Chicken Tomato Orzo Soup

It’s fall.  Are you thinking soup?  The weather is starting to get a little cool here in Chicago.  It has me thinking soup.  Nothing warms you from the inside out like soup does.  I made a broccoli orzo as a side dish and had some leftover orzo.  I love leftovers and I love creating recipes using leftover ingredients.  I think developing recipes with leftovers absolutely challenges a chef to understand the ingredients he is working with to come up with an enjoyable dish.  I would not say that this Chicken Tomato Orzo Soup is a crazy new recipe but it blends leftover smoked chicken with tomato to create a great flavor and the texture from the orzo is perfect.  I, did, however have a secret ingredient that is the coup de gras.

The other amazing thing about making soup that all you need to do is go to your pantry.  You can put almost anything in your soup to add flavor and texture.  It also gives you the chance to clear out some items in your pantry.  If you are like me, clearing the pantry is so much fun and so needed. Sometimes you have to wonder how long certain items have been in your pantry.  Admit it.  You too have to wonder?  Now that I cook so often, my worry may not be how long have items been in there.  It is a chance to clear these items out so I can go to the grocery store and refill it.  I love going to the grocery store.  The grocery store just fills my senses as I pick out meats, vegetables and spices that I am going to cook with that night.

This soup is super easy to put together as well.  The broth is store bought chicken broth and mixed with crushed tomatoes and there liquid.  Seasoned simply with salt and pepper.  The main flavor comes from the smokiness of the chicken.   The secret ingredient I foreshadowed above was soy chorizo. The chorizo goes so well with the smokiness of the chicken.  This soup had plenty of flavor.

All the ingredients melding in the pot.

 

The final plated Chicken Tomato Orzo Soup.