Chicken and Stars Soup

A quick and easy chicken and stars soup made with tender chicken, veggies, and tiny star pasta. Comforting, homemade, and ready in under 45 minutes.

Course Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword chicken, pastina

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 246kcal

1 pound Chicken Breast boneless, skinless
1 teaspoon Salt plus extra at the end if needed
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
1½ tablespoons Olive Oil
4 cups Chicken Broth
1 small Yellow or White Onion finely diced
1 large Carrot sliced into rounds or diced (or 2 medium carrots)
1 Celery Rib sliced or diced
2–3 Garlic cloves minced
½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
¼ cup Stelline Pasta little stars, labeled as pastina by some brands like Barilla
Fresh Parsley for garnish (optional)

Cut the chicken into ½-inch cubes. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot (we use a 4.6-quart enameled cast iron Dutch oven) over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the chicken in a single layer. Cook for 3–4 minutes, stirring frequently, to brown on all sides.
Take the pot off the heat. Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken pieces and place them on a plate. Loosely tent with foil and set aside. Don’t worry if the chicken isn’t fully cooked—it will finish cooking in the soup.
Do not wash or wipe the pot. There should still be some oil left in the pan; if not, add a teaspoon or two, just enough to sauté the vegetables. Return the pot to medium heat and add the onions, carrots, and celery. Cook for 2–3 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are translucent.
Add the garlic and Italian seasoning. Stir well and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Slowly pour in the broth while stirring and gently scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the chicken back in. Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the stelline pasta to the simmering broth while stirring. Cook uncovered until tender, about 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Taste and add salt if needed. As a reference, we did not add extra to ours.
Serve and garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Resist adding more pasta; stelline expands as it cooks and sits.

Save time by using rotisserie chicken. Add it in after the broth, and proceed with the rest of the instructions.

Use low sodium chicken broth if you are sensitive to salt. Taste and adjust at the end if needed.