Chicken & Leek Soup

• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 2carrots, peeled and diced
• 2celery sticks, diced
• 1large onion, diced
• 3large leeks, trimmed and sliced into rounds
• 2 tbspbutter
• 600 gchicken thigh fillets
• 1.2litre chicken stock
• 150 gpearl barley, rinsed
• salt and black pepper
• 1 tspdried thyme
• 2bay leaves
• 15 gflat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 4 tbspwholegrain mustard (optional)

Method

1. 1Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery with a good pinch of salt; salting now pulls the moisture out and gets you sweetness rather than steam. Cook for 8 minutes until softened and just starting to catch gold at the edges.
2. 2Add the garlic and leeks. Cook for 5 minutes more, stirring often, until the leeks collapse and turn silky. Watch the garlic; you want it fragrant, not browned.
3. 3Season the chicken thighs generously with salt and black pepper, then nestle them into the pot. Pour over the chicken stock and add the thyme and bay leaves. Bring up to a gentle boil.
4. 4Stir in the pearl barley, cover partly and simmer for 35–45 minutes, or until the barley is tender and the chicken reaches 75°C for 30 seconds and pulls apart easily. Stir occasionally and add a little boiling water if it thickens too much.
5. 5Lift the chicken out with a slotted spoon. Shred the meat with two forks; it should fall apart with no resistance; then return it to the pot. Fish out the bay leaves.
6. 6Taste the broth properly. It should taste rounded and savoury, with a slight golden thickness from the barley breaking down. Add salt or black pepper if needed, then taste again.
7. 7Ladle into deep bowls and scatter with the parsley. Stir in the optional wholegrain mustard at the table if using.

Per serving

kcal

462

protein

39.1g

fibre

12g

carbs

46.2g

fat

14.3g