What could be more comforting than a hearty soup that will warm you up from the outside in? If you just can’t get enough soup – check out our collection of warming winter soups.
We have something for everyone; there’s traditional pea and ham and French onion (but with a twist) as well as minestrone, and chunky beef and vegetable that are more like a meal than a soup.
Ingredients
Method
Rinse chicken under cold water; pat dry, inside and out, with paper towel. Trim excess fat from chicken; place chicken in a 5-litre (20-cup) slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, celery, potato, the water and stock. Cook, covered, on low, about 10 hours.
Remove chicken from cooker; when cool enough to handle, discard skin and bones. Shred chicken coarsely.
Using a stick blender, blend soup in cooker until smooth; stir in cream and shredded chicken. Cook, covered, on high, for 10 minutes or until hot. Season to taste. Serve soup sprinkled with chervil and drizzle with a little extra cream, if you like.
Not suitable to freeze. Boiler hens, also known as steamer hens or steamer chickens, are usually ‘older’ birds used for egg-laying – the meat is generally tougher, making them more suitable for slow cooking; they are available from Asian butchers. You can use a small chicken if you cannot find a boiler; however, you will need to reduce the cooking time from 10 hours to 8 hours on low.
Note