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–+ servings
Homemade Chicken and Stars Soup
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5 from 2 votes

Homemade Chicken and Stars Soup

Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: copycat chicken and stars soup, dairy free soup recipes, gluten free chicken and stars soup, gluten-free chicken noodle soup, healthy chicken noodle soup recipe, healthy lunch ideas, healthy soup recipes, homemade bone broth, homemade chicken and stars soup, homemade chicken soup, homemade meat stock, homemade soup, lunchbox ideas, thermos lunch ideas
Servings: 8
Author: Renee Kohley - Raising Generation Nourished

Ingredients

If you are making the whole chicken and meat stock:

(Skip this step if you already have cooked chicken and broth available)

  • 1 whole chicken about 5-6 pounds
  • 1 tbsp sea salt
  • 1 medium onion coarsely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots coarsely chopped
  • 2 celery stalks coarsely chopped
  • 8-9 cups of water

For the Chicken and Stars Soup:

  • 3 tbsp butter ghee, or olive oil to cook in
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 1 large or 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
  • 1 celery stalk diced
  • 3 large cloves of garlic minced
  • 2 1/2 - 3 quarts meat stock bone broth, or stock/broth from the store (watch ingredients!)
  • 4 cups chopped cooked chicken see notes
  • 1 – 12oz box of star shaped pasta see notes
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

To make the whole chicken & meat stock:

    Skip this section if you already have cooked chicken and broth made.

    • Rinse and pat dry your whole chicken. Sprinkle the inside of the chicken cavity with 1 tsp of sea salt, and then rub another 3 tsp of sea salt over the entire outside of the whole chicken.
    • If you are using your Instant Pot to cook the chicken and meat stock, place the trivet on the bottom of the pot liner, and put the onion, carrot, and celery on top. Place the whole chicken onto the veggies, and fill the pot with 8-9 cups of water. Put the lid on the Instant Pot, seal the valve, and cook on high pressure for 28 minutes. When the IP is done pressure cooking, let the pressure release naturally for 15 minutes before taking the lid off.
    • If you are using your slow cooker to cook the chicken and meat stock, put the veggies on the bottom of the slow cooker, and then the whole chicken breast side up on top of the veggies. Fill the slow cooker with 8-9 cups of water, and place the lid on the slow cooker. Slow cook on low for 8 hours.
    • When your chicken is done cooking with either method, transfer the cooked chicken to a plate to cool, and strain off the liquid in the pot. This is your meat stock. Once the chicken is cool enough to touch, you can pull the meat off the bones. You will not likely use the entire whole chicken for this recipe. Leftovers are great on sandwiches, salads, wraps, or maybe even double this soup base for the freezer!

    To make the chicken & stars soup:

    • Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, along with a pinch of sea salt to bring out the sweetness in the veggies. Saute for 7-10 minutes until the veggies are soft and caramelizing.
    • Add the garlic, stir to combine, and cook for 1 minute.
    • Add the chopped chicken and broth/meat stock, and stir to combine. Bring the soup to a simmer and taste the soup base for seasoning. You can add more sea salt if the broth needs it, along with pepper.
    • Add the stars pasta to cook in the simmering broth for about 9-10 minutes until the pasta is al dente. The pasta will continue to soak in some of the meat stock so if you wish your soup to be brothier, then add more meat stock/broth.

    Notes

    • To prepare this soup for the freezer, make the soup all the way until the point of adding the chicken, and stop. Do not add the pasta as pasta does not freeze great. Cool the soup base and freeze in freezer safe containers or Souper Cubes. To make the pasta from the freezer, thaw the soup base and bring it to a simmer. Add the pasta and cook the pasta to al dente, about 9-10 minutes.
    • This is the most basic, comforting “as you remember it”, chicken soup flavor. If you wish to add more depth and herbs, add them in with the step where you are adding the chopped cooked chicken in so that it simmers with the broth and pasta. Dried thyme and a bay leaf are nice, or any fresh herbs you wish to infuse the soup base with.
    • The 3 cups of chopped chicken adds a moderate amount of chicken to the soup. A lot of times I bulk the chicken up a bit so the protein is higher for my teens. You could also pull the amount of chicken down if you are wanting it brothier for example for when a child is sick and lots of protein doesn’t sound good.
    • I use the Jovial Gluten Free star shaped pasta. It is made with just brown rice and water. You can find the Jovial Stelline pasta on Amazon, or Vitacost. Regular star shaped pastas will work as well, or, you could definitely use a different shape pasta if you don’t have access to star shaped pasta.