Description
For anyone else who loved Chicken and Stars Soup as a kid like I did, here is the all-natural homemade version that tastes even better! Plus it’s quick and easy to make, and so delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 cups good-quality chicken stock
- 2 cups finely-chopped cooked chicken
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup uncooked stelline (star-shaped pasta)
- fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper
- optional garnishes: freshly-grated Parmesan, lemon wedge, and/or chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Sauté the mirepoix. Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Simmer. Add the chicken stock, chicken, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme, crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine. Continue cooking until the broth reaches a simmer. Add the pasta and cook, stirring frequently, until it is al dente.
- Season. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste and season the soup with salt and pepper (and/or additional herbs) as needed.
- Serve. Serve warm with your desired garnishes and enjoy!
Hope you feel better soon!
This soup looks fantastic – even though its summer here, I would love a nice big bowl of that right now. Loving the stars! :)
omg those stars are so cute! I don’t see them here though, maybe in specialty shops
Ailyn
https://www.honesty-virtue.com
So I’ve been making a version of this for years. I have end stage renal disease and thanks to dialysis I frequently can’t handle “real” food so I turn to my childhood favorite, chicken and stars! My version is more basic than yours, but I will definitely be trying this one soon!
I used to love this when I was little too. I have to make this for my favorite kiddos, they’ll love it! Thanks for sharing! Pinned!
A squeeze of lemon on top at the end makes this soup even more sublime. (and extra vitamin c)
This looks perfect, Ali! Hope you feel better soon!
I hope you feel better soon! Nothing worse than daylight savings time AND a cold in the same week!
P.S. It might just be wishful thinking, but I’m looking back here ( https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/life/31-things/ ) and hoping all of the hard work had something to do with #31 ;)
Feel better :)
Oh, how our bodies totally tell us when we need a break. I LOVE the looks of this soup! Those little stars are adorable. My kids are weirdos and don’t like soup, but maybe cute stars will help?!
How have I NEVER had Chicken and stars??! Or even seen the ADORABLE star pasta?! I need to get my hands on that go swimming on a big of bowl of this cute and comforting soup!! And feel better Ali!
Pinned!
I will definitely be making this for my kiddos!
At least you weren’t sick while the projects were due? But still, hope you’re feeling better! This soup definitely looks like it would help :)
This looks like just what we need today! I’ve got a pot of chicken stock waiting for its big moment, a half package of stelline pasta in the pantry, and an errant sniffle. I think a pot of soup is just what the doctor ordered! ;)
I had no idea you could buy stars!! Seeing as cold season is upon us, I’m saving this recipe in my back pocket (and on my pinterest board). Hope you feel better soon!!
I can’t get over how cute the stars are in this! I love it. Homemade soup is so delicious, and even more so when you’re sick. Get better soon!
That happens to me all the time, then I just launch back into work and ignore the sickness. This soup – fabulous – sick or not, this is a bowl of comfort.
Anything with stars in it is my kind of soup!! ;)
Chicken and stars soup was the ONLY soup I’d eat when I was sick growing up. I’d eat this soup and mango Gatorade. That’s it. Now? That’s still what I crave when I’m sick. Isn’t it funny how things like that really stick with you?
I am also starting week 2 of this ridiculous cold and soup (broths mostly really) have been the only thing that sounds half good. Hopefully I can find myself some stars.
I also wanted to add, I found your blog recently and then saw that you are also a MOUNDBUILDER! Glad to have found ya!
Aww I’m sorry friend. I literally got sick right after Chopped and then Asher, Rich and now Jacob (and I think Asher again? Can’t tell anymore.) So funny how the body holds on until the moment we stop. :) Feel better soon.
Oh man, you recalled so many of my childhood memories with this one. First of all, feel better soon. And secondly, my Italian grandma ALWAYS made me something akin to stelline when I had a cold. Grandma made homemade chicken stock, with slivers of tomato, and added “pastina” – the little stars sans teeny holes in the center. It’s such a guilty pleasure of mine and I always have a box of pastina in my cupboard for those under-the-weather days. Loved this post, thanks for sharing your story. :)
I love chicken soup and this one looks scrumptious.
This is the perfect cold-weather soup! I love those little stars!
I love Chicken & Stars soup. we got a cold front coming in. know what I’m going to be making.
Chicken and stars soup will always be my favorite!!! I’m definitely making this!! Thank you!
Looks so cute and tasty! My daily lunch now !
Magnifique ! it’s looks like my grand mother soup with stars ! bravo. Even
this soup takes me back! btw…I love those little pots!
Mmm, the chicken soup looked great before adding the parsley, but the greenish vitamin bomb made it gorgeous! I can’t think of a meal that I don’t put a bit of parsley – it not only completes it, it raises the quality of the dish to a whole new level.
thank you! This was my favourite soup, growing up. Can’t wait to try it!
This soup looks amazing! You mentioned you had a favorite chicken stock. Can you share the brand? Hubby and I have horrible colds and we would enjoy this soup.
Sure thing — I love Trader Joe’s or Kitchen Basics. :)
FYI, I had a terrible time finding the Stellini locally, but then the hubs found the Barilla Stellini at Wal Mart! I’m letting the chicken soup simmer in the crockpot all day and will add the stars at the end. It’s going to be amazing!
I have made this twice in the last week, it is sooo good! My boyfriend, who is notoriously fussy (no bits, not a fan of soupy dishes) LOVED this and ate all the chunks! Last night I made a large batch of it and now have 3 big lunch boxes for the weeks ahead. Thanks for such a delicious and heart-warming recipe, it’s perfect for our chilly British evenings.
That’s awesome Stephanie, so glad it was a hit!
got a pot cooking now. I was surprised to find the pasta in my store. I grew up on canned chicken and stars, too and I hope to share this homemade version with my pre-schooler. In your pics it looks like you have more than 1 cup of pasta. I’ve got one cup and 8 cups of stock going already. I think I’ll add more pasta so she’ll see all of the stars. Can’t wait, it smells good and was quick and simple. Also, most recipes have you remove the bay leaf before eating and, though you didn’t specify, I’ll be removing these 2 before serving. Thanks for bringing back the memories!
That’s great Ella, we hope you enjoy it! And yes, you can remove the bay leaf after cooking. :)
This is called Chicken and Stars. But your recipes does not say how to cook the chicken, or when to add it. Kind of confusing.
Hi Ally, The recipe actually states: Add chicken stock, chicken, bay leaves, rosemary, salt, thyme, and black pepper, and stir to combine. (Last sentence in the first paragraph of instructions.) You may use roast, grilled, baked, poached chicken, etc. You can buy it already cooked, or raw, and then cook it how ever you like. We’d recommend the baked chicken breast recipe: We hope you enjoy the soup! :)
Right, it SHOULD say add chicken stock, COOKED Chicken, etc. Unless you intend for the chicken to cook in the short time this soup would be ready, also depending on what chicken you use, could make it greasy doing it that way. I believe she means add already cooked chicken…..
Can’t find the star pasta so used alphabet pasta for the kids. Left out the thyme and bay leaves and used chicken thighs and old veggies to make the stock. Great soup as the fall sets in and soup season begins!!!!
Awesome Shane, we hope the kiddos loved it! :)
I have been making your soup for the past year and my daughter absolutely loves it! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing with us Jennifer, that’s so nice to hear! :)
Thank you Jennifer, we’re so happy your daughter’s a fan! ;)
If you have a Hispanic store locally or a Hispanic section in your grocery store, you can generally find stars pastas. Here in Seattle they many times go on sale for 28 cents per packet and I stock up on them. Nothing like a quick, hot bowl of soup.
Thanks for sharing, we hope you enjoy this recipe! :)
Quite interesting and novel soup
That red and white can was a staple in my apartment in college too! I even ate a can of it about four years ago when I discovered I had skin cancer. True comfort food for the childhood soul. I love that you have offered a homemade version, as the red and white cans are BANNED from this household now. Pinning!
We hope you enjoy the recipe, Kathryn! :)
Sorry if this had already been asked, but is there any substitutions you suggest if the stars can’t be found? I’ve had this recipe pinned for probably a year now waiting for the right night and lo and behold, the hubs is sick tonight! I can’t wait to finally make this! :)
Hi Tiffany! Yes, you could just use Ditalini or Orzo (will be similar in size). We hope you enjoy and that your husband feels better soon!
This looks like the perfect soup recipe! Will have to try this out, thanks for the share!
Thanks, Margot — we hope you love it!
What year did Campbell’s First Can chicken with stars soup? Every time I have asked that question, nobody has the answer and that seems too bad as I had some many good things to say about Campbell’s until now! Every one of hte 5 pages I have been to including wiki-pedia has not been able to tell me when the stars were added to campbell’s soup but every one has a story about them and they also don’t say what years they were getting them for the first time.
I’m sorry Bud, we’re not sure!
I am just finding your website! Chicken n Stars was always my favorite “sick” soup also. It always tasted better to me and had more body than chicken noodle soup. I am thrilled to see your recipe as I have stopped eating it due to preservatives, etc in it. Your pictures look great and I cannot wait to try this! Thank you for sharing a favorite!
Thanks for commenting, Kandy — we hope you enjoy the soup! :D
I was wondering where you got the star pasta.
I purchased mine from DeLallo! :)
I love this recipe! Heart and soul warming. Pretty nutritious and healthy too! Thank you for this! It’ll be a staple in my household.
Thanks, Olivia — we’re so happy you enjoy it!
This soup is quick, easy and DELICIOUS!!!! I make it all the time. I can’t get enough of it!!
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Tracy!
Thank you, I love Campbell’s C&Ss so I’ll cook this for sure
My chicken soup search is over! This is THE perfect chicken soup recipe. I’ve made it about a dozen times now and am so thankful you posted it! Oh and I think the stars or small pasta really is key with this one. I’ve tried others like traditional egg noodles and it’s not quite as good!
I’ve made this for Christmas lunch 2 years running. This will be year 3! We love it here.
Maybe you can give me some advice: Can I make the stars separate to add them later? Any leftovers turn into chicken and stars pasta instead of soup!
Was actually thinking of switching to your herb loaded chicken noodle to change it up, but I might have a revolt!
So I’ve only ever attempted chicken noodle soup once and it was a crock pot recipe. After that I was so hesitant to try again. But so glad I did. Omg this is amazing!! After reading the comments I saw you mention using your oven baked chicken recipe, and again was hesitant but figured I’d give it a go and A-mazing!! Thank you so much for bringing this soup to my life!!!