Chicken minestrone soup

This fantastic recipe is warming, healthy and easy on the budget too – stretch one chicken breast to feed four people! (and with our Chicken breast you’ll have plenty of meat to go around!)  Packed full of flavour, with pasta and veg it’s a great midweek dinner or hearty lunch.  Plus you can use up veg left in the fridge too if you like! 

SERVES 4

Prep time 15 mins

Simmer time 25 mins

Ingredients:

Glug olive oil
Knob unsalted butter
4 large garlic cloves, crushed
2 leeks, cut into 1cm rounds
1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 green chilli, finely chopped (optional)
3 tbsp white miso paste
Finely grated zest and juice 1 lemon
1 reduced-salt stock cube
1 Beech Ridge Farm free-range chicken breast (skin removed)
100g small pasta shapes such as orzo, macaroni, ditalini
200g frozen broad beans, edamame, peas or a mixture
Small bunch dill, roughly chopped
Soured cream or greek yoghurt and crusty bread to serve

Method: 

Heat the oil and butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, leeks, fennel and chilli (if using), season with salt and black pepper, cook for 4-5 minutes until starting to soften (see Flavour Boost).

Add the miso, lemon zest, stock cube and 1 litre water, then bring to a simmer. Add the chicken breast and reduce the heat to low. Cook very gently for 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through, then remove the chicken, roughly shred the meat and set aside.

Add the pasta to the pan and increase the heat. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 6-8 minutes until the pasta is almost cooked.

Add the beans/ peas and shredded chicken to the pan. Top up with a bit more water if the soup looks too thick, then cook for 2-3 minutes more until the beans/peas are tender.

Stir in the lemon juice and dill, then season to taste.

Serve in bowls with a dollop of soured cream or greek yoghurt, and crusty bread on the side.

Recipe from www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk