Chicken And Vegetable Broth

Apparently soup is all we are going to have for a while according to one of the tummies, such a post festive season/holidays manifesto. I actually quite like the idea of a no carb liquid diet myself especially if other people are suffering with me at the same time, so I took on the challenge as well. Since we had just experienced the equal hottest night (36 degrees C) and the second hottest day (43 degress C) on record; any soup I cook will has to be light and clean, more like a broth really. I came up with this recipe using a traditional chinese technique of poaching chicken to absolute perfection and then just adding in some vegetables that is subtle and won't over power the delicate sweet broth.

Both the tummies are very happy with the finished product, with one of them even proclaiming "very delicious! This is so easy on my stomach! " I take that as being good haha!

P.S Add some cooked pasta for a more substantial meal but it is a lot more filling than it looks.

Serves 4

you'll need;

1 whole organic chicken, cleaned, poached, skinned and boned

1 onon, peeled and halved

2 bay leaves

fennel tops

2 carrots, cut into pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into pieces

250g of green peas

250g of corn

2 heads of fennel, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

3 l of water

Bring water to a boil, add onion, fennel tops, carrots, celery stalks and bay leaves. Add the chicken and seasonings; when the water returns to a boil, turn off the heat with the cover on and leave for 1.5 hours.

Never attempt to remove the cover during this time. Remove chicken and solids from the broth; rest the chicken til it is cool enough to handle, remove skin and bones and slice into manageable pieces.

Meanwhile  return the broth to a simmer and add in the chicken bones, simmer for an hour. Remove all solids and fat then add in the prepared vegetables, cook until tender. Ladle some broth with vegetables and top with some tender chicken meat.

I must admit, the result was just what I was hoping for; the broth is sweet, clear and delicate and the chicken is cooked to perfection.