Chicken Orzo Soup

 I have entered the zone where all I think about cooking (and pretty much all that I actually cook, if we are being honest) are soups and baked goods. Soups and baked good allll day long please!! Nothing hits the spot for me this time of year better than a hot pot of soup, plus if I'M feeling ambitious a freshly baked *something* warm from the oven. My last couple of posts have been all about the tasty baked goods side of the equation, featuring this obsession-worthy apple cake and these baked pumpkin spice donuts. Hence, I think it's time to move over to soups for a post or two. It's only fair right?? To balance out the sugar and spice and everything nice, you have to base your indulgences on a solid foundation of simmering fresh veggies and proteins.

Enter chicken orzo soup. It's basically like the chicken noodle soup of your childhood sick days grew up into a pot full of goodness and fresh herbs that you could eat all day long. Like any recipe, it's easy to swap out ingredients to fit your taste. If you don't want/have orzo, you could use a different type of pasta (although these little rice-shaped pieces of orzo fill your spoon really well, sans messy splashes). Or, you could substitute the rotisserie chicken with sausage, pancetta, or more veggies. I've adapted this from the amazing cookbook Flour, Too, whose namesake restaurant chain is located in Boston. And you can bet Bostonians know a thing or two about how to make a good winter soup. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

½ of a cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded

4-5 cans chicken stock

3 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 in pieces (or 1 cup shredded carrots)

2 celery stalks, cut into 1/2 in pieces

¾ cup orzo pasta

1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2 in pieces

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp paprika

1/8 cayenne pepper

2 tsp thyme, finely chopped

2 tsp sage, finely chopped

1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped

4 cups baby spinach leaves

Directions:

1. In a large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sweat the vegetables for about 8 minutes, stirring often until almost tender to the bite.
2. Add the chicken stock, raise the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Add the orzo, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the orzo is cooked. Add the zucchini, salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Let simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Add the shredded chicken and stir in the thyme, sage, rosemary, and spinach. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve immediately.