This chicken soup is straight forward, tasty and deserving of praise! I make it regularly, not only because it’s flavourful, but it’s really easy to make and packed with healthy fats, nutrients and proteins. When anyone in the family just looks like they’re getting the sniffles I know that Big Tasty’s Chicken Soup will be on the menu. I then like to go in extra heavy with the fresh garlic, ginger and chili to make sure I scare off any sort of flu.
You can easily add some extra carbohydrates if you want to stretch this recipe. Adding rice, noodles or additional legumes like lentils, beans, barley etc. are a great and sneaky to build on an already delicious and healthy recipe. I would say that this would be a great meal prep option or at least it’s freezer friendly so perfect for those busier days where you just want to grab something from the freezer and feel like you’re doing your mind and body a favour.
Simple notes to ensure the perfect result:
The Chicken
Don’t overcook the chicken. I cut it in half and cook it in the oil/butter until it’s just firm to the touch. You don’t need any necessarily need any color on it. You’d rather undercook the chicken than overcook it. Then once you add it to the soup, you can just let it simmer for a few additional minutes. Nothing worse than overcooked, tough chicken.
THE Vegetables
I like my chicken soup to be on the chunkier side (personal preference) so I dice the onion in slightly bigger than usual cubes, the carrots are cut into 1 cm coins, the celery is cut into finer slices because its quite fibrous and holds throughout the cooking process. The sweet potato is peeled and cut into large quarters. Some of the sweet potato chunks will naturally start to break down and other larger parts will stay chunky. This lends a lovely sweetness throughout the chicken soup. The broccoli is also cut into rough chunks, so some pieces will be softer than others bringing some texture to the soup.
THE Chicken Stock
Naturally using your own chicken stock is best but if you’re using store bought stock (I used Ina Paarman stock powder) than you’ll build a flavour profile similar to mine. This soup’s taste profile rides heavily on the flavour of your stock so make sure your chicken soup is well salted before serving.
THE Salt USAGE
Be mindful of the amount of salt added when making this recipe as you’ll be salting the chicken before searing it in salted butter, then adding a tsp of salt (or two) during the cooking process, and adding chicken stock which tends to be quite high in sodium (depending on the brand you use). So taste as you go!
Big Tasty's Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp / 40 grams salted butter
- 600 grams chicken breast boneless and skinless
- 1 large white onion peeled and diced
- 3 medium carrots peeled and cut into 1cm coins
- 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 tsp ginger finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery sliced, leaves included
- 1-2 tsp fine salt pink salt
- ½ tsp ground five spice
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- 5 tbsp / 40 grams regular flour
- 5 ½ / 1250 ml chicken stock lukewarm
- 1-2 small bird's eye chili sliced
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into large quarters
- 1 head broccoli cut into chunks
- 1 tsp white wine vinegar or regular vinegar
- 1 tsp soy sauce or Worchester sauce
- ⅔ cup / 180 ml cream
- parmesan grated, for garnish
- black pepper coarsely ground, garnish
Instructions
- Cut the chicken in half (lengthwise) so they're thinner and will cook faster. Lightly coat with salt. Bring a large saucepan to a medium-high heat. Add butter and olive. Cook the chicken on each side until lightly golden and just cooked through. Remove form the saucepan and set aside to rest.
- Reduce the heat to medium and in the same saucepan, add onion, carrots, garlic, ginger, and celery. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add salt, five spice and white pepper. Sauté for another 5 minutes.
- Add flour and sauté for 5 minutes or until the flour turns a golden brown on the base of the saucepan.
- Pour in the chicken stock and chopped chili. Stir, ensuring the flour loosens from the base of the saucepan.
- Add the sweet potato, vinegar and soy sauce. Boil on a high heat until the sweet potato is fork tender. Stirring occasionally.
- Once tender, add chopped broccoli and cream. Boil for another 5 minutes or until the broccoli is tender but still retains a bite. Remove the soup from the heat.
- Tear the chicken breasts into bite size pieces and add to the soup, with any remaining juices. Salt to taste and you're now ready to serve.
- Garnish with some freshly grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.
Notes
1. Chicken: Don't overcook the chicken. I cut it in half and cook it in the oil/butter until it's just firm to the touch. You don't need any color on it. 2. Vegetables: I like my chicken soup to be on the chunkier side (personal preference) so I dice the onion in slightly bigger than usual cubes, the carrots are cut into 1 cm coins, the celery is cut into finer slices because its quite fibrous and holds throughout the cooking process. The sweet potato is peeled and cut into large quarters. Some of the sweet potato chunks will naturally start to break down and other larger parts will stay chunky. This lends a lovely sweetness throughout the soup. The broccoli is also cut into rough chunks, so some pieces will be softer than others bringing some texture to the soup. 3. Chicken Stock: Naturally using your own chicken stock is best but if you're using store bought stock (I used Ina Paarman stock powder) than you'll build a flavour profile similar to mine. This soup's taste profile rides heavily on the flavour of your stock so make sure your soup is well salted before serving.
4. Salt Intake: Be mindful of the amount of salt added when making this recipe as you'll be salting the chicken before searing it in salted butter, then adding a tsp of salt (or two) during the cooking process, and adding chicken stock which tends to be quite high in sodium (depending on the brand you use). So taste as you go!