Herby Chicken Soup

This is chicken soup that tastes like it simmered all day (but it didn't and that's the point)

Good chicken soup comes from bones, a low flame, and time. There's no way around that, but we've done some of it for you. The slow simmer is already in the stock and the bone broth concentrate. In half an hour, you can have a soup with the depth of a day on the stove.

Just before serving, a rough herby oil - coriander, parsley, garlic and plenty of lemon — gets swirled through the pot. That hit of acid cuts through the rich broth and brings the whole bowl together.

Cook this recipe loosely, with the veggies and herbs you love most, chicken soup was never a precise thing.

Serves 4 · About 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 packet Free-Range Chicken Stock
• 2 tablespoons Chicken Bone Broth Concentrate
• 1 litre water
• 500g chicken thighs
• 1 fennel bulb, 4 celery stalks, 2 leeks — or whatever's in the crisper
• Plenty of garlic
• Olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper
• Optional: a couple of handfuls of Organic Spelt Penne, if chicken noodle is your thing

For the herby oil

• A couple of big handfuls of soft herbs: we used coriander and parsley
• A good glug of olive oil
• A clove of garlic
• Zest and juice of a lemon

Instructions

1. Pour the stock, concentrate and water into a large pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Add the chicken thighs and poach for about 15 minutes – keep it low and slow, no rolling boil.
2. Meanwhile, chop your vegetables. Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a wide pan and sauté the fennel, celery, leeks and garlic with the lemon zest, salt and pepper. Keep the heat low – you want them soft and sweet, not browned.
3. When the chicken is cooked through, lift it out to rest and keep the stock simmering gently on low.
4. To make the herby oil, roughly chop or blitz the herbs with the olive oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Keep it chunky. Season with salt.
5. Shred the chicken with two forks. Add the chicken and the stock to the softened vegetables and simmer together for a couple of minutes.
6. Take the pot off the heat and swirl through the herby oil.
7. If you're adding spelt penne, cook it separately and add a handful to each bowl before ladling over the soup – the broth stays clear and the pasta stays al dente, and tomorrow's leftovers will thank you.
8. Divide between bowls and top with plenty of freshly grated Parmesan. Serve with hot crusty bread and good butter.

Poaching the thighs directly in the stock keeps the chicken tender and makes the broth even deeper - and with the bone broth concentrate in there too, you're getting all that slow-simmered, gut-loving nourishment without watching a pot all day.