Shelly's Recipe

CHICKEN & TORTELLINI SOUP WITH SAGE PESTO

Category: Soups

Sage Pesto:
1 cup walnuts
1 cup tightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
1/4 cup fresh sage leaves
1 clove garlic, smashed
1/3 to 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup grated pecorino Romano cheese
Salt and fresh black pepper

Chicken & Tortellini Soup:
1 Tbsp canola oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 6-oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast
8 cups homemade chicken stock
1 9-oz. package fresh cheese tortellini
Sage Pesto
Grated pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Parsley

For pesto: Combine the nuts, parsley, sage, and garlic in a food processor until coarsely ground. With the motor running, slowly add 1/3 cup of the oil down the feed tube until the mixture is emulsified. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper and pulse a few times until it reaches a loose-paste consistency. Scrape into a bowl.

For soup: Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over high heat. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper on both sides and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Remove breast to a plate. Drain any fat left in the pan; add chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Put chicken breast in the stock, cover pan tightly, and remove from the heat. Let the chicken sit in the hot broth until cooked through, 8 minutes. Remove chicken breast to a plate and let cool 10 minutes; shred into small pieces.

Return stock to high heat and bring to a boil. Add the tortellini and cook until tender, 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper, and stir in the shredded chicken. Ladle soup into bowls and add a dollop of sage pesto and a sprinkling of cheese. Garnish with parsley leaves.