It’s soup weather! I love a big bowl of soup with buttery crusty bread to dunk, heaven. Chicken soup has to be one of my favourites. Growing up my parents made me chicken soup when I was sick and it always made me feel better. It’s not just a placebo, although the nostalgia does help fight against cold symptoms, the ingredients of chicken soup all contain immune boosting qualities.

I always use chicken on the bone and boil it for at least an hour to release the anti-inflammatory goodness. Plenty of onions, garlic and veg all contribute to building back your strength after illness. Read this interesting article on BBC Good Food on the health benefits of chicken soup.

This chicken soup recipe is a perfect family meal and suitable from 6 months. It makes a huge pot, enough left over to freeze. Younger children may struggle with feeding themselves soup and might not like the texture. I would recommend removing the meat and veg from the soup and serving as finger foods.

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion – roughly diced

5 garlic cloves – roughly chopped

6-8 chicken thighs, skin on

2tbsp All purpose seasoning – I use Dunns River, it’s available at most supermarkets.

1tbsp mixed herbs

4 carrots –  washed, skin left on and roughly chopped

3 parsnips – washed, skin left on and roughly chopped

3 stalks of celery – washed and roughly chopped

2 leeks – washed and roughly chopped

4 medium potatoes – washed, skin still on and diced

Handful of brussel sprouts – washed and sliced in half

1tbsp oil – I use rapeseed, but olive is fine

Pinch of pepper

Water

METHOD

Use a large pot with lid. On a medium heat, heat the oil.

Sprinkle the chicken thighs (skin side) with the all purpose seasoning. 

Fry the chicken until browned, start skin down and turn over once. You’re not trying to cook it, you just want to release the fat from the skin. Place on a plate.

Add celery, onions and leeks to the pot and gently fry for 1 minute. Add garlic, carrots, parsnips and sprouts, cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken to the pot and add enough water to cover the ingredients. Add mixed herbs and pepper to taste. Stir.

Bring to the boil, cover, turn the heat to low and simmer for 1hr. If you notice any excess fat forming on top, skim it off.

Add potatoes, re-cover, bring back to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for 25minutes or until potatoes are soft.

Remove the pieces of chicken. Some of the skins may have fallen off, be sure to scoop those out. Remove the chicken from the bone and pop the meat back into the pot. Mix well.

Serve with warm crusty bread. I haven’t tried this, but a variation of my Garlic Ciabatta might work well with this. I’ll let you know how it works out if I try it. 

Eat. Enjoy.