Organic Chicken & Spring Vegetable Soup

To make the stock you’ll need…

• 1 organic chicken
• 2 carrots, peeled and cut into quarters
• 4 stalks, celery
• 2 brown onions, quartered
• 6 medium cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tea spoons Celtic sea salt
• 1 desert spoon whole pepper corns
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 5-6 sage leaves
• 6 sprigs of thyme
• ½ a lemon
• 1 corn cob cut into half

Ingredients to add to the chicken stock

• 1 parsnip, peeled and diced
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 cup of fresh split peas (use frozen if desired)
• 1 cup green beans cut into 4 cm long pieces
• 2 sticks celery, finely sliced
• 1 cup of fresh corn cut from the cob ( optional)
• 1 small onion, diced
• Olive oil
• 1 tin of chickpeas, drained  (optional)
• Flat leaf parsley chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to make…

• Fill a large soup pot with water and heat until boiling. Add the chicken (chicken should be fully immersed in water) and all other stock ingredients and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until chicken meat is tender (falling off bone), usually 45 – 60 minutes.
• Remove the chicken from the stock and put aside to cool.
• Pour stock through a colander into a large bowl and discard rest of the ingredients. Allow liquid stock to cool and skim fat that’s risen to the surface.
• Add a splash of olive oil to a deep saucepan on low heat, add the diced carrot, thinly sliced celery and diced onion. Cook through until onion is clear but not brown. Add more sage and thyme. Add the parsnip and green vegetables. Stir well to combine. Add a splash of the chicken stock and stir well, allow 5 minutes or so and then pour in the rest of the stock. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.
• Remove skin from the cooled chicken and discard. Pull the meat in good bite size chunks, put aside. Add the rest of your vegetables to the soup and chicken pieces. Add the drained tinned chickpeas.  Maintain at a gentle simmer for a good 30 mins, season with Celtic sea salt and cracked pepper to taste. If you want a creamy soup you can add a cup of coconut milk.
• Skim any gunk that rises to the top periodically as it simmers. Serve with a little chopped flat leaf parsley. You can freeze this in batches and keep on hand for healthy dinners on the go as needed.