Chop all vegetables (I prefer to put the onions, garlic and celery in the food processor!)

In a large soup pot, heat olive oil in the pan and sauté celery, onion + garlic until fragrant and softened (about 5-10 minutes)

Once cooked, stir in carrots and spices (including bay leaf).

Place whole chicken breasts on top of vegetables. Cover with chicken broth. Do not add lemon juice to the pot.

Stir together. Cover the pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer over low-medium heat for 25 minutes.

After 25 minutes, remove bay leaf from the pot and discard. Remove chicken from the pot + shred on a cutting board with forks or in a mixer.

Bring the soup back to a boil and add your pastina. Cook per package directions to al dente (it’s always best to undercook pasta in soup as it will always continue to cook once you shut the heat off)

Add shredded chicken, lemon juice and spinach to the pot. Stir to combine until spinach is wilted and enjoy!

Pro Tip: To avoid soggy pasta you can cook the pasta separately. Add cooked pasta to your bowl. Serve soup on top of the pasta. This prevents the pasta from absorbing chicken broth and getting mushy.

Chop all vegetables (I prefer to put the onions, garlic and celery in the food processor!)

In a large skillet, heat olive oil in the pan and sauté celery, onion + garlic until fragrant and softened (about 5-10 minutes)

Once cooked, transfer cooked vegetables to the crock pot base. Stir in carrots and spices (including bay leaf).

Place whole chicken breasts on top of vegetables. Cover with chicken broth. Do not add lemon juice to the pot.

Stir together. Cover the pot and set it to low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

Once cooked, remove bay leaf from the pot and discard. Remove chicken from the pot + shred on a cutting board with forks or in a mixer.

When ready to serve, bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook your pastina per package directions to al dente (it’s always best to undercook pasta for soup as it will always continue to cook/absorb broth in the soup)

Add shredded chicken and lemon juice to the pot. Stir in cooked pastina and spinach. Stir until spinach is wilted and enjoy!

Note: I did not test this recipe cooking the pastina in the crockpot. I think if you turned the crockpot on high and added the pastina it would cook in 20-30 minutes but I’m not sure.

Chop all vegetables (I prefer to put the onions, garlic and celery in the food processor!)

Set your instant pot to Saute, 10 minutes. Heat olive oil in the pot and sauté celery, onion + garlic until fragrant and softened (about 5-10 minutes)

Once cooked, stir in carrots and spices (including bay leaf). Make sure to scrape up any browned bits to avoid a burn notice.

Place whole chicken breasts on top of vegetables. Cover with chicken broth. Do not add lemon juice to the pot.

Stir together. Cover the pot and set to Sealing, Manual Pressure, 11 minutes.

Once cooked, quick release the pressure.

Remove bay leaf from the pot and discard. Remove chicken from the pot + shred on a cutting board with forks or in a mixer.

When ready to serve, bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook your pastina per package directions to al dente (it’s always best to undercook pasta for soup as it will always continue to cook/absorb broth in the soup)

Add shredded chicken, lemon juice and spinach to the pot. Stir to combine until spinach is wilted and enjoy!

Note: I did not test this recipe cooking the pastina in the instant. I think if you turned the Instant Pot back on Saute and added the pastina it would cook in 5-10 minutes but I’m not sure.