Mama Mandola's Sicilian Chicken Soup

Step 1

Cook the ditalini pasta to al dente instructions in salted boiling water.  Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside.

Step 2

In a very large stock pot, on a med-high heat, add the EVOO.  When the oil shimmers, add the onion and garlic.  Once the onion and garlic soften, add the celery, carrots, and peppers.  Stir well until the vegetables become fragrant.  Add the Kosher salt and cracked black pepper.  Carrabba’s Sicilian Soup is slightly spicy, and the spice comes from cracked black pepper.  Add as little or as much cracked pepper as is suited to your taste.

Step 3

Place the entire chicken into the pot and add the potatoes.  Add fresh, cold water until the chicken is submerged by 1 ½” and bring to a boil.  Once the stock begins to boil, reduce heat to med-low, cover the pot by 2/3 and simmer until the chicken falls from the bone, about 2 ½ hours.  As the chicken simmers, remove and discard the foam that rises to the top, about every 20 minutes.

Step 4

When the meat easily falls from the bones, transfer the whole chicken to a cutting board.  Pick through the chicken meat, discarding all bone, cartilage, and skin.  Chop any large pieces of chicken to about ¼” chunks.  Return the pulled and chopped chicken into the stock and vegetable soup base and keep the soup on low to reduce. Add the tomatoes and parsley.  Taste to add any additional salt and cracked black pepper.  Add the ditalini pasta right before serving and allow to the soup to come back up to temp, slightly, to warm the pasta.

Step 5

Serve with Carrabba’s Mussels in White Wine and Carrabba’s Chicken Marsala and Enjoy!