Italian Wedding Soup

This is a Barefoot Contessa recipe, and I have never tried one that wasn't absolutely wonderful. Beyond a doubt, she is my favorite celebrity cook.


For the meatballs:
3/4 pound ground chicken 
1/2 pound chicken sausage, casings removed 
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs 
2 teaspoons minced garlic (2 cloves) 
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves 
1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano 
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving 
3 tablespoons milk 
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 

For the soup:
2 tablespoons good olive oil 
1 cup minced yellow onion 
1 cup diced carrots (3 carrots), cut into 1/4 inch pieces 
3/4 cup diced celery (2 stalks), cut into 1/4 inch pieces 
10 cups homemade chicken stock 
1/2 cup dry white wine 
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini, stars, or orzo 
1/4 cup minced fresh dill 
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed 


Preheat the oven to 350º. 

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesan, milk, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork. With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4-inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs. They don't have to be perfectly round.) Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned. Set aside. 


In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and sauté until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the fresh dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until the spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.  

Barefoot Contessa’s Mexican Chicken Soup

  4      (2 whole)     chicken breasts, bone in, skin on 
                       olive oil
                       kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  2      cups          chopped onion 
  1      cup           chopped celery 
  2      cups          chopped carrots 
  4      lg. cloves    garlic, chopped
 10      cups          chicken stock 
  1      can (28 oz)   diced tomatoes 
   2 - 4                    jalapeno's, seeded and minced
  1      tsp           ground cumin
  1      tsp           ground coriander
  1/4 - 1/2       cup   fresh cilantro, chopped 
  6      6-inch        white or yellow corn tortillas
                       
For serving: 
sliced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheddar and tortilla chips

Place chicken breasts skin side up on baking sheet; rub with olive oil,
salt and pepper. Bake @ 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until cooked
through. When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard bones and skin;
shred meat. Cover and set aside.

Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook over medium-low heat until onions start to lightly brown. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken stock, tomatoes and puree, jalapeno's, cumin, coriander, 1 tsp. salt
(depending on saltiness of stock), and 1 tsp. pepper. 

Cut tortillas in half, then crosswise into 1/2" strips. Add to soup. Bring to a boil; lower
heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Add shredded chicken and cilantro; 
season to taste. 

Serve hot with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar and broken tortilla chips.

Southwestern Chicken Soup with Black Beans and Corn

  1      Tbs            olive oil
  1/2                sweet yellow onion, diced
  4      cloves         garlic, minced
  1      tsp           cumin
  1/2  tsp           coriander
  1/2  tsp           oregano
  7      cups           chicken broth
  1      (15 oz) can    black beans, drained and rinsed
  1      (15 oz) can   diced tomatoes 
  2      cups          shredded roasted chicken
  1 1/2  cups         fresh, frozen, or canned corn
                       Handful of cilantro, chopped
                       Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
                       Corn tortilla strips, topping
                       Cotija cheese, topping

1. Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the
onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until soft; add the minced garlic, cumin,
coriander, and oregano then cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the
chicken broth, drained black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, and chicken to the
pot. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Simmer for 15-30
minutes.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Take a few corn tortillas and spray them with
olive oil cooking spray on both side. Cut into small strips and place on a
baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Bake until golden
brown on both sides, about 5-7 minutes.

3. Add fresh chopped cilantro to the soup then ladle into bowls. Top the
soup with the crispy tortilla strips and a little cotija cheese.

Tortilla Soup

Okay, this is a must make recipe if there ever was one. Carolyn McFarland is a bridge friend from Whittier (and who, by the way is the best cook I know . . . and I know lots of them). Anyway, she gave me this recipe a few years ago and I promptly put it in the cupboard alongside several other recipes I had on a recipe card. Out of sight, out of mind . . . until yesterday when I cleaned out the cupboard. Chicken soup was on the menu this week so I decided to put this one to the test. It's a knock-out if there ever was one!!!

NOTE: The chili powder you use makes a big difference in the outcome. Some chili powders are more potent than others. Gerhardt is a good choice. McCormick's is too spicy, so you may have to alter the amount you use.

4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1  large  onion, chopped
6  corn tortillas, cut in 1/2" squares
6  cloves  garlic, chopped
2 - 3 Tbs oil
2  qts  chicken broth
1  can  (28 oz)  chopped tomatoes
1  can  (7 oz)  chopped Ortega chilies
1  bag  (16 oz)  frozen corn (I like white corn)
1  Tbs  cumin
2  Tbs  chili powder
Salt and pepper, to taste

Toppings:
Chopped green onions
Grated pepper jack cheese
Chopped fresh chilies, optional
Cilantro
Flour tortillas (cut into 1/8" strips and fry in oil until crisp)


Poach the chicken breasts in water until just done. Try not to over-cook them, as it dries them out (and they will cook another 20 minutes later). Drain, cut into chunks and set aside.

Saute onion in oil until tender, but not browned. Add garlic and corn tortilla squares. Saute briefly. Add chicken broth, chopped tomatoes, Ortega chilies, frozen corn, chicken chunks, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Simmer about 20 minutes. Top with the toppings and serve.

We didn't serve fresh chopped chilies, as we used pepper jack cheese. The recipe just called for chopped cheese, not specifying any particular kind. But the pepper jack was just perfect.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

This is Haylee's all-time favorite soup. She just lights up when I fix this, which is often. She even eats the leftovers for breakfast. It's healthy, so what can I say. Use a rotisserie chicken, as the flavor from them is far superior to a fresh raw chicken which is usually used. Also, BEEF bouillon is correct . . . not chicken bouillon. It's flavor dynamite! Sometimes I substitute a couple cans of corn (not drained), for the mixed vegetables. 


1  rotisserie chicken
1  onion, quartered
2 - 3  carrots, peeled and chunked
1/2  cup  fresh parsley, use stems and all, (or 1/4 cup dried)
2 - 3  stalks  celery, chunked
3 - 4  Knoor brand* beef bouillon cubes
2  bay leaves, optional
Fresh ground pepper
1  pkg   refrigerated fresh tortellini
3 - 4  cups  frozen mixed vegetables         

Remove any twine holding chicken together. Put the chicken in a large (wide) kettle and break apart.

Fill pot with water to just cover ¾ of the chicken. Add the next seven ingredients. Bring to a boil and gently simmer for about 1½ -2 hours.

Remove from heat; strain broth into a large bowl. Then restrain it in a fine mesh strainer to remove all the little bits of unwanted ingredients. Cool the chicken and cooked vegetables until you can easily handle it. Pick all the chicken from the bones. Set aside. Discard skin, bones, and vegetables. (If time allows, when the broth cools, refrigerate it so fat can be skimmed from the top and discarded.)

Add chicken to the strained broth. Bring to a boil; add tortellini and return to a boil. Simmer for about 3 minutes before adding the frozen mixed vegetables. Return to a boil once again, and simmer for 5 minutes.


This is Haylee's all-time favorite soup. She just lights up when I fix this, which is often. She even eats the leftovers for breakfast. It's healthy, so what can I say. Use a rotisserie chicken, as the flavor from them is far superior to a fresh raw one that is usually used. Also, BEEF bouillon (Knoor brand is the very best),  is correct . . . not chicken bouillon. It's flavor dynamite!


*Knoor brand is the very best. They are about twice as large as Wylers cubes, so use your judgement if you use anyting other than Knoor.

My Favorite White Chicken Chili

This recipe is loaded with flavor in every bite.

1  large  onion, diced

5  cloves of garlic, minced

1  carrot, peeled and diced

1  celery rib, cleaned and diced

2  tomatillos, quartered

1/2  cup  water

2  jalapeno peppers, seeds and lining removed

1  can (4.5 oz)  diced green chilies

2  Tbs  olive oil

2  Tbs cumin powder

1  tsp dried oregano

Generous pinch of salt

Generous pinch of pepper

2  cans (16 oz)  navy beans, drained

2  cans (16 oz)  corn, drained

4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cubed

2  quarts chicken stock

1/2  cup  half and half cream

1  cup  grated Monterey Jack cheese

Fresh (fried) corn tortilla strips* (optional)

Additional grated Monterey Jack cheese for topping

Begin by warming your soup pot on medium-high heat for a couple of minutes. Add the olive oil, and toss in the onion, carrot, celery, green chilies, and garlic. Give a good stir. During this time, add the jalapenos and tomatillos to a blender, along with the water. Pulse this down until you have a nice puree.

Head back to your pot and add in the jalapeno and tomatillo puree. Cook down a few more minutes. Add in your cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, and give another mix. Add in the chicken stock. Mix well, then begin to ladle in batches, back to the blender, pulsing down into a smooth puree, or to a texture that you like. Return the blended soup back to the pot. Add in the cubed chicken, half and half, cheese, corn and beans. Cover; bring to a boil and then reduce the heat, cooking another 20 minutes or until you cannot stand it any longer.

Ladle into your soup bowls. Top with additional grated cheese, and stack some fried tortilla strips on top.

*These really add a nice crunch to the soup. Cut corn tortillas into 1/8” strips. Heat a little bit of corn oil in a frying pan, and sauté the tortilla strips until golden. Don’t crowd these in the pan; rather make additional batches to get the desired amount you want.

Barefoot Contessa’s Mexican Chicken Soup

4  (2 whole)  chicken breasts, bone in, skin on 
Olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2  cups  chopped onion 
1  cup   chopped celery 
2  cups  chopped carrots 
4  lg  cloves  garlic, chopped
10  cups  chicken stock 
1  can  (28 oz)  diced tomatoes 
2 - 4  Jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
1  tsp   ground cumin
1  tsp   ground coriander
1/4 - 1/2  cup  fresh cilantro, chopped 
 6  (6-inch)  white or yellow corn tortillas


For serving: sliced avocado, sour cream, shredded cheddar and tortilla chips

Place chicken breasts skin side up on baking sheet; rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake @ 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until cooked through. When chicken is cool enough to handle, discard bones and skin; shred meat. Cover and set aside.

Heat 3 Tbsp. olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook over medium-low heat until onions start to lightly brown. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add chicken
stock, tomatoes and puree, jalapeno's, cumin, coriander, 1 tsp. salt (depending on saltiness of stock) and 1 tsp. pepper. 

Cut tortillas in half, then crosswise into 1/2" strips. Add to soup. Bring to a boil; lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes. Add shredded chicken and cilantro; season to taste. 

Serve hot with sliced avocado, a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar and broken tortilla chips.

Southwestern Chicken Soup with Black Beans and Corn

1 Tbs  olive oil
1/2   sweet yellow onion, diced
4  cloves   garlic, minced
1  tsp   cumin
1/2  tsp  coriander
1/2  tsp  oregano
7  cups   chicken broth
1  (15 oz)  can  black beans, drained and rinsed
1  (15 oz) can  diced tomatoes 
2   cups   shredded roasted chicken
1-1/2  cups  fresh, frozen, or canned corn
Handful of cilantro, chopped
Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Corn tortilla strips, topping
Cotija cheese, topping

Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until soft; add the minced garlic, cumin, coriander, and oregano then cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add the chicken broth, drained black beans, diced tomatoes, corn, and chicken to the pot. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper. Simmer for 15-30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Take a few corn tortillas and spray them with olive oil cooking spray on both side. Cut into small strips and place on a baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper if you like. Bake until golden brown on both sides, about 5-7 minutes.

Add fresh chopped cilantro to the soup then ladle into bowls. Top the soup with the crispy tortilla strips and a little cotija cheese.