Homemade Italian Chicken Bow Tie Soup for a Large Family

This soup recipe is basically an assembling of flavors that I know my family likes.

I frequently purchase ready-made roast chicken from Costco and other grocery stores. Our family is large, so I usually buy three chickens.

When we're done with the chickens, I use the carcasses to make chicken soup broth. You can use any chicken broth. However, I've prepared enough food for two days by purchasing or making three roast chickens and then making soup.

A Bowl of Italian Chicken Bow Tie Soup

Italian Chicken Bow Tie Soup Ingredients for a Large Family

• Chicken Broth (from leftover cooked chickens, or you can use 7 boxes of store-bought chicken broth)
• Chicken pieces cut up from the above-cooked chickens, or use 3 separate chicken breasts, and oven bake them (don't let them brown), then cut up into small biteable pieces
• Hot Water
• 6 Bouillon Chicken Cubes
• An Entire Medium Sized Bag of Carrots
• Full stock of Celery
• 1 Large Onion
• 7 Garlic Cloves
• 1 Green Pepper
• 4 Tablespoons of Butter
• 500 grams of Pasta Bow Ties (about a box and a half, with a box holding 340grams)
• 5 Bay Leaves
• 3 Teaspoons of Oregano (or whatever amount you prefer)
• 3 Teaspoons of Basil (or whatever amount you prefer)
• 5 Teaspoons of Parsley (or whatever amount you prefer)

Step One - Get the Broth Ready

In a large pot, prepare the following: (I use about a 14-quart soup pot - seen below). I fill the pot to about 3/4 with homemade soup for our big family.

This big soup pot feeds our large family - I fill it 3/4 full with homemade soup

• Boil the leftover whole chickens, then screen the meat out through a strainer. Put the meat aside so you can pull off all usable bites to go back in the soup. I let the chicken meat cool, then put it in the soup near the end.
• If using the chicken carcasses to make the broth, I boil it for several hours.
• If you're using store-bought chicken broth, put 7 boxes of broth in the pot - you could even use more!
• Add 6 bouillon chicken cubes

Step Two - The Carrots

I add the carrots next because they take longer to cook. I use a whole bag of medium carrots. Scrape them, cut them into biteable pieces, and then add them to the soup broth.

Step Three - Lightly Fry These Ingredients

In a frying pan, melt 4 tablespoons of butter, then lightly fry:

• An entire stock of celery, chopped into biteable pieces
• A large green pepper, cut into biteable pieces
• A whole large onion, chopped into fine, ground pieces (I use a mini-chopper)
• 7 whole garlic cloves chopped fine (I put them into the mini-chopper as well)

I usually fry them on medium heat for about ten minutes, constantly stirring. Put the entire mixture into the soup broth. 

Step Four - The Pasta Bow Ties

• Boil the pasta bow ties separately until nearly fully cooked
• Drain and rinse the pasta in cold water
• Put the pasta in the soup broth

I always cook the pasta separately, then rinse them to reduce the amount of starch in the soup.

Step Five - Add the Chicken

• Use the chicken from the carcass that you set aside or the chicken you made in the oven. If you're using oven-baked chicken, don't let it brown - you want the color of the soup to be light.
• Be sure to cut the chicken into small biteable pieces
• If you're using chicken from the carcass, double-check that there are no bones! I catch bones while pulling the meat away from the carcasses and when I cut it into small pieces. The bones reveal themselves when cutting. Take your time, and be extra careful.

Step Six - The Flavoring

I never measure this part; I simply add the amount I think makes the soup taste right for my family. The measurements below are merely for your own guidance.

• Add 3 teaspoons of Oregano (or whatever amount you want)
• Add 3 teaspoons of Basil (or whatever amount you want)
• Add 4 teaspoons of  Parsley (or whatever amount you want)
• Add 5 Bay Leaves for flavor (don't eat them)
• Salt to taste (optional - I don't salt, I allow each person to salt their own bowls)

Step Seven - Add The Boiling Water

At this point, I boil water using my tea kettle and pour the boiling hot water into the soup pot until it reaches about three-quarters full from the top of the pot.

Leave it on the stove on low heat, and let everyone eat soup all day long!

Homemade Italian Chicken Bow Tie Soup for a Large Family

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