This rustic, chunky soup uses up leftover roast chicken and is packed with flavour from fresh rosemary, sage and thyme
Prep:20 mins
Serves 6
1 leftover chicken carcass, plus 225g meat (thigh or leg meat is best), or 4 skinless chicken thighs, plus 1.5 litres chicken stock2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil2 onions, chopped6 carrots, chopped3-4 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and chopped3-4 sprigs sage, leaves picked and chopped3-4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped2 tsp ground cumin2 tsp ground coriander1 tsp turmeric1 tbsp plain flour400g can butter bean, drainedcrusty bread, to serve
STEP 1If using a leftover chicken carcass, place in a large saucepan and cover with 2 litres of water. Bring to the boil, then cover with a lid and gently simmer for 20 mins. Meanwhile, heat the oil in another large saucepan. If using chicken thighs, add these and brown on all sides, then remove and set aside.STEP 2Add the onions to the oil and cook for 10 mins until starting to caramelise. Add the carrots, herbs, spices and flour, and stir for 1-2 mins to toast the spices. If using a chicken carcass, strain the cooking liquid into the pan with the vegetables, otherwise add the browned chicken thighs and stock. Stir well, cover and simmer for 30 mins.STEP 3If using chicken thighs, remove them from the pan, shred the meat and discard the bones. Add the meat (or the meat from the carcass) back into the soup, along with the butter beans, season and heat through for 1-2 mins.STEP 4Use a hand-held blender to blitz the soup until smooth, or leave it chunky. Or blend about half, so it’s creamy but still has chunks of chicken, carrot and butter bean. Serve with extra pepper, and good crusty bread.
