Pastina in Chicken Broth

5 from 1 vote

Pastina with chicken broth is the coziest, most soothing bowl of comfort and is the Italian version of chicken soup.

Prep Time5

Cook Time3

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Daen Lia

Ingredients

Chicken Broth (brodo)

3.3 lbs whole chicken
3 carrots roughly chopped
3 celery stalks roughly chopped
2 brown onions quartered and with skin on
1/2 tbsp black peppercorns
1 head garlic halved
parsley stalks
fennel fronds
1 tbsp salt
2 bay leaves
2 gallons water
5 dried shitake mushrooms optional

Pastina

4 cups chicken stock or 4 cups
1/2 cup pastina
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup pecorino romano grated + extra to serve
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
pinch of flakey sea salt

Imperial (US) - Metric

Instructions

Chicken Broth (brodo)

Stock: Place all ingredients into a very large pot and leave uncovered. Bring to the boil and then turn the heat to low so the stock is at a gentle simmer. Simmer for 1 hour.
Chicken meat: Remove the chicken and pick off the meat with a fork. Allow the meat to slightly cool and store in an airtight container. Return the chicken carcass to the stock and cover. Cook on a low heat at a very gentle simmer for a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 6 hours.
Strain: Allow the stock to slightly cool then pass through a mesh strainer or until your broth is clear. You may have to do this step twice! You should be left with 3 - 4 litres of stock.

Pastina

Cook pastina: In a medium sized pot on a high heat, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add the pastina and butter to the chicken stock and immediately turn the heat down to low - medium. Continuously stir the pastina until it’s plump and cooked through. Roughly 5 - 7 minutes.
Season & serve: Take the pastina off the heat, season to taste with salt and stir through the cheese. Finish off with a sprinkling of extra cheese.

Notes

Chicken stock: Homemade brodo gives the deepest flavour, but a good quality store-bought chicken broth works beautifully if you’re short on time.

Pastina: Any tiny pasta shape works — stars, alphabet, or even orzo / risoni. They all soften into the broth and create that silky, cozy texture pastina is known for.

Nutrition