A Healthy Soup: It’s Chicken

Chicken soup is pretty iconic at this time of year. Whether it’s for your soul or just to soothe your autumnal grumps, it has so much goodness in it, you wouldn’t believe! This kind of broth-based chicken soup is my favourite, because you can taste all the veggies and juices in the soup itself. Absolutely none of the flavours get lost!

So, get your most delicious, local seasonal veggies at the ready cook yourself up a treat. It’s a great lunch on autumn days!

Healthy Soup?

Ok, ok, so we admit it, we’ll do anything to get people cooking at home instead of going to the supermarket and buying ready made meals. Even though there are some really delicious, well made soups on the shelves today, for the healthiest soup of all, make it at home. Not only do you know all the ingredients you are putting in there and none of them include preservatives or E numbers, but nothing tastes better than the feeling of eating something you made yourself. It tastes like a mix of joy and self-satisfaction. YUM!

A Healthy Chicken Soup

Ingredients

• 25ml olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 150g chopped bacon
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 whole chicken, jointed
• 200g risoni
• 6 carrots, chopped
• 6 leeks, chopped
• 150g mange tout beans
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 500 ml chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• 6 leeks, chopped
• 150g mange tout beans
• 2 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped
• 500 ml chicken stock
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large pot, add the oil at a medium high heat. Then add in the onions, bacon, and garlic and fry for about 8 minutes. Now add the chicken stock and bring to the simmer. Add the jointed chicken and then cook for about 10 minutes at a medium low heat. Add the risoni follow by the carrots and cook for about 8 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken from the soup and use a fork to shred it (get rid of the bones and skin). Now add the beans and leek to the pan and then add the shredded chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Serve in a bowl and add parsley to the top.