably breast meat
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• Kosher salt

Directions

In a large stockpot, bring the chicken broth, lemon juice, lemon zest, bay leaf, and Parmesan rind, if using, to a boil over medium-high heat.

Add the carrots and celery and simmer until tender, about 5 to 8 minutes.

Add the pasta and cook until the pasta is tender, for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and discard. Stir in 1/2 of the cheese and the parsley. Season with salt, to taste. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

*Cook’s Note: You can use any short pasta from your pantry as a substitute for spaghetti.

Gather the ingredients

That bay leaf looks lonely among the chicken broth, garlic and lemon zest/juice, no?

No thumbs were butchered when slicing the veggies *phew*

Warm Comfort At Last – SO Good!

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