Chicken-vegetable Soup With Orzo

Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 45 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 5 cups water
• 2 lbs chicken drumsticks, skinned
• 2 cups small broccoli florets
• 2 cups presliced mushrooms
• 1 1/2 cups sliced carrots
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta (rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 6 tablespoons grated fresh parmesan cheese (1-1/2 ounces)

Recipe

• 1 combine water and chicken in a 3-quart casserole.
• 2 cover with lid; microwave at high 30 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring after 15 minutes.
• 3 drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving cooking liquid.
• 4 cool chicken slightly.
• 5 remove chicken from bones, and discard bones.
• 6 shred chicken with 2 forks to measure 2 1/2 cups.
• 7 combine broccoli and next 4 ingredients (broccoli through basil) in casserole.
• 8 cover; microwave at high 8 minutes or until tender, stirring after 4 minutes.
• 9 add the reserved cooking liquid, chicken, pasta, salt, and pepper.
• 10 cover; microwave at high 6 minutes or until pasta is tender.
• 11 ladle soup into 6 bowls.
• 12 sprinkle each serving with cheese.