Cream Of The Coop Chicken Soup

Down with the flu? Rough day at work? Heavy heart? Nothing cures the emotional cold quite like chicken soup (sorry mushroom soup). It’s one of those facts of life that isn’t worth questioning. Why? Because it just is, so don’t fight it.

Hence, with so much on the line, no average chicken soup will do. Our cream of chicken soup recipe is just the comfort blanket your soul needs. Dramatic, maybe, but true. This soup is hot, thick and creamy, full of tender chicken strips, carrots, celery, potatoes… throw in some good bread on the side and you’re gold.

Ingredients

• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped [The onions, celery and carrots should all be roughly chopped to the same size]
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• A small bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
• 8 baby potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 2 cup poached chicken meat, flossed or cut into strips
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup flour, loosely measured
• 3/4 cup full cream milk
• 1 cup white wine
• 1/4 cup cream
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Spring onions, chopped for garnish

Instructions

1. Heat one tablespoon of butter in a pot over medium heat and saute the carrots and celery for roughly 10 minutes. Stir frequently so nothing burns.
2. Throw in the onions and minced garlic and continue to cook the veges for about five more minutes until they are soft.
3. Put in the remaining butter. One melted, scatter in the flour.
4. Stir the mixture continuous until the butter-flour mixture turns a light brown and the flour forms a smooth even paste around the vegetables.
5. Add the bay leaf and cilantro leaves. Cook for a further minute before pouring in the wine. Make sure you scrape all the brown bits sticking to the bottom of the pot and stir the mixture until there are no lumps.
6. Add the chicken stock, stir and bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer. Taste and add seasoning.
7. Add in the potatoes and allow mixture to simmer until the potatoes are cooked through, about 10 - 15 minutes.
8. Once the potatoes are cooked, remove the bay leaf and add the chicken pieces and milk. Stir well and allow to simmer for five minutes.
9. Turn off the heat and add the cream.
10. Sprinkle spring onions on top when serving.

Tip

We normally make my own chicken stock, as Darsh usually has chicken feet, neck and bones, and carrot peels lying around in the freezer (although you can always use store bought stock). When making said broth, we throw in some meatier pieces along with the bones so we can strip off the flesh for the soup.  In order to get the meat, we follow the method prescribed by Marc (a different Marc) of No Recipe.