Here in Kentucky, winter is about to give what I suspect is its last gasp. I even woke up to a dusting of snow this morning. Judging from the future forecast though it looks like after this next week, the weather will break. No more nights in the 30's with the fear of frost. Days in the high 60's, low 70's. The garden will flourish. Our privacy fence of densely populated trees at the edge of our property (which lose their greenery every winter) will fill out with leaves again. And chicken soup that warms the soul will lose just a smidgen of its appeal.
What is it about chicken soup? There are a million ways and probably twice as many recipes for it out there. Here's what sets this soup apart from the pack-
-savory, delicious, and delicately spiced homemade chicken stock
-crunchy, salty, comforting bacon
-tender orzo, perfectly chewy in every bite
Add these factors to that oh-so popular combination of chicken, broth, onions, carrots, and celery, and you have a new, bacon-y taken on boring, old Chicken Noodle Soup.
Save time by utilizing leftover rotisserie chicken.
The mirepoix (onion, carrot, and celery) cooks in the bacon fat to add even more flavor.
Freshly made homemade chicken stock. Because we eat a lot of rotisserie chickens and turning the bones into broth is a no-brainer.
That little pasta that looks like rice, orzo.
This is a great twist on everyone's old favorite. Perfect for if you are looking for something just a little bit different.
Be sure to toast up plenty of bread for dipping in the broth!
As is typical with most soups, this makes great leftovers. The broth really comes to life on the second, third, and even fourth day. If you are making this soup and plan on freezing it, I would recommend cooking the orzo on the side. The freezer and cooked orzo do not good bedfellows make.
I hope you enjoy the recipe! :-)
Well friends, the hubby and I are still dealing with dog central here. The situation escalated slightly Thursday night. The black and tan puppy's owner came to fetch him, and asked that we not feed his dog. He told the hubby that the puppy had tons of food at his house, that he bought the puppy a watering fountain, and that he has a heated mat in his dog igloo. I'm fine with all this, but here's the thing- you have to actually make sure there's food out for the puppy so he doesn't come back over here. The puppy went home Thursday night and he hasn't been back. The owner also said the pup was going to obedience school soon and he would be gone for a couple of weeks. I'm hoping that's the end of, at least, the puppy situation.
As for the other 2? The owner said we could shoot them since they won't stay with him.
SAY WHAT?
Yeah, so that WILL NOT be happening. I'm really not fond of this owner at this point. The blonde dog is in heat, and I'm worried about feeding a zillion puppies. I think the hubby and I are going to try to get her to our local non-kill shelter ASAP. As for the beagle mix, I suspect he'll keep coming around. We are hoping we can get him to the point where we can transport him to the shelter as well.
What else can you do?
With dogs on the brain, the weekend progresses. 5 o'clock and a big glass of red wine usually makes everything better! Ha ha. I hope everyone is having an enjoyable weekend!
Recipe adapted from: Savory Simple
Ingredients (serves 4-6):
5 slices bacon, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 cups Homemade Chicken Broth
1/2 cup orzo, uncooked
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded/chopped
salt and pepper
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
1. In a large wide-side pan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until well-browned. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel. Set bacon aside.
2. Add onion, carrot, and celery to the pan. Sauté for 5-7 minutes, or until veggies have softened. Add garlic to the pan, sauté for 1 minute.
3. Add chicken broth to pan. Bring soup to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Add orzo to the pan. Simmer in soup for 10 minutes, or until orzo is tender. Add chicken to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until chicken is warmed through. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in fresh parsley. Remove from heat.
5. Ladle soup in bowls and top with reserved bacon. Serve immediately.
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Yum! A good pot of homemade chicken noodle soup is like a little bit of heaven. Adding bacon is genius!
ReplyDeleteI loved the bacon addition. Bacon makes everything better, doesn't it? Ha ha :-)
DeleteYour soup sounds wonderful... You can't go wrong with adding bacon!
ReplyDeletewow... I had to read what your neighbor's said twice to make sure I read your words correctly.
We have a neighbor that has a bad history with the local shelters, and when I went to them (shelter) for help some years ago, they were all to willing to help when they learned where our strays were coming from. Maybe you will run into a similar situation? Hoping they are helpful!
Bacon is the best :-)
DeleteI think we've got the situation mostly figured out. The puppy has not been back, I suspect he's at obedience school now. The hubby took the blonde dog to work and one of the guys there adopted her! So now, we just have the beagle. He's been hanging out around here, and he's pretty chill. He might end up staying with us :-)