Hearty Italian Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Ready in 45 minutes

Prep: 20 minutes

Cook: 25 minutes

Yield:6 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
1 chopped onion
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
6 whole sprigs, plus 1 tablespoon of chopped flat-leaf parsley
6 (3-inch) strips of lemon zest, cut from one lemon
One small head fennel, thinly sliced (two cups), fennel tops reserved
1 1/2 pounds of bone-in chicken breasts with skin removed
8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
A 2-3 inch piece of Parmesan rind, optional
2 sliced carrots (1 cup)
2 sliced stalks of celery (1 cup)
Kosher salt
2 cups, of whole-wheat extra-wide noodle style pasta, 2 3/4 ounces (we recommend: Ronzoni Healthy Harvest)
3 cups of baby spinach
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan, plus extra for passing
Lemon juice

Directions

First heat the oil in a Dutch oven set over medium heat and then add the onion and crushed red pepper flakes and cook until the onions begin to soften, for five minutes. In the meantime, tie the parsley sprigs, fennel tops and lemon zest together. Then add the broth, herb bundle, two cups of water, and, if using, the cheese rind. Then bring that to a very gentle simmer and simmer until the chicken is just cooked through, for about eight minutes. After that transfer the chicken to a cutting board and set aside until cool enough to handle. Then remove the meat from the bones in large strips, and set aside.

In the meantime, add the sliced fennel, celery, and carrots to the broth and season with salt, to taste. Then continue to simmer until the vegetables are just tender, for five minutes. After that stir in the noodles and cook until just al dente, for about about minutes. Then stir in the reserved chicken, Parmesan, and baby spinach until the chicken is heated through and the spinach is wilted. After that discard the herb bundle and cheese rind and stir in lemon juice, to taste. In the end ladle the soup into serving bowls and serve with additional Parmesan for passing. Enjoy.