Chicken Pesto Soup

Written by Amani Ali

This Chicken Pesto Soup is vibrant green, warm, and comforting. 

Soup allows for a lot of variation. You can swap out the carrots for another root vegetable. Mushrooms pair exceptionally well with pesto, so I recommend keeping them but if you want to play with the variety, go for it. Chef Sarah Germany's Pesto is rich with greens but you can always add more to this soup. 

In this recipe, the chicken is being cooked (poached) in the pot and will flavor the soup. Chicken broth isn’t necessary, but I had some homemade broth in the freezer. CSG pesto is also stored in the freezer to retain its color and freshness. These ingredients do not have to be thawed before cooking the soup. 

Featuring: 

Chef Sarah Germany Pesto: An herbaceous basil, garlic, and olive oil sauce bolstered by spinach and almonds. Frozen CSG Pesto can be picked up at the SF Ferry Building or at our office in Oakland. 

Ingredients:

• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• 8oz CSG pesto 

• 2 cups of chicken stock (or water)

• 2 cups of water

• ½ lb carrots

• 1lb baby bella / cremini mushrooms (chosen for size: 1 ½ inch diameter)

• 1 large shallot

• 1/3 box of rotini (4oz)

• Cilantro (optional garnish)

Steps:

1. The mushrooms and carrots should be cut thick to stand up to the 1 hour cooking time. 

1. Peel and roll cut the carrots into 1-inch chunks

2. Remove the stems and slice the mushroom tops into thick slices; a 1 ½ inch mushroom will yield 4 slices. Slice the stems separately or save them to make stock.

2. Cut the shallots into large dice. 

3. Put all the vegetables and the chicken in a large pot. Do not season them at this time. 

4.  Add pesto, chicken stock, and water. I took the pesto and chicken stock straight from the freezer and put them in the pot.

5. Break down frozen chunks with a wooden spoon to speed up the melting process.

6. Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a boil, then lower it to a simmer. If any scum or foam comes to the surface while boiling, skim it off with a large spoon. 

7. Simmer the soup covered for 1 hour or until the chicken starts to fall off the bone. You may taste for salt about halfway through cooking. 

8. When the soup is nearly done, boil the pasta in a separate pot for 2 min less than the box cook time. Rinse the pasta in cold water to stop cooking. 

9. Remove the 4 chicken thighs from the soup to discard the skin, bones, and cartilage (or save them to make more stock). Shred the meat then add it back to the soup. Taste the soup for seasoning. 

10. Skim fat from the top of the soup with a spoon if necessary.

11. Add the pasta which will finish cooking in the hot soup.

12. Garnish with cilantro (optional).

Nutrition Nook: Agaricus bisporu

Did you know that buttons, cremini, and portobello mushrooms are all the same mushroom at different stages? Agaricus bisporu gain more flavor as it ages. 

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