Ingredients
- 1 kg chicken lovely legs
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 large carrots, peeled, cut into 2 cm pieces
- 4 stalks celery, sliced
- 1 turnip (or swede), cut into 2 cm pieces
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 reduced salt chicken stock cube, crumbled
- 200 g wholemeal pasta
- 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley
Method
Step 1
Heat oil in a large, deep pot over a medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until lightly browned all over. Remove and set aside. Reduce heat to medium.
Step 2
Add onion, carrots, celery, turnip, garlic and thyme to pot. Cook for a further 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned.
Step 3
Return chicken to pot with bay leaf, 2 litres (8 cups) water and stock cube. Bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover with lid. Simmer for 1 hour. Stir in pasta. Simmer, covered, for a further 15 minutes.
Step 4
Remove from heat. Lift chicken pieces from pot using a slotted spoon. Shred chicken meat and discard bones. Return chicken to pot with parsley. Stir over low heat until hot.
Tips
- To cook soup in a slow cooker, complete steps 1 and 2 as above, then transfer chicken and vegetables to a slow cooker. Add bay leaf, water and stock cube as directed in step 3. Cook on low for 7 hours (or high for 4 hours), adding pasta in the last 30 minutes of cooking time. Follow step 4 as above and keep soup warm in slow cooker on low setting until ready to serve.
- Freeze individual soup portions in containers. Thaw overnight in fridge and reheat on stovetop or in microwave until hot. Great for a warming office lunch or a light dinner on chilly nights.
