Chicken Soup

There's some seasonal changeover sickness hanging around so I thought it suitable to upload my chicken soup recipe even though the colder months have passed. Packed with all things nourishing, chicken soup really does soothe the soul and heal the sick. A big pot goes a long way too. I make fresh bread in my breadmaker to serve with my soup and to fill the boys up!

Ingredients Required:
30g butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 leek
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 medium carrots
2 stalks celery
¾ cup yellow split peas
¾ cup green split peas
8 cups chicken stock
1 kg chicken lovely legs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
 
Directions to Cook:
Peel and dice onions and carrots. Wash and slice celery into 5mm-1cm pieces.
Heat oil and butter together over low-medium heat in a large pan. Sauté onion and garlic until tender. Add carrot, celery and split peas. Sauté for a further 1-2 minutes. Add stock and chicken and increase heat to high. Bring to the boil. Boil 1 minute then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour until the meat is very tender (occasionally skim the frothy scum that bubbles on the top of the soup). 
Turn off heat and remove chicken pieces from soup and set aside to cool. When cool, remove meat from bones and return to pan (ensuring there are no bones in the mix). Return the soup to low-medium heat and add an extra cup or two of water to the mix if a lot of liquid has evaporated during the cooking process (adjust to suit your preferred thickness).
Stir through chopped parsley.
Simmer a further 10 minutes.
Serve with crusty bread or grissini.
 
Variations:

• You can use a full chicken for this recipe, around 1kg in weight or chicken pieces. If using skinned chicken, cool the soup completely before serving and skim the layer of fat from the top. Reheat and serve.

Packed with goodness

Healthy, hearty Chicken Soup