Ingredients
| FOR THE STOCK | |
| 1 whole chicken (ideally size 14-16) | |
| 1 onion, roughly chopped | |
| 1 carrot, roughly chopped | |
| 1 celery stick, roughly chopped | |
| a few cloves garlic, crushed | |
| 1 bay leaf | |
| a few slices of ginger | |
| a few slices of fresh turmeric (or 1⁄4 teaspoon dried) | |
| a sprig or two of thyme and/or parsley | |
| 1 teaspoon peppercorns | |
| 1 teaspoon salt | |
| FOR THE SOUP | |
| 2 tablespoons chicken fat or olive oil | |
| 1 leek, sliced | |
| 1 celery stick, diced | |
| 2 medium carrots, peeled, diced | |
| 2 cloves garlic, minced | |
| a 3cm piece of ginger, minced | |
| a 3cm piece of fresh turmeric, minced (or use 1⁄4 teaspoon powder) | |
| 1.5 litres chicken stock | |
| 1⁄2 cooked chicken, shredded | |
| 400g fresh chow mein noodles (around 150-200g dried) | |
| a good handful of chopped parsley, to serve |
Well-flavoured broth with poached chicken, noodles and vegetables is found throughout the world, with each culture and cuisine having its own version. It is a true comfort food of soft, sweet vegetables, rich broth and a garnish of chicken. Most styles of noodles work here – I use fresh chow mein noodles, but dried angel hair pasta, or broken up spaghetti also work well. I’ve taken to adding ginger and turmeric to my version as I like the depth and warmth they add.
I’ve given the long version here with a light homemade stock that is used to poach a whole chicken, but have added some quicker versions, too, using a bought rotisserie chicken or some chicken breasts.
View the recipe collection here
Instructions
| 1. | FOR THE STOCK |
| 2. | Put all the ingredients in a large stock pot and cover with enough water to completely cover the chicken. |
| 3. | Bring up to a very slow simmer and cook for 40 minutes, then allow to sit for 30 minutes. |
| 4. | Remove the chicken, set aside and strain the stock. |
| 5. | Discard the vegetables. |
| 6. | This can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. |
| 7. | For the soup you will only need half the chicken (I use the shredded breasts for this and reserve the leg and thigh meat for another use). |
| 8. | If making this ahead, the chicken fat will settle on top of the stock. You can remove this when cold. I like to use some of the fat for frying the vegetables for the soup. |
| 9. | FOR THE SOUP |
| 10. | Heat the chicken fat or oil in a large pot, add the leek, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger and turmeric, and fry over a low heat for a few minutes until tender. |
| 11. | Add the stock and bring up to a gentle simmer. |
| 12. | Cook for 30 minutes, then add the chicken and cook until heated through. |
| 13. | Either cook the noodles in the soup when you add the chicken (this will help add flavour to the noodles and thicken the soup, but comes with the danger of overcooking the noodles and making the soup cloudy) or cook them in a pan of salted water until al dente then add them to the bowl just before serving. |
| 14. | Add the chopped parsley. |
| 15. | Season to taste with salt. |
| 16. | FAST-COOKING VERSION: ROTISSERIE CHICKEN |
| 17. | Make the soup as above, using bought or homemade stock. |
| 18. | Shred the meat from the bones of a rotisserie chicken, add to the soup along with any cooking juices from the bag. |
| 19. | Cook until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes, then proceed with the noodles as described. |
| 20. | MEDIUM-COOKING VERSION: CHICKEN BREASTS |
| 21. | Use bought or homemade stock and 2 chicken breasts. |
| 22. | Poach the breasts by simmering in the stock (you may need to remove any scum as it rises) for 12-15 minutes or until cooked through. |
| 23. | Remove the breasts from the stock and, when cool enough to handle, shred the meat. |
| 24. | Make the soup as described above. |
| 25. | If you’re short of time, you could add the uncooked chicken breasts to the pan once you have added the stock to the veges, and poach them in the soup for 12-15 minutes as the veges are cooking. |
| 26. | Remove the chicken when cooked and, when cool enough to handle, shred the meat. |
| 27. | Add back to the soup once the veges are tender and proceed with the noodles as described. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant
Photography Aaron McLean
Styling Jessica Crowe