Old Fashioned Chicken Soup

A bowl of steaming hot flavoursome chicken soup with a piece of bread is the perfect meal on any cold day and brings loads of comfort. This hearty chicken soup packed with vegetables may ease cold and flu symptoms such as congestion and coughs. A good hot soup will soothe a sore throat and keep nasal passages moist.

Ingredients serve 8

2 tbls oil

1 chopped onion (250g)

2 stalks sliced celery (225g)

3 sliced carrots (500g)

500 g peeled and chopped potatoes

400 g peeled and chopped kumara

1500 ml water

1 quartered chicken (1500g)

1 table mixed herbs

1 tsp salt

½ tsp white ground pepper

Method

Place oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and cook the onion and celery until soft and translucent. Season the chicken pieces and place in the pot with the skin down, cook for approx. 5 minutes. Add carrots, potatoes, Kumara and water. Bring to the boil and lower the heat. Cover the pot and simmer for approx. 1 hour. Remove chicken from the soup and allow cooling. Remove the chicken meat and discard the bones and skin. Shred the meat and return to the pot. Reheat and serve in bowl with sourdough bread.

Note: If you like thinner soups add 1500 ml of chicken stock with the water and you can also add noodles to the soup.