Basil, Chicken and Orzo Soup

I love chicken noodle soup. Not the greasy kind that comes in a can, but delicious homemade soup full of vegetables and identifiable chicken pieces. It is one of my standard answers to the generic question of "what is your favorite food". Although, good dark chocolate does give it a run for its money. I have also recently discovered how great orzo pasta is. If you have never used orzo, it is a small pasta that looks like rice and cooks quickly.  So when I saw this recipe, I knew it would be delicious.

 Basil, Chicken & Orzo Soup
(adapted from the blog Gimme Some Oven)

1 tsp olive oil 

1/2  onion, diced

2 stalks of celery, diced 

2 carrots, peeled and diced 

1 clove of garlic, minced (the original recipe called for three, but I found it too garlicky and it overpowered the freshness of the basil)

8 cups chicken stock or broth ( I used broth)

3 cooked medium chicken breasts, diced into bite sized chunks (you want around 2 cups of cooked meat

2 bay leaves 

salt and fresh cracked pepper 

5-6 fresh basil leaves, chopped 

1 cup dried orzo pasta

Heat oil in a large cooking pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add onion and stir for 2 minutes. Then add carrots, celery and garlic then stir for one more minute. Add broth, chicken, and bay leaves, and salt and pepper (to taste, you can always add more later).  Lower heat and let simmer for about an hour. Remove the bay leaves and heat to the soup to a boil.  Then add basil and dried orzo pasta and cook until the pasta is done (about 10-12 minutes).  Taste, add  more salt and pepper  if needed, and enjoy!