Eat Hello

My Favourite Chicken Soup (With A Big Nod to Sophie Dahl)

March 29, 2014

This recipe is not really MY recipe. Nope. Instead it’s my version of a DELICIOUS recipe by the equally divine Ms Dahl. I did not change it because I didn’t like it the original way. I changed it because I cooked it lots of times and I kind of started making it up as I went along. So totally NO shade thrown in Sophie’s direction. Her recipe is ace and you can find it here!

I’ve been feeling a bit peaky  and tired lately, so on the weekends I’ve been making this soup to restore my Pipness. It totally works. If you make this you will probably be more you. Yep. (Unless you are a vegetarian!)

Keep in mind that for this recipe you need to roast the chicken and then simmer it in the soup too. This is not speedy but it’s totally low maintenance. If you roast the chicken at 10am you’ll have soup for lunch by 1pm. And your house will smell delicious.

I like to add chicken wings to the whole equation because they seem to give a TON more flavour to the soup. They are not totally necessary but they make for a richer stock. Do that if you can. Go nuts.

Pip’s version of Sophie’s soup

Step One:

1 free range chicken PLUS
1/2 kg of chicken wings
1 lemon
a good slosh of olive oil
30g of  butter 

Wash the chicken. Put the lemon and butter in its cavity. Season with salt and pepper. Plonk in an olive-oiled roasting pan and slosh with some more olive oil. Throw the wings in too. Roast in a medium/hot oven until the chook is lovely and golden and cooked (maybe 50 minutes later, or so?) Set the roasting pan and juices aside because you can use it later to make delicious chicken croutons! V important!

Step Two:

a knob of butter (around 30g) 
1 red onion, peeled and diced
1 leek, washed and chopped fairly finely
2 stalks of celery, chopped roughly

4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced (BUT if you want a clear soup, don’t add the potatoes! Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t)
2 cloves of crushed garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
a slosh or two of apple cider (or white wine) vinegar
1/2 packet of frozen peas (or use fresh ones!) or a couple of handfuls of sliced fresh beans
3 litres of water
1/2 loaf of sourdough bread 

Melt the butter in a BIG soup pot. It needs to hold all the liquid and veggies and chicken, so no skimping!
Add the onion and leek and garlic. Cook until softened and fragrant.
Add the carrots and celery and stir well.
Add the potato too.
Now add the bay leaves, paprika and vinegar.
Plonk in the WHOLE cooked chicken and the chicken wings too.
Cover with 3 litres of water.
Simmer for 1 hour.

Remove the chicken and the chicken wings. Dig around and get those wings out!
Let them cool until they are not too hot to handle.
Take the meat (and skin if you are decadent) off the chicken and return it to the soup.
Add the peas. Season with sea salt and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, taste to make sure it’s salty enough.

NOTE: Optional: You can add a handful or two of KALE at the last minute  if you need some leafy greens!

While that’s happening make the Sophie croutons. They are the best croutons in the universe…

Cut the sourdough bread into cubes. Crusts on is fine. Throw them into the pan you roasted the chicken in. Cook for 7 or 8 minutes in a hot oven until golden and sticky and delicious. Don’t let them burn! Watch them and even turn them over if you are really vigilant.

Serve your soup with fresh parsley, some croutons and some more freshly ground pepper. And some chilli if you are spicy like me.

So yummy. Thanks Sophie!

x Pip

 

Here’s a list of all the ingredients you need, to make it easier:

1 free range chicken PLUS
1/2 kg of chicken wings
1 lemon
a good slosh of olive oil
60g of  butter
1 red onion, peeled and diced
1 leek, washed and chopped fairly finely
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 stalks of celery, chopped roughly

2 potatoes, peeled and diced
2 cloves of crushed garlic
2 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp sweet paprika
a slosh or two of apple cider (or white wine) vinegar or white wine
1/2 packet of frozen peas (or use fresh ones!) or a couple of handfuls of sliced fresh beans
handful of fresh parsley
1/2 loaf of sourdough bread
Optional: Kale or other green leafy veggies

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