Name: Soul-Soothing Chicken Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 330 min
Total time: 360 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.8 kg free range chicken; 1 lemon; 1 onion; 1 bay leaf; knob of butter; olive oil; sea salt and freshly ground pepper; 2 red onions, peeled and roughly chopped; 2 clove garlic – peeled and chopped; 2 leeks, sliced; 2 L vegetable or chicken stock; 2 carrots – cut into pieces; 2 stalks celery; some bay leaves; small bunch of parsley; white wine; 2 sticks celery – chopped into very small pieces; 1 large carrot – chopped into very small pieces; 1 leek – cut into small rounds; 1 large handfuls of freshly shelled peas; small bunch of tarragon – finely chopped; small bunch of flat leaf parsley – finely chopped; fresh parmesan – grated just prior to serving; small sourdough loaf – ripped into pieces

Prep Time

30 min

Cook Time

5h 30 min

Yields

4 servings

When you’re feeling down, look to the curative power of chicken soup.

ingredients

Chicken

1.8

kg free range chicken

lemon

onion

bay leaf

knob of butter

olive oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Soup

red onions, peeled and roughly chopped

clove garlic – peeled and chopped

leeks, sliced

L vegetable or chicken stock

carrots – cut into pieces

stalks celery

some bay leaves

small bunch of parsley

white wine

Serving Suggestions

sticks celery – chopped into very small pieces

large carrot – chopped into very small pieces

leek – cut into small rounds

large handfuls of freshly shelled peas

small bunch of tarragon – finely chopped

small bunch of flat leaf parsley – finely chopped

fresh parmesan – grated just prior to serving

small sourdough loaf – ripped into pieces

Ingredient Substitution Guide

directions

Step 1

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Step 2

Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the whole lemon, whole peeled onion and bay leaf. Rub the skin with some butter and a little olive oil. Season and roast about 1 ½ hours at 180C FAN/200C/Gas Mark 6 until cooked right through. Keep the roasting tray and juices to one side to be used later on.

Step 3

Gently fry the red onion and the garlic in a large saucepan big enough to fit the whole chicken and liquid in.

Step 4

Add the leeks.

Step 5

Put in the whole cooked chicken once it is roasted – remove the lemon from the cavity before you do this.

Step 6

Add 2 litres of stock – and make sure that the chicken is almost completely covered.

Step 7

Add the roughly chopped carrots and celery sticks.

Step 8

Add several bay leaves, the small bunch of parsley and a lug of white wine.

Step 9

Leave the soup to cook for around 4 hours – check the liquid doesn’t evaporate too much and if necessary add a little water.

Step 10

When the soup is cooked. First toss the sourdough chunks in the original roasting pan from the chicken and place it back in the oven for around 15 minutes at 180C fan/200C/Gas mark 6 while you are finishing off the soup.

Step 11

Heat a little oil in another large pan, gently fry and soften the remaining sticks of chopped celery, the carrot and the leek.

Step 12

Remove the chicken from the pan and strain the soup from into the softened vegetables.

Step 13

Add the fresh peas and allow to cook for a minute.

Step 14

Shred some of the chicken meat (enough for as many portions as you need).

Step 15

Serve the soup with the meat, tarragon, parsley and freshly grated parmesan – with the roasted pieces of sourdough bread on the side.

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