Old Hen Pastina Brodo is a rustic braised chicken soup where a whole bird is poached low and slow with aromatics, then shredded into tender strands and finished with tiny pastina pasta and wilted greens. The standout is its deeply flavored, homemade broth built entirely from the chicken braising liquid.
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Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Rinse the chicken well with cold water and place in a deep ovenproof roasting pan with the onion, carrot, celery, tomato and bay leaf. Add enough cold water to come up about 2/3 the sides of the bird. Bring to a simmer on top of the stove, straddling two burners if necessary. Cover, place in the oven and braise until the chicken is completely cooked (about 1-1/2 hours).
Remove from the oven and turn the chicken over in the broth to cool. Remove the cooled chicken from the broth. Shred the chicken and strain the broth into a stockpot. Reserve.
Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add the Pastina and cook for about 15 minutes or until done. Drain and set aside. Bring the reserved broth to a simmer, season with salt and pepper and add the cooked Pastina. Add the chicken and greens in order to wilt the greens and heat the chicken. Ladle into bowls. Grate Parmesan over the soup and finish with freshly-cracked pepper.
Store shredded chicken and strained broth separately in airtight containers for up to 3 days; reheat gently in a pot, then add fresh-cooked pastina and greens just before serving.
deep ovenproof roasting pan · stockpot
Yes. Use 3–4 lbs. of bone-in chicken pieces (thighs, legs, breasts), reduce the braising time to 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on piece size, and check for doneness by piercing the thickest part.
Spinach, kale, or chard work well; add them at the end just to wilt, about 2–3 minutes in the simmering broth.
Yes. Braise the chicken, shred it, and refrigerate the broth and meat separately for up to 3 days. Cook the pastina fresh just before serving and combine; alternatively, cook pastina ahead and add it cold, then heat through gently in the broth.
After 1–1½ hours in the 300°F oven, the meat should shred easily with a fork and pull away from the bone with no resistance; the thigh should register 165°F internally.
