Nonna’s Pastina Soup – Italian penicillin with chicken and pasta.
This soup is a bit like a warm hug in a bowl. Nonna’s Pastina Soup – also known as Italian penicillin – is a classic, heart-warming chicken soup that Italian grandmothers have served for generations whenever someone in the family was under the weather or simply needed a little looking after.
And no, it probably won’t cure everything in the world… but it tastes wonderful, and there is something genuinely comforting in how simple it is. A clear stock, tender vegetables blended into a mild, smooth soup, a little pasta and juicy chicken. It isn’t a chunky soup you have to chew your way through – just a soft, soothing soup you can sip, enjoy and fill up on without any effort.
Use a whole chicken – it makes all the difference
I really do recommend using a whole chicken for this recipe – it gives you a rich, full-flavoured stock, which is the very heart of the soup. And the meat? It simply turns out far better than if you use breast alone.
How I do it
I put a whole chicken in a large pot and cover it with water – about 2.5 litres, depending on the pot. Then I bring it to the boil and skim it thoroughly so the stock stays clear and clean.
Next I add a few stock cubes (I use 2-3), peppercorns, a little salt and any vegetable odds and ends from the drawer – they add that little bit of extra flavour.
I simmer the chicken, covered, for about 45 minutes over a low to medium heat – it should bubble gently, not boil hard. When it’s done, I turn off the heat and leave the chicken to rest in the liquid for about 15 minutes.
Then I strain the stock, and once the chicken has cooled slightly, I pull the meat off the bones – and I’m ready to finish the soup with the vegetables and pasta.
Chicken breast instead of a whole chicken
If you want to save a little time, you can use chicken breast instead of a whole chicken.
Just bear in mind that the flavour of the soup depends on the stock – so make a strong base. For roughly 1.2 litres of liquid I recommend at least three stock cubes, so you still get the deep, rounded flavour that would otherwise come naturally from a simmered chicken.
You’ll still get a lovely, mild and creamy soup – but the flavour gets that extra lift when the stock is given a little extra care.
Making the soup ahead? Read on
If you want to make the soup well in advance – for meal prep, say, or just to get ahead – I have one piece of advice:
Cook the pasta separately and add it only when serving.
The reason is that if the pasta sits in the soup in the fridge, it soaks up a great deal of the liquid and swells up soft and bloated – a little dumpling-like in texture, and that is a real shame when the soup is otherwise so elegant and silky.
How I do it
When I’m serving the soup later, I reheat it with the chicken but without the pasta, then put a portion of freshly cooked pasta straight into the bowl and ladle the soup over.
That way you get the perfect consistency.
What is pastina?
Pastina means “little pasta” in Italian and covers all the tiny pasta shapes – often little stars, tubes or beads – used in soups and dishes for children and adults alike.
They add body but are easy to eat, and perfect in a gentle soup like this one.
Nonna’s Pastina Soup – Italian penicillin soup with chicken
Ingredients
- 1 large fresh chicken
- (or 600 g chicken breast – see introduction)
- 10 black peppercorns
- 2-3 chicken stock cubes
- Vegetable trimmings, e.g. spring onions, carrots, celery
- Salt
- Water
For the soup
- 1,8 l stock from the chicken
- 2 onions, halved
- 6 cloves garlic
- 3 carrots, thickly sliced
- 3 stalks celery, thickly sliced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 Parmesan rind
- 280 g small soup pasta (pastina), cooking time under 8 minutes
- Freshly ground pepper and salt, if needed
To serve
- Finely chopped parsley
- Grated Parmesan
- Olive oil
- Bread, optional
Method
- Place the chicken in a large pot and cover it with water. Bring to the boil and skim the surface thoroughly.
- Add the peppercorns, stock cubes, a handful of mixed vegetables and salt – turn down the heat and let the chicken simmer, covered, over a low heat for about 45 minutes, depending on its size.*Use vegetable trimmings or whatever you have to hand, – they are simply there to add more flavour to the stock.*If you are using chicken breast for the recipe, you can simply poach it in a little stock – it needs about 10 minutes, depending on size. In that case I recommend making a fresh batch of stock for the soup.
- Lift out the chicken and strain the stock to remove the vegetables, peppercorns and so on. Measure out the quantity of stock given in the ingredient list. Let the chicken rest while you prepare the soup – then pull the meat off the bones and cut or shred it into smaller pieces.
- Pour the stock into a pot and add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery – along with the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind. Bring to the boil and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are completely tender. Season with freshly ground pepper.
- Remove the bay leaf and the Parmesan rind and blend the soup with a stick blender, or lift the vegetables out with a slotted spoon and blend them with a little of the stock until you have a completely smooth purée. Pour it back into the pot.
- Add the pasta and let it cook in the soup until almost done, then stir in the chicken and heat through until the pasta is tender. Season to taste with freshly ground pepper and a little more salt if needed.
- Serve the soup topped with finely chopped parsley, finely grated Parmesan and, if you like, a drizzle of good olive oil and freshly ground pepper.
Nutrition
Premium
Min 10-årige søns absolut yndlingssuppe
Hej Anne
Ihhh hvor dejligt du skriver det – tusind tak 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Den var fuldstændig vidunderlig. Sådan en rigtig lækker vinter suppe
Hej Camilla
Tusind tusind tak for de søde ord:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
virkelig skøn support
Hvad gør du med grøntsagerne, du putter i til at lave boullionen? Smider man dem ud og putter nye i bagefter? 🙂
Hej Bekka
Du kan også bruge dem og blende dem hvis du ønsker, men når jeg koger en fond bruger jeg oftest rigtig trætte grøntsager, det jeg skærer fra, toppe og lignende – så det kasserer jeg blot og tilsætter så den friske del af grøntsagerne 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Tager lidt tid at tilberede, men nøj det var det værd! Super lækker her i den kolde tid
Hej Pia
Hvor dejligt at du kunne lide den:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Meget smagfuld. Tilføjede lidt chili for lidt varme.
Hejsa
Hvor lyder det også lækkert, god idé 🙂
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hvor mange gram grøntsager bruger du cirka?
Hej Nanna
Der skal faktisk ikke så meget til/)
Ca. 150 g gulerødder (skrællet vægt) og 100 g bladselleri:)
Warm wishes, Dianna