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Chicken

Alex Guarnaschelli's Stracciatella

Alex Guarnaschelli says: “Stracciatella means ‘little rags’ and its definition finds its name on a type of cheese, a type of gelato and this simple chicken soup layered with Parmesan cheese and eggs. My mother would randomly make this soup and I have rarely made any form of chicken soup without Parmesan since. It’s a hearty broth, eggs making little “rags” in the broth and the salt from the cheese are super nostalgic and always delicious.” Reprinted with permission from Italian American Forever: Classic Recipes for Everything You Want to Eat: A Cookbook by Alex Guarnaschelli. Copyright © 2024 by Alexandra Guarnaschelli. Photographs copyright © 2024 by Johnny Miller. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

Prep Time:

10 mins

Cook Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

20 mins

Servings:

4

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch rounds
  • 3 medium celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 24 pearl onions, peeled
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (3½- to 4-pound) whole chicken
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 6 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 8 ounces acini di pepe pasta
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 2 cups baby spinach
  • ½ cup finely grated parmesan cheese

Directions

  1. In a pot large enough to hold the chicken, add the olive oil, carrots, celery, and onions. Season the vegetables generously with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the vegetables become translucent, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the chicken, stock, and thyme along with 3 cups water. Bring to a gentle simmer, skimming the surface with a ladle as impurities rise. Reduce the heat to low and cook slowly until the thickest part of a chicken thigh reaches an internal temperature of 165°F and the juices at the thigh joint run clear, 50 to 55 minutes.
  2. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and season with a generous handful of salt. It should taste like seawater. Drop the pasta in the water and cook until tender, 5 minutes. Drain the pasta in a fine-mesh strainer.
  3. Taste the chicken broth and adjust the seasoning. Use a slotted spoon and a pair of tongs to transfer the chicken to a large bowl. Let it cool for a few minutes and then remove and discard the skin. Remove the breast and thigh meat, taking care that there are no bones, and break the meat into bite-size pieces. Flake the meat off the wings.
  4. Remove and discard the thyme sprigs and heat the soup until piping hot. While stirring so the liquid is moving, gently stir in the eggs so they cook. Stir in the pasta. Season the chicken meat with salt and then stir it into the soup, along with the spinach and cheese, and serve.