Luther Vandross' Italian Chicken Soup Is Fresh, Light and Soul-Satisfying
Luther Vandross's Italian Chicken Soup
Weight fluctuations in the Black community can sometimes be a controversial topic. If you lose too much weight, your relatives might start thinking something’s wrong with you and assume the worst. If you gain some weight, they assume that you're overly happy and have probably met someone new. Never when you lose the weight do they think that you might just want to start eating healthier or that the newly gained weight was because of poor eating habits. Sometimes, the family gets it wrong, and sometimes they get it right. But regardless, if you show up to the house looking any different than you did last visit, it’s going to be a topic of discussion.
Such was even the case with the late, great Luther Vandross, our "Heavy Weight of Soul." His star-studded status did not make him immune to the weight debate. As a child, I can recall family members arguing about their favorite versions of the star. Was “Big Luther” a better singer or was “Little Luther” more attractive? But the one thing I didn't hear them talk about was why "Big Luther" went through the efforts to become "Little Luther." He simply sought a healthier diet after being diagnosed with diabetes, the same disease that took his father when he was a child.
So to my family (and those who have a family like mine), instead of debating on which Luther was our favorite Luther, how about we celebrate the lifestyle changes he made in hopes of having a better quality of life. And maybe we can incorporate some of those changes “Here and Now” with Luther's Italian Chicken Soup recipe to see if it doesn’t have you feeling like a “Superstar.”
Get the recipe: Luther's Italian Chicken Soup
Courtesy of Dante Parker
Ingredients for Luther’s Italian Chicken Soup
To get started on this “So Amazing”, you’ll need olive oil, one small finely chopped onion, chopped celery, minced garlic, ground chicken, two cans of no-salt added stewed tomatoes, one can of reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth, a can of no-salt added tomato paste, sliced pimientos and rotini pasta. You'll also need the following seasonings: Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano, salt and black pepper.
Fun fact: Luther Vandross’s middle name is actually Ronzoni. If your grocery store carries a Ronzoni brand of rotini pasta, I say grab it if you can!
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How to Make Luther’s Italian Chicken Soup
Don’t freak out; the directions for this soup are pretty straightforward. And unlike Luther’s early band members from the group Chic, who later went on to create the popularly sampled song “Soup for One,” this hit recipe is large enough to serve six.
To start, heat your olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add in the onion, celery and garlic. Cook the vegetables for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently until tender. Next, add in the ground chicken, breaking and cooking it down with a wooden spoon until the chicken is no longer pink.
Courtesy of Dante Parker
Lastly, stir in the stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chicken broth, pimientos, and all of your seasonings. Bring the pot to a boil and add in the paste. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot and cook until the pasta is tender. And voila, you’ve made your own velvety Italian chicken soup produced by The Velvet Voice himself.
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What I Thought of Luther’s Italian Chicken Soup
The soup was nice, but I have to admit, it lacked a lot of flavor. There were a few signs that fueled my doubts about how flavorful—or flavorless—this soup would be, but I had to push on. The first sign was the recipe calling for the no-salt and low-sodium versions of the tomatoes, sauce and broth. The second sign was the small amount of other seasonings the recipe also called for. I sneakily threw in some extra because I love Italian seasoning and think there’s “Never Too Much.”
I do understand the reasoning behind the small quantities, however. Diabetes does run heavily in the Black community, and we may have a tendency to overutilize salt, which is a contributing factor. So given that Luther was practicing healthier eating habits during this time of his life, I won’t count that against this dish. The tomato and broth still added enough taste to make this soup an enjoyable meal.
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Courtesy of Dante Parker
Tips for Making Luther’s Italian Chicken Soup
1. Don't feel super-committed to the chunks of stewed tomatoes. I personally think this recipe could do without the large chunks of stewed tomatoes. So next time, I might sub them out for more sauce.
2. Add more seasoning as needed. Though I would continue with the no-salt and low sodium items, I would amp up the flavor with a lot more of the other seasonings. I know what I said earlier about the healthier eating, but maybe we can take things one step at a time.
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