That first hiss from the cooker tells you something good is happening. You catch that valve hiss and you know the pressure build is under way. It’s kinda like a skillet reminding you dinner’s on its way, but with this cooker, everything’s moving faster and better.
See, when you lock that sealing ring in place, you trap all those beautiful smells right inside. You spot the steam swirling and you remember your Nonna’s kitchen, where things get tender real quick without losing any flavor. This ain’t just cooking, it’s like capturing a hug in a pot.
As the pressure cooker starts working, you watch that timer and feel the patience fading ‘cause you know the tender pull of chicken and veggies will be just right soon. This soup is the kinda comfort that hits you deep – good for when you wanna feel better or just wanna cozy up with a bowl. You’ll find yourself checking the cooker like it’s a little secret to the best meal you’ve had in a while.
Why Your Cooker Beats Every Other Pot
- Pressure cooks so quick you barely notice waiting time.
- Seals in flavors and juices better than any open pot.
- That steam hiss is a good signal you’re on the right track.
- One-pot cooking means less mess to clean after dinner.
- Perfect tender pull on chicken and veggies, never dry or mushy.
- Easy quick release lets you jump right into serving without cooling down forever.
Everything You Need Lined Up
First up, get your olive oil and butter ready. They give your soup that silky rich start. You’ll also want a big onion diced small plus a shallot finely chopped for that layered flavor.
Grab some celery stalks, four of ‘em diced nice and small, and a yellow bell pepper chopped up too. Then count out your garlic cloves, about four, minced fine enough to bring out their punch.
You can’t forget the heart of the soup, 8 cups of low-sodium chicken broth – maybe a bit extra if you like it soupy. A pound of carrots diced small keeps things sweet and colorful.
Optional but real nice is a parmesan rind to melt into the broth, adding that Italian depth. Then of course kosher salt, about one and a half teaspoons, but you can tweak that to taste.
The tiniest pasta ever pastina, about a third cup uncooked, doubles if you wanna pasta party in the bowl. And finally, you gotta have two and a half to three cups of pre-cooked chicken – rotisserie or leftovers work real good.
Top it all off later with grated Parmesan and sprinkle some fresh rosemary or thyme leaves if you’re feeling fancy.
How It All Comes Together Step by Step
Step one, heat up your olive oil and butter right in the pressure cooker on medium heat. You’re gonna let that butter melt and the oil shimmer before anything goes in.
Step two, toss in the diced onion, shallot, celery, and yellow bell pepper. Stir these around for 7 to 10 minutes until they soften up and get translucent.
Step three, add the minced garlic and cook just 1 or 2 minutes till you can smell that garlic fragrance filling your kitchen. Don’t burn it though!
Step four, pour in your chicken broth along with the diced carrots and the parmesan rind if you’re using it. Crank up the heat and wait till everything comes to a boil.
Step five, lock on your lid with the sealing ring in place and let the pressure cooker do its thing. Once the valve hiss happens, start your timer and cook for about 7 minutes under pressure for tender veggies and flavors melded tight.
Step six, hit that quick release to let out the pressure fast. Open the lid carefully and take out the parmesan rind. Give the soup a taste and add salt or pepper if you feel it needs a little more love.
Step seven, while the soup’s still warm, stir in the cooked pastina pasta and the shredded chicken. Let it all warm together for a few minutes before you ladle it into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan and herbs.
Easy Tweaks That Make Life Simple
You can swap out diced fresh carrots for frozen if you wanna save a tiny bit of chopping time, and it works real good with the cooker.
If you’re kinda in a rush, grab pre-chopped onion and celery packages from the store. Sometimes that’s just what you gotta do to get dinner going fast.
Using leftover or rotisserie chicken skips the need to pressure cook raw chicken, making it faster to pull everything together.
Wanna skip the pasta cooking swim? Just toss the pastina straight into the hot soup near the end and let it soften while you finish prepping your bowls.
When You Finally Get to Eat
You soak in the warm steam rising from your bowl as you get ready to dig in. The tender pull from chicken mixed with the soft veggies wraps your taste buds up in comfort.
That little pastina is like tiny pillows carrying the broth right up to your lips. The herbs add just the right pop of freshness to keep it lively.
Every spoonful is a balance of creamy garlic, sweet carrot, and that savory chicken broth that sticks with you in a good way.
Whether you’re freezing a cold day or just needing some feel-better food, this soup kinda becomes your go-to hug in a bowl.
How to Store This for Later
If you got leftovers, storing’s easy. Keep the soup without the pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Pasta gets soggy so best hold off mixing it in.
For longer storage, freeze the soup (still no pasta) in freezer-safe containers. Leave some room ‘cause it expands and get ready to defrost slowly in the fridge before reheating.
When you’re ready to eat it again, warm the soup on the stove or in your pressure cooker using the sauté setting. Then add fresh cooked pastina and chicken for that perfect fresh texture.
Common Questions and Real Answers
- Can I use fresh chicken instead of leftovers? Yeah, you can brown it first in the cooker then pressure cook it with the veggies, adding a few minutes to the cooking time. Check out our easy Thai baked chicken meatballs recipe for different ways to handle chicken in your cooker.
- Is pastina the only pasta that works here? It’s best cause it’s tiny and cooks super fast. But you can substitute with orzo or small pasta shapes if you want.
- Do I have to use parmesan rind? Nope, it’s optional but really adds depth. If no rind, just maybe add extra grated cheese when serving.
- Can I make this dairy-free? Sure, just skip the butter and parmesan cheese, and maybe sub the cheese with nutritional yeast for a cheesy vibe.
- How do I avoid mushy veggies? Watch your pressure cooker’s timer carefully and quick release the steam as soon as cook time’s up. That keeps everything tender but not soggy.
- Can I freeze the whole soup including pasta? Freezing pasta usually turns it mushy and gross. Better to freeze soup and cook fresh pasta when you’re ready.
Italian Chicken Pastina Soup (aka Italian Nonna's Penicillin Soup)
Equipment
- 1 Mixing bowl Large
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large onion diced small
- 1 large shallot finely chopped
- 4 stalks celery diced small
- 1 large yellow bell pepper diced small
- 4 medium cloves garlic minced
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth maybe more
- 1 pound carrots diced small
- 1 parmesan rind optional
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt more to taste
- ⅓ cup uncooked pastina double if you like a lot of pasta
- 2½ - 3 cups rotisserie or leftover chicken
- grated Parmesan for serving
- fresh rosemary and/or fresh thyme leaves finely chopped
Instructions
Instructions
- Heat olive oil and butter in pressure cooker over medium heat until butter melts and oil shimmers.
- Add diced onion, shallot, celery, and yellow bell pepper. Cook 7–10 minutes until softened.
- Add minced garlic, cook 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Pour in chicken broth, carrots, and parmesan rind. Bring to a boil.
- Seal lid and cook under pressure for 7 minutes.
- Quick release pressure, remove lid and parmesan rind. Season as needed.
- Stir in cooked pastina and shredded chicken. Let it warm for a few minutes.
- Ladle into bowls, top with grated Parmesan and herbs, and serve.
- Store leftovers in fridge (without pasta) or freeze for longer storage.
