I think I might be a secret soup addict! I love the versatility and the opportunity for creativity that soup making offers. For a more meaty but equally fortifying soup, I adore this smoky and tomato-based stuffed pepper soup recipe.
Homemade chicken soup
It’s no secret that chicken soup is good for you. But did you know how easy it is to make? No, you don’t need to boil chicken bones for hours to make the broth! However, if you want to give it a go, try my simple 30-minute recipe with this homemade chicken noodle soup. You’ll taste the difference. Alternatively, a simple stock carton or even stock pot or cube, will do as a base. Plenty of flavour comes from the sofrito and chicken thighs anyway. Next load with your favourite vegetables, and I’ve included orzo too, and in 40 minutes you have a hand-crocheted blanket around your shoulders and a hug in a bowl. Thanks to its everyday, easy-to-access ingredients, chicken and vegetable soup is a cold-season lifesaver!
Substitutions and variations
This may be a recipe for chicken soup, but it is easily adaptable to a vegetarian diet. Use a vegetable stock in place of chicken stock and skip the chicken. If you don’t want to miss out on the protein portion, substitute the orzo for lentils or beans. Borlotti beans are creamy, nutty and sweet and would be my choice! Crammed with vegetables, there is so much room for variety. You could never make the same soup twice! In this one, I’ve used sweet potatoes, peas and kale; one starchy, one pretty and one leafy. That’s a fairly good rule of thumb to go by if you want to mix it up. If you’re feeling decadent and want a richly creamy chicken soup, go ahead and give in to the craving. Add 125ml/ ½ a cup of heavy (US) or double cream (UK) at the very end.
Serving suggestions
Chicken vegetable soup with orzo pasta is a filling meal in itself. But a bit of bread never goes amiss! Here are my faves to go with this particular soup:
rye bread: dense, fragrant, slightly sweet due to the malt and molasses content, and a little sour due to the rye. farmhouse bread: the epitome of an honest white loaf, and this no-knead recipe gives a pleasing crust with a slight chew. rosemary and spelt bread: the wholesome spelt grain is nutty while the aromatic rosemary brings out the herbs in the soup.
Storage and leftovers
Known for its nourishing properties, I always have an emergency chicken soup stash in my freezer. When I’m feeling too ill to cook, I am so grateful that I planned ahead. For the homemade chicken soup to be at its best, I thaw mine before heating on the hob. If I feel a cold coming on, or notice my kids getting snuffly, that’s my cue to take it out the freezer and put it in the fridge for 24 hours. If that’s just not possible, you can microwave the frozen soup too. It’s best to freeze soup on the day it’s made, just make sure it’s cooled right down first.
Other soup recipes to try:
Beef Cabbage Soup Chicken Meatball Soup with Tortellini Cauliflower Cheese Soup Lentil and Bacon Soup
