Cream of Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Comfort food in a bowl...it's creamy, chickeny (if there's such a word!) and deliciously flavourful.
Ingredients
- 1 large chicken breast approx. 300g, poached and shredded (see Notes), or left over roast chicken, shredded
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1l chicken stock made using 2 stock cubes or pots (used to poach the chicken)
- 30g butter
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 3 carrots peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk diced
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 1 bay leaf and 0.5 bunch thyme tied together to make a bouquet garni
- 125ml double cream I use Elmlea to reduce calories
- fresh flat leaf parsley chopped, to garnish
- crusty bread to serve (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter over a medium to low heat in a large saucepan or casserole. Add the diced onion, carrot and celery, and cook for 5 minutes, until tender. Then, add the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Slowly pour in the stock, stirring constantly, to obtain a smooth consistency and then add the shredded chicken and bouquet garni. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the cream. Return the pan to the heat, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the bouquet garni and check the seasoning.
- Serve garnished with chopped parsley and some crusty bread on the side (optional).
Notes
- To poach the chicken breast (can be done the day before) – season it with salt and pepper then add to a saucepan on a high heat along the chicken stock cubes or pots and 1l of cold water. When the water begins to boil, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 16 minutes (turning once, halfway through cooking). Remove the chicken and set aside to cool on a plate before shredding. Store in an airtight container overnight in the fridge, ready to add at step 2 of the recipe. Reserve the stock that the chicken was poached in and add it, also at step 2.
- This cream of chicken and vegetable soup recipe is easily adapted if you’re cooking for less or more people.