Chicken Orzo Soup

After a cold front in Florida, my 95 year old next door neighbor came down with the flu. I decided to make her some homemade chicken noodle soup to help boost her immune system. 

I picked up an organic four lb chicken from the grocery store, cleaned and roasted it in my own herb butter. To make the butter I added 2 sticks of butter, carrots, onions, shallots, white pepper, salt, lemon zest, lemon juice, ground fresh black pepper, chives, rosemary, thyme, and sage from the garden into my food processor. 

My favorite trick is to rub the butter underneath the skin prior to roasting. I stuffed the chicken with onions, lemon, carrots, and garlic. For the final touch, sprinkle the chicken with extra salt, pepper, and fresh herbs. I roasted the chicken for approximately an hour and a half: 400 for the first 45 minutes, followed by heat reduction to 325-350 with the addition of a little white wine to the concoction.

 

With the extra herb butter, I heated it with a little bit of olive oil, shallots, onions, salt, pepper, and bay leave in a stock pot.

 

Then I added chopped carrots and celery. 

 

I added 6-8 cups of water, some lemons, and the finished roasted chicken which i shredded into small, juicy slices. I boiled the liquid with the bone remains with the stock pot strainer, adding an extra immune benefit.

 I removed the bones after 20 minutes of boiling and added 1 1/2 cups of orzo. Voila! Doctor Chino's prescription is ready; butter, chives, and much more!