Very Quick Chicken Soup from Why I Cook

"With two young kids at home, colds and flu are the gifts that keep on giving. That's when I make this soup, which keeps in the fridge for the entire week. You can make it in a stockpot, sure, but if you have a pressure cooker, this deeply flavorful soup comes together in just 20 minutes."

- Tom Colicchio

Don't let cold & flu season turn into your funeral! This very quick chicken soup will hydrate your body and soothe your soul while you recover from the unexpected.

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• Very Quick Chicken Soup

Learn more about cooking with kids.

Why I Cook

This very quick chicken soup recipe comes from Why I Cook by Tom Colicchio.

I didn't think they'd hire me because I was only fifteen, but they did, as a weekend busboy. Talk about hustling. The work was mind-numbing, just as you'd expect from a seafood restaurant that did a thousand covers a night, a blur of wiping, stacking, and shlepping, but the frenetic pace acted on my chaos brain in the same way working all the stations at the Gran Centurions had: It cleared my vision and made me sure of what to do next.

And as I'd ferry plates into the dish pit in the kitchen, I'd steal glances at the cooks, working the dinner rush with a purpose and intensity I could feel. Even if I didn't exactly know what each of them was doing, I decided I wanted to do it, too. Fat chance of that, though. The men on the line were pros, full-timers, and I was still in high school, with baseball and basketball practices after school. The only weekend job on offer was the one they'd given me, staggering under stacks of dirty plates.

The summer after graduation, I got my chance. I picked up full-time hours and they moved me into the kitchen, where I quickly learned about hierarchy. All the action at Evelyn's was centered close to the heat. During service, the chef and line cooks were dropping fish into the fryer or popping fillets onto metal plates and under the broiler, then sautéing them for a second on pickup. Behind them, and a clear rung down the ladder, stood two breaders, whose entire job consisted of dredging the fish in a mixture of bread crumbs and flour.

Behind them, as far from the heat as you could be and still be on the line, was the bench, my station. My job was to open clams and oysters and trim the fillets. Menial work certainly, but I was in the kitchen at last, and thrilled to be in the mix.

Simple Chicken Soup Recipe

Ingredients

• chicken - one whole 4 - 5 lb chicken will work
• parsley - fresh sprigs of parsley
• thyme - fresh sprigs of thyme
• carrots
• parsnips
• celery
• leeks
• onion
• salt - Kosher salt is recommended for this quick chicken soup recipe
• pepper - we like this Aranya black pepper
• pasta (optional) - ditalini or your favorite pasta shape
• parmesan (optional) - freshly grated for the best dining experience

Equipment

• apron
• prep bowls
• child-friendly knife
• utility knife
• butcher block
• molcajete y tejolote (optional)
• measuring spoon
• large spoon
• pressure cooker
• meat thermometer
• fork
• cheese knife
• box grater
• vegetable peeler
• stock pot with pasta insert (optional)

Prep the Veggies

Wash your hands with soap and water. Use a child-friendly knife to cut the carrots and celery into 1- to 2-inch pieces and transfer them to a clean bowl. Peel the onion and cut it in half.

Place the Chicken, Parsley, & Thyme in the Pressure Cooker

Place the whole chicken, the parsley, and the thyme in the pressure cooker. Wash your hands.

Cover with Water & Cook

Cover them with water and cook at high pressure for 20 minutes. Let the steam release naturally when finished.

If you're making chicken noodle soup, now is the time to bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package instructions.

Remove the Chicken & Shred

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove it from the pressure cooker and check the temperature with a kitchen thermometer. It should be at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Use a fork to shred the chicken. Set it aside on a plate.

Add the Carrots, Parsnips, Celery, Leeks, & Onion

Add the carrots, parsnips, celery, leeks, and onion to the pressure cooker. Seal it up and cook on high pressure for 4 minutes. Let the steam release naturally when finished.

Remove the Onion

Remove both halves of onion and discard.

Add the Chicken Back In

Return the chicken to the soup with the vegetables. If you're making chicken noodle soup, add the cooked noodles too.

Season & Serve

Season this very quick chicken soup with salt and pepper. Serve it with Parmesan, saltines, or whatever floats your boat. Feel better.