Poached chicken and stock
Start off with poaching your chicken, which you’ll use in the soups later, and which form the basis of your homemade stock.
You’ll need: One large free-range chicken; five carrots; five celery stalks and leaves; three medium onions; three bay leaves; one bulb garlic; one large bunch parsley; sea salt and black peppercorns.
To make: Roughly chop the carrots, celery and onions into large chunks, and halve the garlic bulb across the middle. Put all into a pan with a pinch of sea salt, add the chicken, the celery leaves, the parsley and a few black peppercorns (around four or five). Fill the pan with water to cover and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer. You may find scum on the surface after a while, simply skim it off and discard. Simmer for an hour, then check if the chicken is cooked – the juices will run clear if you pierce the leg with a sharp knife.
Take the chicken out the pot and when cool enough to handle, strip off all the meat. Shred and keep in fridge until ready to use. Put the bones and skin back into the pot, bring to the boil and keep at a rolling boil for another 45 minutes to an hour.
Strain through a fine sieve and pour into a bottle, keep the stock in the fridge until you’re ready to use.
Chicken and corn soup
Chicken soup with sunny, tasty sweetcorn. Heaven!
You’ll need: Four cups chicken stock; one cup shredded chicken; four tablespoons butter; five chopped spring onions; ¼ cup flour; ½ cup cream, one tin sweet corn kernels (drained).
To make: Melt the butter in a large pan, add chopped spring onions and cook over low heat until the onions have softened. Add the flour, cook for one minute, stirring all the while.
Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking to prevent lumps, and once all in, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and stir until thickened. Add the tinned corn kernels, shredded chicken and cream, and cook for another few minutes until chicken warmed through.
Season to taste, and serve in warmed soup bowls with some crusty bread.
Greek Lemon Chicken Soup
This traditional Greek soup is sharp with lemon, smooth with egg yolk, and utterly delicious. Orzo is a small pasta which resembles rice – you can, if you wish, use rice instead.
You’ll need: Six cups chicken stock; left over shredded chicken from when you poached it for stock making; two egg yolks; juice of one lemon; one cup orzo; salt and black pepper to taste; flat leaf parsley to garnish.
To make: Heat the chicken stock until just boiling, then add the orzo and cook for around 10 minutes until cooked. While this is cooking whisk your egg yolks with the lemon juice.
Take a ladle of the hot soup, and add it to this mixture, whisking well, then pour back into the soup. Add the shredded chicken, and continue to simmer for five minutes.
Season to taste, then ladle into warm soup bowls. Top with chopped parsley.
Italian style chicken soup with pasta
This is the easiest of them all. It’s delicious, takes just minutes to make, and the we’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love it.
You’ll need: Six cups chicken stock; one to two cups shredded chicken; one-and-a-half cups small pasta shells (or pasta of your choice … farfalle, ditalini, Orecchiette, ravioli, even spaghetti, as long as you break up into short pieces); flat leaf parsley; parmesan (optional)
To make: Bring your chicken stock to the boil, then add your pasta shells and boil until pasta is cooked (time depends on pasta, follow packet instructions). One minute before it’s cooked, add your shredded chicken to warm. Serve in warmed soup bowls with a sprinkling of chopped flat leaf parsley and, if using, a grating of parmesan.
PRO TIP: If you’re in a rush, you can make chicken stock with chicken wings. They’re inexpensive, and they have loads of connective tissue and cartilage, both of which are rich in collagen, which breaks downs into gelatine while cooking, making the stock rich in flavour. Using wings is perfect for when you need the chicken stock, but not the meat.
Chicken side bites
- Chicken is a lean protein, making it an excellent option for those trying to lose weight. In fact, one 85g serving of chicken has 24 grams of protein, no carbs, and just 122 calories, making it the perfect weight-loss option. That high protein is also ideal for bulking up and building muscle.
- The dark chicken meat has more vitamins than the white
- Chicken is jam packed with nutrients, so is a healthy option for adults and children.
- Chicken is high in vitamin B6, so it improves heart health, and can help to prevent heart attacks
- Chicken soup is known as the best home remedy for treating a cold and the flu. Eat it as hot as you can manage … the steam helps to clear throat and nasal congestion, and the soup is full of goodness, which helps boosting immunity.
- With the high levels of phosphorus and calcium in soup, it’s good for building, and keeping, healthy bones. It also contains selenium, which helps lower the risk of arthritis. In addition, it’s a source of alpha and beta-carotene, retinol, and lycopene, which are essential for good vision.
- Chicken soup for stress relief? Yes, really. Tryptophan and vitamin B5 have calming effects on your body, so reduce stress.
- It contains magnesium … good for sleep, and also helps relieve the symptoms of PMS. . The vitamin B3 (niacin) in chicken helps keep your nervous system functioning properly, and can also help to reduce tiredness.
- Chicken is high in phosphorus, a mineral that helps with teeth and bones, kidney, liver and central nervous system.
- Chicken is also rich in minerals. Potassium and sodium are electrolytes that can help with fluid balance, iron helps with haemoglobin formation, muscle activity, and the prevention of anaemia, while phosphorus is known to help with bone health, dental care, fatigue, and brain function.
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