Chicken, sweetcorn & noodle soup

batch cook bay leaf bay leaves bbc good food magazine june black peppercorn black peppercorns broth carrot carrots celery chicken corn leek leeks lunch noodle onion onions parsley soup super supper sweetcorn vegetable vegetables vermicelli

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Source

Ingredients

2 large carrots , chopped

2 large leeks , trimmed and finely sliced

2 corn on the cobs, corn kernels cut off

200g vermicelli noodles

small bunch parsley , finely chopped

2 onions , quartered

1 leek , cut into chunks

2 carrots , thickly sliced

2 bay leaves

6 black peppercorns

parsley stalks

4 celery sticks, roughly chopped

2 tbsp low-sodium vegetable bouillon or 1 vegetable stock cube

1.3kg chicken

Method

Put all the stock ingredients and the chicken in a very large saucepan, then cover everything with about 3 litres cold water. Bring to the boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for 1 hr-1½ hrs, until the chicken is cooked through. Skim off any froth every 20 mins or so. Remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Strain the stock through a sieve, skimming off as much fat as you can.

Rinse out the pan and put the stock back in, then simmer on a high heat until reduced a little – you need about 2 litres in total. Add the carrots and leeks, then simmer for 10 mins.

Meanwhile, shred the meat from the chicken, discarding the skin and bones. Add to the pan with the sweetcorn. Add the vermicelli noodles, unless you want to freeze the soup, and simmer for about 7 mins more, until the corn and pasta is cooked. Ladle into bowls, sprinkled with the parsley. To freeze, allow the soup to cool completely before freezing (see tip), and when you’re ready to eat, allow the soup to defrost before bringing it back to a gentle simmer in a pan. Add the noodles and simmer until cooked.