Ingredients

6 chives (green onions will do)
2 medium carrots, shredded or sliced thin
2 chicken breasts* chopped into small strips
2 lemons
4 c. chicken broth*
1 c. orange juice (not from concentrate)
8 oz. small pasta
1 c. heavy cream
salt and pepper
Utensils/Tools
vegetable peeler or citrus zester
citrus reamer
medium cut grater
large frying pan
large stock pot

Using a grater shred the carrots into thin short strips or slice very thinly. Chop up the chives or green onion. You can also add sliced celery at this point, if you like. Put all the ingredients into the frying pan and sauté for about 3 minutes.

Put the sliced chicken into the frying pan and sauté until browned, then transfer the chicken and vegetables to the stock pot.
Using the citrus reamer press the juice from the lemons (use a fine strainer to catch the pits). Add the juice of the lemons and the 1 cup of orange juice to the stock pot. Do not use orange drink or frozen orange juice, these often contain sugar. You can use the citrus reamer on a couple of oranges if you like. Simmer for 40 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper (white pepper is nice for this) then add the cream and heat through. Do not boil once the cream has been added.

If you want to look fancy sprinkle a few fresh chives and a twist of lemon rind to the top of each soup bowl before serving. Serve with crusty bread or hot garlic bread.
*You can make your own chicken broth (and the chicken required for the above recipe) by taking about 2 lbs of thawed or fresh raw chicken wings, legs and backs and putting them into a sauté pan. Brown them in a little olive oil, only cooking as much as will fit comfortably in the pan. Then remove the browned pieces to a bowl and sauté the rest. Once all the chicken has been browned return all the pieces to the pan, cover and continue to cook on low for about 20 minutes. Then transfer the sautéed chicken pieces to a stock pot and pour 1 quart (plus 1 cup) of boiling water over them. Add a little salt and a bay leaf and continue to boil for 2-3 minutes. Then set to low and continue to simmer for about 20 minutes. After that time you can strain the stock through a strainer into a large bowl (should make approx. 4 cups of broth). Allow the chicken pieces to cool then pull all the meat off the bones and rinse. Discard the bones. The cooked chicken meat can be used in the above recipe instead of the 2 chicken breasts. The broth can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or frozen for several months.
you know what i find works great for chicken soup? those cheapo legs with the 1/2 back attached....2 legs in my pot (which is a standard size large pot think) and boil with garlic and bay. i've never browned the chicken before, but that's probably because i drop them in the pot frozen...but they're very easy t get the meat off too...makes great soup!
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