Looking for a quick meal to make that’s delicious and healthy also? You can’t go past this soup. Plus, leftover chicken gets shredded for sandwiches over the next day or two…. hmmm, poached chicken and mayo with salad sandwiches…
What I love about this soup is that all the hard work is done with very little effort from you. The whole chicken and the flavourings added to the cooking water are busy doing their thing. The water is being turned into a fragrant stock and the chicken is cooking in one of the most gentlest ways possible, leaving it fall off the bone tender and juicy.
When you get home, all you need to do is put the whole chicken (or chicken pieces) in a pot large enough to hold it and throw in all the ingredients for the soup base. Leave it to cook for 60 minutes while you are getting out of your work gear and then it’s basically done. You just need to compile and then devour.
Another reason chicken soups like these are so fantastic and easy to make, is because you can use frozen chicken, straight from your freezer. I know! Amazing, right?! This one was actually made with a whole frozen chicken. The time is a little longer, closer to 1hr 40mins or so, depending on size, but the result is the same. Just make sure you have a meat thermometer so you can check that it’s fully cooked on the inside. You want the internal temperature to be 75°C / 167°F for chicken.
Any part of the chicken is suitable in this recipe so keep some thighs or breasts permanently stocked in your freezer, along with a bag of frozen veggies and you will always have chicken soup.
INGREDIENTS
Chicken and stock base
1 whole chicken or chicken pieces
2 cabbage leaves, torn in half
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 shallots, fold in half to fit in the pot
4 coriander roots
2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
1-2 long red chillies, left whole and sliced down the centre
2 tbs soy sauce
Soup extras
1 – 2 eggs per person, well beaten
ramen noodles
mixed frozen vegetables – 1 handful per person
baby spinach leaves or mixed raw cabbage and carrot mix- 1/2 handful per person
1/4 red capsicum, thinly sliced
For serving
black sesame seeds
coriander sprigs
soy sauce
hot sriracha sauce
1 shallot, green part, finely sliced
1 red chilli, finely sliced
Method
Place your chicken in a large pot, cover with water and add the rest of the soup base ingredients. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer and leave to cook, uncovered for 60 minutes.
While the soup is cooking you can make your omelette. Heat a pan with some oil to coat the base well. When it is shimmering pour in the beaten eggs and cook. Once cooked, roll up and then slice into thick slices. Set this aside.
Cooking Tip: Leave the bottom to set for about 20 seconds and then start pushing the outside edges in towards the centre. Keep doing this till the egg is completely set.
Heat a pot of water and once boiling add your noodles – Do not add salt to the water. Cook for 1 minute less than the pack instructions suggest then drain. Rinse the noodles under cold water till all the heat has been removed and then set aside. The noodles will keep like this for as long as you want them to as they are reheated in the cooking broth when you are ready to eat.
Once the chicken is completely cooked, remove it with a large strainer and place on a plate. Leave to cool a bit so you can handle it. Once cool enough to handle, then remove the skin and bones (it should be very easy) and place the chicken in a bowl. You can shred it or leave it in large sections or slice it, whatever you choose to do. Set it aside and keep warm.
Remove all the flavourings from the stock so it’s just the liquid left. Leave this to simmer away while you prepare your meal.
When you are ready to eat…
Place the frozen veggies (or your own mix of fresh) into a large strainer and and dip this into the stock. Cook for a couple of minutes or to your liking. Crunchy or soft is up to you. Place in your bowls.
Grab handfuls of the noodles and use your strainer to heat them up in the stock. This will only take 30 seconds, then place in your bowls.
Place your raw salad mix or cabbage mix and the sliced capsicum in the bowls, these don’t need to be heated up in the stock as the broth will do this when poured into your bowls.
Place the sliced omelette into the bowls.
Place the warm chicken into your bowls (you can reheat it in the stock if it has cooled down too much)
Ladle over the chicken broth so every item gets another dose of heat.
Now you just need to dress it with the sesame seeds, coriander leaves, more soy sauce, sriracha sauce, chillies and shallots.
- 1 whole chicken
- 2 cabbage leaves, torn in half
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 2 shallots, fold in half to fit in the pot
- 4 coriander roots (if available)
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
- 1-2 long red chillies, left whole and sliced down the centre
- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 1 – 2 eggs per person, well beaten
- ramen noodles
- mixed frozen vegetables – 1 handful per person
- baby spinach leaves or mixed raw cabbage and carrot mix- ½ handful per person
- black sesame seeds
- coriander sprigs
- soy sauce
- hot sriracha sauce
- 1 shallot, green part, finely sliced
- 1 red chilli, finely sliced
- Place your chicken in a large pot, cover with water and add the rest of the soup base ingredients. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer and leave to cook, uncovered for 60 minutes.
- While the soup is cooking you can make your omelet. Heat a pan with some oil to coat the base well. When it is shimmering pour in the beaten eggs and cook. Once cooked, roll up and then slice into thick slices. Set this aside.
- Cooking Tip: Leave the bottom to set for about 20 seconds and then start pushing the outside edges in towards the centre. Keep doing this till the egg is completely set.
- Heat a pot of water and once boiling add your noodles – Do not add salt to the water. Cook for 1 minute less than the pack instructions suggest then drain. Rinse the noodles under cold water till all the heat has been removed and then set aside. The noodles will keep like this for as long as you want them to as they are reheated in the cooking broth when you are ready to eat.
- Once the chicken is completely cooked, remove it with a large strainer and place on a plate. Leave to cool a bit so you can handle it. Once cool enough to handle, then remove the skin and bones (it should be very easy) and place the chicken in a bowl. You can shred it or leave it in large sections or slice it, whatever you choose to do. Set it aside and keep warm.
- Remove all the flavourings from the stock so it’s just the liquid left. Leave this to simmer away while you prepare your meal.
- Place the frozen veggies (or your own mix of fresh) into a large strainer and and dip this into the stock. Cook for a couple of minutes or to your liking. Crunchy or soft is up to you. Place in your bowls.
- Grab handfuls of the noodles and use your strainer to heat them up in the stock. This will only take 30 seconds, then place in your bowls.
- Place your raw salad mix or cabbage mix and sliced capsicum in the bowls, these don’t need to be heated up in the stock as the broth will do this when poured into your bowls.
- Place the sliced omelet into the bowls.
- Place the warm chicken into your bowls (you can reheat it in the stock if it has cooled down too much)
- Ladle over the chicken broth so every item gets another dose of heat.
- Now you just need to dress it with the sesame seeds, coriander leaves, more soy sauce, sriracha sauce, chillies and shallots.