Chickarina Soup is my ode to a childhood favorite of my son. One of the convenience foods in a can; we sometimes would make when he wasn’t feeling well. The combination of a flavorful broth with tiny chicken meatballs, carrots, celery, and little pearl pasta came together on a cold day to warm his little belly beautifully.
Chickarina Soup has sometimes been confused with Italian Wedding Soup; however, other than a few similar ingredients such as the meatballs and its apples compared to oranges in an Italian-American household. I will say both are equally delicious and perfect for eating on a cold day winter day.
One of my favorite ingredients in this Chickarina Soup is the light, airy meatballs. Looking on the web, many bloggers went through Heaven and Hell to find the right consistency and texture of the meat to make them light, airy, and floatable. I am one of the lucky ones because, over the years, I have made Italian wedding soup for years and knew how to get my meatballs on point without all the unnecessary steps. Thank you, Nonna Josie.
The secret behind the bouncy meatballs isn’t the ingredients; it’s the method you use in cooking them. Most people will treat them as ordinary meatballs; however, the idea is to treat them entirely differently to meet that light, airy, and floaty texture. Instead of frying or baking the chicken meatballs until cooked, you are instead going to drop them in boiling seasoned chicken broth until they are done. The texture is perfect!
I like using a homemade seasoned chicken broth in my Copycat Progresso Chickarina Soup. Still, you can also substitute an organic seasoned low sodium broth in yours and adjust the salt and seasoning if need be. I usually make roasted chicken reasonably often, so I make homemade seasoned broth and freeze it in portioned containers to use in soups or meals requiring chicken broth.
Feel free to use the leftover white chicken meat for those bite-sized chunks of beef in the Copycat Progresso Chickarina Soup to save time; you can also use a roasted chicken from the local market to save time if you don’t have leftover chicken breast meat. Free-range, all-natural, never antibiotics, and steroid-free chicken meat is the best option to buy if you are making it fresh. I know I preach organic and all-natural, Y’All, but it’s just so much better for you and your little ones.
Disclaimer: Hey, Y’all, I am sure you already know this, but this recipe is in no way the real method that Progresso uses. It is just my version and a Copycat recipe for Progresso’s Chickarina Soup. I have not been sponsored or paid by anyone to do this post. I am just sharing one of our favorite homemade versions of this remarkably delicious convenience food.
Disclaimer: Hey, Y’all, I am sure you already know this, but this recipe is in no way the real method that Progresso uses. It is just my version and a Copycat recipe for Progresso’s Chickarina Soup. I have not been sponsored or paid by anyone to do this post. I am just sharing one of our favorite homemade versions of this remarkably delicious convenience food.
Copycat Progresso Chickarina Soup Ingredients
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ground chicken
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chopped fresh Italian parsley
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grated pecorino romano cheese
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crushed Ritz crackers, about 12
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One head of garlic
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One large egg white, lightly beaten
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unsalted butter
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matchstick carrots
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1/2 of a cup diced yellow onion
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1/4 cup finely diced celery
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8-10 cups chicken broth
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dried Italian seasoning
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Kosher salt
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freshly ground black peppercorns
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Israeli pearl couscous, cooked
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chopped fresh parsley
Frequently asked questions
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What is Israeli Couscous? Israeli couscous, aka pearl couscous—is often thought of as a whole grain. However, it’s a type of pasta made from semolina flour and water.
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What can I substitute for the Israeli couscous? You can use acini de Pepe, orzo, or ditalini pasta; it will slightly change the recipe and cooking time.
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I don’t have yellow onions. What can I use instead? My second choice in a bind would be to use white onion instead.
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Can I use ground turkey instead of ground chicken? You can. However, the taste will not be the same as the copycat recipe.
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Shouldn’t I precook the meatballs before adding them to the broth? There is no need to precook them; they will cook in the broth perfectly.
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What does one head of garlic mean? It is the entire bulb of garlic.
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Can I use an off-brand of crackers instead of the Ritz crackers? Sure, use a comparable brand to the Ritz crackers.
Chickarina Soup
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¼ cup Italian parsley chopped
- ¼ cup pecorino Romano cheese grated
- ½ cup Ritz crackers about 12 crushed
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 large egg white lightly beaten
Soup
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup matchstick carrots chopped
- ½ cup yellow onion diced
- ¼ cup finely diced celery
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 8-10 cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt to own taste
- freshly ground black peppercorns to own taste
- 1½ cups uncooked Israeli pearl couscous
- ½ cup fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a medium glass bowl combine ground chicken, chopped Italian parsley, grated pecorino Romano cheese, crushed Ritz crackers, minced garlic, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and lightly beaten egg white. Form into tiny to small-sized meatballs ( the mixture will be sticky so rinse hands if they start sticking to you or you having a hard time forming them.
- Meanwhile, place a Dutch Oven over medium heat, add unsalted butter, matchstick carrots, diced yellow onion, and finely diced celery sauté until softened yet still firm-about 5-6 minutes. Add homemade chicken broth or store-bought low-sodium broth to the Dutch Oven, raise heat to high and let broth begin to boil.
- Once the broth has started boiling you can begin to carefully drop the meatballs in the broth, do not disturb them for about 5 minutes, turn and reduce heat to low. Add Italian seasoning, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper to your own taste. Let cook on low for about 20 minutes before adding the chopped fresh parsley and cooked Israeli couscous to the Copycat Progresso Chickarina Soup. Let the soup sit for about 8 minutes before serving for the Israeli couscous to absorb the other flavors.
- Ladle the Copycat Progresso Chickarina Soup into your favorite serving bowls and serve while still hot with oyster crackers or a nice crusty bread
- Enjoy!
Notes
Although themccallumsshamrockpatch.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and how ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Under no circumstances will themccallumsshamrockpatch.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting from your reliance on nutritional information.
Nutrition
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Hi, it doesn’t mention the chunks of chicken in ingredients, only the meatballs can I add this ingredient?
Good morning- thank you for dropping by, You can add the chunks of chicken if you like or omit them. Thanks for asking.
I was out of Pearl couscous, and instead of orzo or ditalini as a substitute for the pearl couscous, I used acini de Pepe. The recipe was excellent, and next time I will make sure I have the suggested ingredients. Thanks for sharing another fabulous recipe. 5 star all the way!!!
That’s awesome. As a matter of fact, that was suggested in the FAQs to do so. Thanks so much for your valuable input and feedback.
I was just wondering if you cook the couscous before adding it to the soup, or do you cook it in the soup? The ingredients say uncooked, but the instructions say cooked.
Measure uncooked—then cook. Hope that helps you. Have a great day.