Chicken, Leek and Lemon Soup

Chicken, leek and lemon soup is a quick and easy meal, perfect for winters evenings and gloomy day lunches.

Barry and I returned to NZ yesterday after a month in the UK with my family. To be honest it’s a bit of a shock. We left the stunning English summer (no I’m not lying) and arrived back to flooding tanks and a saturated vineyard. Our fabulous manager filled our fridge with the essentials to get through jet lag – a chicken, vegetables, eggs and bacon and 100 Dilmah teabags. So all we had to do was cuddle the dogs and unpack.

After roasting the chicken for dinner last night, I threw the bones into the stock pot with some carrots, onion and parsnip and make a slow cook stock over night. This is a staple in our fridge throughout winter to make sure there is always a soup base ready for easy lunches. I love adding parsnip to stock. It provides a sweetness which works very well as a base for a winter warmer.

This soup is fabulous, quick, full of flavour and nourishment. As always add as many green vegetables and herbs as you like.

Ingredients

1 litre chicken stock

1tbsp butter or good olive oil

1 cup of shredded cooked chicken

1 cup of shredded leek

zest of half a lemon

2 tbsp grated parmesan

1/2 cup small pasta shapes

chilli flakes to taste

salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a saucepan melt the butter or heat the olive oil and add the leeks. Sweat until soft and add the chicken, parmesan and lemon zest. Stir around for a minute to heat everything through and add the chicken stock. Cooked until the pasta is al dente and season to taste.

For lunch we added some spinach and chard leaves and lots of chopped herbs and for a heartier evening meal, I topped the soup up with lentils, split peas and pearl barley for additional sustenance.

This soup works particularly well with parmesan or pecorino cheese. If you’re feeling especially decadent add a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche.