Chicken Meatball Soup

1 whole roasting chicken
6 carrots peeled, cut in half
3 stalks of celery (cleaned, cut in half and with the leaves)
1 onion cut in half
Chicken bouillon to taste (I use 1 tbs of chicken base)
Pastina, Orzo or any other tiny pasta (cook and keep on the side)
salt and pepper to taste


Meatballs (you will want to make these first and keep on the side)
1/2 lb of ground turkey, chicken or pork (mix with 2 tbs of breadcrumbs, 1 egg, 2 tbs Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper). Roll into 1/2 inch balls, keep on the side.

Step 1
In a large stock pot add all of the above and enough water to cover the chicken. Let this boil for two hours.

Step 2
Skim the top of all fat and remove the chicken and vegetables. Now, you need to strain the broth, so that you get a nice clear broth. Once you do this, slice the carrots and add back to the broth. Add back to the heat and once the broth boils, add your meatballs and cook for about 5 minutes or until they are done.

Step 3
Clean the chicken and add back any meat to the soup. I use the remainder of the meat to make chicken salad.

Step 4
Add the cooked pasta to the soup and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.