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A bowl of chicken pastina soup shown with a spoon next to it. Bowl is garnished with fresh Italian parsley.
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Chicken Lemon Pastina Soup

This chicken lemon pastina soup is such a hearty, comforting soup with delicious flavors and packed with nutrients. Enjoy it as dinner or a light meal!
Course Soup
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword Chicken Lemon Pastina Soup, Chicken Pastina Soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Cooling time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 348kcal
Author Sonila

Equipment

  • 1 Medium size pot
  • 1 Ladle
  • 1 Wooden spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 rotisserie chicken leftovers
  • 10 ozs pastina
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • 1 lemon
  • 3 carrots
  • 3 celery ribs
  • 1 fennel stalk
  • 2 tbsps olive oil extra virgin
  • 2 tbsps tomato paste
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 0.5 tsp thyme
  • 1 cup fresh parsley, divided 2 tbsps of that will be used for garnish, but the rest in the soup.

Instructions

  • Add rotisserie chicken leftovers to a pot with 5 cups with water, bring to boil then lower heat to medium. Let cook for about 25-30 minutes. Strain the stock and add it to a pyrex container. Once chicken is cool to touch, then remove with pieces of chicken and set aside as well. I usually get about 2 cups of shredded chicken but this might vary by family and where you buy your rotisserie chicken. You can freeze leftover rotisserie chicken until you have 2 of them if you think you'll need more.
  • While rotisserie chicken leftovers are cooking, clean, peel and dice carrots, celery and fennel stalk. If you can buy carrots sticks and celery ribs already clean, it will save you some time prepping. Peel and mince garlic set aside. Dice onion.
    Squeeze half a lemon, set the juice aside. Chop all the parsley, divide 2 tbsps of the chopped parsley for garnishing later.
  • Add olive oil to soup pot. Saute onion and garlic until aromatic and translucent. Add carrots, celery and fennel. Stirr with a wooden spoon until all the vegetables are soft.
  • Add tomato paste right in the middle and mix the vegetables with it slowly as the color and aroma start releasing as the paste warms up.
  • Add shredded chicken, chicken stock and all the herbs and seasonings. Plus salt and pepper. Once the soup is boiling, lower heat. Add lemon juice and maybe few slices of lemon to the soup. Add chopped parsley.
  • Finally add pastina. Towards the 5 minutes mark, turn heat off, cover the soup pot and let finish cooking while you set up the table. Serve with your favorite bread or salad.

Notes

  • This soup makes 6 full servings, but if you have kids or just serve a cup instead of a bowl, you'll definitely have plenty of leftovers. 
  • Recipe uses leftovers of a rotisserie chicken, but if you want to roast a chicken specifically for this soup, then use 2 cups shredded chicken and 4 cups chicken stock.
  • Soup can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days. 
  • Calories and nutrition values are an estimate since it's hard to calculate the details of a rotisserie chicken leftovers. 

Nutrition

Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 653mg | Potassium: 437mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 6099IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 3mg