Chicken Soup
I like to make a batch of homemade chicken stock, every couple of weeks, so I always have some stored in the freezer. If you haven't made stock before don’t be intimidated: you just put all the ingredients in a pot and leave it to cook away, then strain the stock, cool and freeze. When I started weaning with my little girl I would add a measure of homemade chicken stock to my daughter’s purees, for extra nutrition. Today, we enjoy it together as this chicken soup. This is a really special recipe to me, it that reminds me of our journey together with food, and my experiences cooking as a mother. My son incidentally loves this soup too.
To make this soup I would only use homemade chicken stock, you just cannot replicate the flavour with a shop bought stock, it is also the star of the dish. To make the soup you build a lovely vegetable base layer, add the special stock, I then cook the pasta in the nutrient dense broth. Finish with shredded roast chicken and fresh herbs. If you have some homemade stock, make this, I hope it will become a family favourite at your kitchen table too.
ingredients ~
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 white onions, peeled and diced
3 medium carrots, trimmed, peeled and diced
4 celery stalks, trimmed, peeled and diced
1 medium leek, trimmed and diced
700ml-800ml homemade chicken stock
150g - 200g baby pasta shapes
1 organic chicken breast, cooked and shredded
1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
to cook ~
Take a large pot and sauté the onion, carrot, celery and leeks in a little olive oil until soft. Do this slowly, they should be cooked and translucent, you don’t want to add colour here. You can add a splash of water if needed.
Next, add the homemade chicken stock and bring up to a boil. Once the stock is piping hot add the pasta shapes to cook in the stock and vegetables. The pasta will absorb all the wonderful flavours and also help thicken the soup. Once the pasta is just cooked add the shredded roast chicken, finely chopped herbs and black pepper. For adults and bigger kids only, I season with sea salt to taste (not suitable for babies under 1 years).
You are now ready to serve. For smaller children I serve soup just warm in a mug with handles and with a spoon to scoop up all the delicious pasta, chicken and vegetables.