Hearty Chicken & Vegetable Soup

Nothing says winter like a big bowl of soup. This one is a complete meal in a bowl, perfect for cold winter days. With pasta, chicken and vegetables, it comes together in a flash. Serve with warm crusty bread or cheese toasties. It will keep in the fridge for week, so there is always something for lunch.

Ingredients

• 1 leek, white part only, halved lengthways, thinly sliced
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 small fennel bulb, trimmed, finely sliced
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 4 rashers bacon, thinly sliced
• 800g chicken breast fillets, trimmed of excess fat, each sliced into 3 pieces
• 2 litres chicken stock
• 1 tin Italian cherry tomatoes with juice
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup corn kernels
• good handful of thin spaghetti, broken into 6 cm pieces
• To serve
• plenty of fresh parsley, chopped
• crusty bread or garlic bruschetta, to serve

Method

1. Heat a little olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the bacon and gently fry till almost cooked.
2. Add the onion, garlic, leek, carrots and fennel and cook gently until soft.
3. Add the stock, bayleaf, thyme and tomatoes and bring to a simmer.
4. Add the chicken fillets and continue to simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.
5. When cooked, remove the chicken and set aside.
6. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken with two forks or chop with a knife.

To Serve

7. Bring the stock back to a high simmer, add the spaghetti and cook for about 10 minutes.
8. Remove the bayleaf and add the frozen peas and corn, cook for a further 5 minutes.
9. Season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.
10. To finish, add the shredded chicken. Heat through before serving.
11. Ladle into serving bowls and sprinkle with plenty of chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.