Cream Of Chicken Soup
Creamy of chicken soup is low in calorie and high in vitamins .Preparing homemade chicken broth to use in the soup ,is a good way to cut the trans fat and boost of the level of vitamin A .
Enjoy this cream of chicken soup recipe alone or serve it with a salad to make it a meal .
Ingredients
Serves 4
3 tbsp butter
4 shallots , chopped
1 leek , sliced
450 g / 1 lb skinless chicken
breast , chopped
600 ml / 1 pint chicken stock
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tbsp fresh thyme ,
plus extra springs to garnish
175 ml / 6 fl oz double cream
salt and pepper
Method
1 . Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat . Add the shallots and cook , stirring for 3 minutes until softened . Add the leek and cook for a further 5 minutes . Stirring . Add the chicken , stock and herbs , and season . Bring to the boil then simmer for 25 minutes until the chicken is cooked through . Remove from the heat and leave to cool for 10 minutes .
2 . Transfer the soup to a food processor or blended and process until smooth ( you may need to do this in batches ). Return the soup to the rinsed out pan and warm over a low heat for 5 minutes .
3 . Stir in the cream and cook for a further 2 minutes , then remove from the heat and ladle into serving bowls . Garnish with sprigs of thyme and serve immediately .
variation
For a low fat option , omit the double cream and replace half the chicken stock with semi-skimmed milk . The soup will still taste smooth and creamy .
Chicken soup tips:
Using only breast meat
It's not wrong to use chicken breast when making this classic soup .You can use any part of the chicken , but chicken breast is bland , so using this cut alone doesn't add any extra flavor or richness to the soup .
If you 're not using a whole chicken , use chicken thighs preferably bone- in) ,or a combination of thigh and breast meat .Chicken thighs have tender , juicy meat that's full of flavor and adds more richness to the soup than breast meat alone .
Adding all the vegetables at the same time.
Whether it's thick-cut carrots , peas ,green beans ,corn, or perhaps leafy greens ,chicken noodle soup isn't complete without a hearty mix of vegetables .Keep in mind that these veggies don't all require the same cook time .Add quick -cooking vegetables too soon, and they'll be overcooked and mushy by the time your soup is ready .
Add hearty vegetables that take longer to cook , like carrots ,early on , and toss in the quicker cooking vegetables , like peas and corn , just a couple minutes before the soup is finished cooking .
