Herby Chicken & Butter Bean Soup
This is a lovely warming winter soup and has become one of my favourites. The recipe was printed in The Oracle ten years ago but I feel anyone who missed it should give it a try! Chunky and rustic, it is packed with flavour and you could also make it with leftover chicken or turkey. Lovely big piece of crusty bread is all you need on a cold January day. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 4 skinless chicken thighs with bones
- 1½ / 2 ½ pints litres chicken stock
- 2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
- 2 onions, chopped
- 6 carrots, chopped
- 3-4 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked and chopped
- 3-4 sprigs sage, leaves picked and chopped
- 3-4 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- 400g can butter beans, drained
- crusty bread, to serve
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the chicken thighs and brown on all sides, then remove and set aside. Add 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. Add the browned chicken thighs and stock. Stir well, cover and simmer for 30 mins.
- If using chicken thighs, remove them from the pan, shred the meat and discard the bones. Add the meat back into the soup, along with the butter beans, season and heat through for 1-2 mins.
- Use 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.
- To get ahead: The soup can be made up to 2 days ahead.
- To freeze: The soup can be frozen up to 1 month ahead.