Soup two weeks running might seem a bit much for a BBQ blog... but last week's Smoked Tomato Soup recipe was one of the most popular mailers we've ever sent out!
So I thought I'd share another soup recipe with you, this time using up leftover smoked chicken. This soup's hearty, healthy and absolutely packed with flavour.
You'll notice some of the measurements are approximate, which is because this is a super flexible recipe designed to work with what you have in the fridge - I had a whole butternut squash that needed eating this week, so I used the whole thing for this batch.
If you flex the ingredients by a lot your soup will be different and your yield might change, but it'll still be delicious!
Makes: 4 huge bowls of soup, or 6 regular bowls
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes
Serving suggestions: toast with lashings of butter (you'll learn this is my opinion of all soup!)
Ingredients
300-500g leftover smoked chicken
6 garlic cloves, finely sliced, chopped or minced
2 carrots, skins on, cubed
150-300g butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 small sweet potato, skin on, cubed
1 onion, quartered
2 tablespoons cold pressed British rapeseed oil
1.2 litres chicken stock, shop-bought or homemade
300g baby spinach
Sea salt
Cracked black pepper
White wine vinegar
Around 20g butter
Method
Preheat your oven to 250°C.
Add your garlic, onion, carrots, butternut squash and sweet potato to a baking tray with two tablespoons of oil and a generous pinch of sea salt.
Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes - you just want to get some nice colour on the veg, it doesn't need to be cooked through.
Chop up your leftover chicken - I like to put any skin in the soup for flavour, but make sure you cut it up really finely, as it's not going to render down in the time we're cooking for.
After the veg has been in the oven around 10 minutes, pour your chicken stock into a large saucepan and bring it up to a gentle simmer before adding your chicken to the saucepan.
Your roasted veg is ready to take out of the oven when it's got some lovely golden colouring.
Add half to a blender with 3-4 ladles of your chicken stock, then add the other half into the saucepan.
Pulse your blender until you've got a nice smooth consistency.
Be very careful blending hot ingredients - technically you should wait until cold with most blenders, but I'm too impatient!
Blending half of your veg gives this soup a lovely thick consistency, but if you prefer you can either blend it all, for a thick, luxurious soup (and hidden veggies for the kids!) or you can choose not to blend any of it, in which case you'll end up with a more stock-like but chunkier soup.
Pour the blended soup into your saucepan with the chicken stock mix, add your spinach and a good few twists of cracked black pepper, stir well and simmer gently for a few minutes.
Taste now for seasoning - usually I find it tastes a little flat at this stage and needs more salt and a little splash of vinegar. I use white wine vinegar but apple cider vinegar works, or you can use a squeeze of lemon juice. Remember, you can add but you can't take away, so small amounts at a time!
Once you're happy with the seasoning, stir through the knob of butter - this adds depth to the soup but it will also help balance the acidity from the vinegar.
It's time to serve, so get the toaster on and get your toast covered with lashings of butter.
Pour into bowls and enjoy - this one's literally the food version of a hug!
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