Give the chicken a light sear. Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels; do not rinse them. Season with ¼ teaspoon of the initial salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the breasts in a single layer and sear until lightly golden, roughly 2 to 3 minutes per side. Aim for a little color, not a dark crust or fully cooked chicken. Transfer to a plate reserved for the partially cooked chicken. Lower the heat if the browned bits threaten to scorch; keep those bits in the Dutch oven for the broth.

Build the vegetable base in the Dutch oven. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same Dutch oven. Add carrots, celery, onion, the remaining ¼ teaspoon initial salt and the black pepper. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the onion softens. If the browned bits are darkening too quickly, add a small splash from the measured broth and scrape the bottom. Add the garlic and cook for 30 to 60 seconds.

Add the dried herbs. Stir in the first teaspoon of thyme, finely crushed rosemary, sage, bay leaves, turmeric, ginger and paprika. Cook for 30 seconds without scorching.

Finish cooking the chicken in the broth. Pour the broth into the Dutch oven, using the remainder of the measured 8 cups if a splash went in with the vegetables. Scrape up the golden browned bits with a wooden spoon and bring to a gentle simmer. Return the lightly seared breasts and their plate juices. Keep the broth gently simmering, not boiling hard, until the thickest part of each breast reaches 165°F on a food thermometer; start checking around 10 minutes and allow longer for thick breasts. Transfer cooked breasts to a fresh clean plate, then chop or shred them. Do not reuse the plate that held partially cooked chicken unless it has been washed.

Simmer the dry pasta in the soup. With the cooked chicken temporarily out of the pot, bring the broth to a steady simmer. Stir the 1 cup dry ditalini and remaining ½ teaspoon thyme directly into the Dutch oven. Cook uncovered, stirring regularly so the pasta does not stick, until the ditalini is tender and the vegetables are tender to your liking. Use the pasta package timing as a starting point and taste a piece to check. Add extra broth or water in small splashes if absorption or evaporation leaves too little liquid; do not boil the pasta in a separate pot.

Return the chicken. Stir the chopped or shredded cooked chicken and its resting juices back into the Dutch oven. Heat through gently. The pasta starch will give the broth more body than separately cooked noodles would; loosen with additional broth or water if needed.

Finish with lemon. Remove the bay leaves. Stir in the 2 tablespoons lemon juice, then taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add more lemon only if you want a brighter finish. If adding more broth or water has diluted the seasoning, taste again before serving.

Serve and handle leftovers. Ladle the chicken, pasta and broth from the same pot into bowls. The pasta will keep absorbing liquid as the soup stands. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in shallow containers following the USDA guidance linked below. Add broth or water when reheating to restore a spoonable consistency, bring the soup to a rolling boil and verify it reaches 165°F.