Mama Mandola's Spicy Sicilian Chicken Soup

Submitted by Kit..ty Of Canada

"From Carrabba's. It has a peppery bite which I love."

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 10mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 5 celery ribs
• 4 medium carrots, peeled
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 1 (14 ounce) can imported Italian plum tomatoes
• 1 (5 lb) hen, washed and cut into 8 pieces
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 6 quarts water
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

directions

1. Dice celery, carrots, onion, potatoes and bell pepper into 1/4-inch pieces.
2. Chop tomatoes; reserve all juice.
3. Place vegetables, tomatoes with their juice, chicken pieces, parsley and garlic in a 10-quart stockpot.
4. Add water. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Slowly bring soup to a boil over low heat.
6. Skim off foam that rises to the surface; may have to skim 2 or 3 times.
7. Partially cover pot and simmer 2 hours.
8. When soup is finished, remove chicken pieces with a slotted spoon. Let cool.
9. Meanwhile, mash vegetables in the bottom of the pot with the back side of a large cooking spoon or a potato masher.
10. When chicken has cooled enough to handle, remove skin and bones and return meat to soup.
11. Notes: Soup is best served the day after it is made. Refrigerate and remove fat that solidifies on the surface of the soup. Serve soup with rice or small, stubby pasta. For better flavor, cook the rice or pasta in the soup when reheating. Add freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, if desired.

Reviews

[rdbe2921]

i used this recipe as a starting point after reading all of the other reviews. Both of my sons have worked at Carrabbas in the past so I asked the manager about this soup recipe. He told me that contrary to what most people think, salt and pepper are the only seasoning in this soup. So, with that in mind, I used onion, celery, carrot, potato, tomatoes, salt and pepper in the stockpot with my chicken. I used no green bell pepper or garlic. I did, however, add just a touch of red pepper, per personal preference. It is amazing. I am going to cook my pasta separately and add to the bowls rather than the whole pot, as that is how it is done at Carrabba's! Hope this is helpful!

 

[jennie42]

Made the following modifications and it tastes just like the soup at the restaurant to us:<br/><br/>Omit the bell pepper.<br/>Use chicken broth instead of water.<br/>Add about 1.5 tbsp of creole seasoning (don't add salt on top of this, wait and taste it to see if you need more).<br/>Use lots of fresh ground black pepper.<br/>Add 2 tbsp of white wine vinegar (it was definitely missing acid without it).

 

[loridwalter]

The basics are there, but a key ingredient has been omitted. Creole seasoning is used in the actual recipe and no bell peppers are used. I wasn't a cook at Carrabba's, but I did work there for quite some time, so I did know a few of the secrets. :)

 

[Anabela AngelK]

Very disappointing and bland soup and I made it exact as stated. We do love the Carraba's version and have been trying to copy it for a while, this recipe is all over the internet and it is so off. I remade it using 6 quarts of stock and loaded up on a variety of spicys per the actual Carraba's soup and it came a little closer, but still no Carraba's version (we bought the soup from Carraba's again the day we made this because this was so so off!) Anyhow, the Carraba's version is a million times better then this bland version. Keep searching if you want to make the Carraba's version, cause this isn't it!

 

[alinasls]

The best soup ever! I used to go to Carrabba's just for this soup, but not anymore! I cook this at home at least once every couple of weeks. Every person who tastes this soup says that this is the best soup they've EVER tasted. Thank you for sharing the recipe.