Light And Delicious San Marino Chicken Fideo Soup

You know, as a huge lover of comfort food, I’ve been absolutely dying to share this hot and tasty, light and delicious recipe that I swear by – San Marino Chicken Fideo Soup .

San Marino Chicken Fideo Soup is a hearty, delectable dish that originated from the beautiful, hilly region of San Marino.

It’s a blend of lip-smackingly delicious ingredients like noodles, chicken, veggies, and a lot of spices.

Why you need this recipe in your life, ASAP!

If you’ve been rotating through the same five dinner recipes, then it’s high time for a change.

What better way to shake up your dinner scene than with a soup that goes down so well and fills you up.

San Marino Chicken Fideo Soup

This light and flavorful soup is perfect for lunch or as a light dinner paired with a fresh garden salad and crusty bread.

Fideo are a short cut spaghetti noodle. If you are unable to find them at your local market, vermicelli broken into 1” pieces is a good substitute.  

For best results, cook the Fideo separately, rather than in the same pot with the rest of the ingredients.

This extra step yields more consistent results by eliminating the release of excess starch into the soup.

It also prevents the noodles from becoming too soft and mushy, which means more appetizing leftovers the next day and better results when freezing for future use. Cooking the Fideo in chicken stock instead of water adds an extra layer of flavor.  

For a bit more flavor, you can use economical boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the chicken breasts, but be sure to trim and remove any excess fat first.

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

3 T. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium sweet onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced (leaves reserved)
1 T fresh thyme, crushed
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1” cubes
salt and black pepper, to taste
8 c. low-sodium chicken stock, divided
1 cup Fideo noodles, cooked and drained

1 T fresh lemon zest

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 t. ground or freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to taste

Optional Garnish: Fresh parsley and thyme

Directions:

1. Heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat in a large stockpot or Dutch oven. Add onion and sauté 2 minutes until just beginning to soften. Add carrots, celery (including leaves) and thyme and sauté 4 minutes.

• Add chicken, salt, pepper and 4 cups chicken stock.  Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.

• While soup is simmering, cook Fideo according to package directions in remaining broth until al dente.  Reserve 2 cups of cooking liquid before draining pasta. Drain pasta and transfer to a medium bowl and toss with remaining olive oil. Cover and set aside.
• Just before serving, add Fideo to Dutch oven. Stir and remove from heat.
• Add lemon zest, lemon juice, nutmeg. If soup is too thick, add a little bit of the reserved cooking liquid to desired consistency.
• To serve, divide Fideo among individual serving bowls and top with hot soup. Add freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

• Garnish with additional fresh cracked pepper and fresh parsley and thyme if desired.   Serve with hot crusty bread and/or a crisp, garden salad for a light and delicious meal. Enjoy!