Leftover chicken and vegetable soup
A warming broth that adds cooked chicken only after the vegetables soften. Small pasta shapes make it a more substantial leftover-chicken lunch.
An original Recipe From Fridge editorial recipe idea. Timings are estimates; check doneness as described, not by the clock alone.
Ingredients
- 200g safely chilled cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 small leek, washed and sliced
- 60g small dried pasta shapes
- 750ml chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 tsp olive oil
- Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Check the chicken and prepare the vegetables
Check the cooked chicken was chilled within 2 hours, is still within 48 hours of cooking and has not been reheated before. Prepare the washed vegetables while it stays in the fridge.
- Soften the leek and carrot
Heat the oil in a saucepan. Soften the leek and carrot over a medium-low heat for 6–8 minutes, stirring and adding a spoonful of water if they start to stick.
- Simmer the pasta in stock
Pour in the stock and bring to a simmer. Add the pasta and cook for its packet time, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and carrots are tender.
- Reheat the chicken thoroughly
Add the shredded chicken and simmer, stirring to distribute it, until every piece and the broth are steaming hot throughout. Allow about 5 minutes but check the food, not just the clock.
- Season and serve
Add pepper to taste and serve immediately. Make only the amount you will eat: the chicken has now been reheated once and should not be reheated again.
Make it work with what you have
- Keep extra hot water handy: pasta continues absorbing broth as the soup stands.
- Use a little shredded cabbage instead of leek, or omit pasta for a lighter broth. Do not swap raw chicken into this leftover method.