VelvetChicken Soup with Root Vegetables
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats.
A whole chicken enriches a pot of stock with garlic, thyme and bay, followed by diced root vegetables and fresh parsley. The breast comes out before the longer simmer, keeping it tender while the legs and carcass give the broth depth.
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Method
- 1
Joint the chicken. Cut the breasts away from the breastbone and separate the legs from the carcass with the sharp knife. Put the breasts, legs and carcass into the soup pot, pour over the stock and add the garlic, thyme and bay leaf.
- 2
Poach the breasts gently. Heat over medium-high until the stock reaches 66-71 °C, then adjust the heat to hold that range. Small fluctuations are fine, but keep it above 66 °C and below 77 °C. Cook for about 1 hour, until the thickest part of each breast reaches 66 °C; see the safety note. Lift the breasts onto a clean plate.
- 3
Simmer the rest. Bring the stock with the remaining chicken to a simmer and cook for another 1 hour, skimming off foam as needed. The leg meat should be tender and pull easily from the bones. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf and discard them.
- 4
Pick the meat. Lift the remaining chicken out with tongs. Pull the meat from the bones and tear it into bite-size pieces, discarding the skin and bones. Keep the breasts aside. If the broth looks cloudy, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof bowl, then return it to the pot.
- 5
Cook the vegetables. Return the shredded chicken to the broth, leaving out the breasts, and bring back to a simmer. Add the diced carrot, turnip, onion, parsnip and celery. Cook for about 10 min, until the vegetables are just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.
- 6
Season and finish. Stir in the salt gradually, tasting between additions, then add the pepper and adjust both as needed. Stir in the parsley and take the pot off the heat. Dice the reserved breasts and stir them into the soup with any juices on the plate. Serve hot.
Storage
Refrigerate covered for up to 3 days or freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Reheat only the portion needed until the chicken reaches 74 °C and the soup is piping hot throughout. Cool leftovers in a shallow container and refrigerate within 2 hours (within 1 hour on a day above 32°C).
Why it's healthy
21.8 g protein for 181 kcal = 12 g per 100 kcal, so protein gives about 48% of the energy. High Protein needs at least 20% (5 g per 100 kcal), the EU condition. How we decide
- Total fat: 25.9 % of energy (limit ≤ 30%)
- Saturated fat: 7 % of energy (limit < 10%)
- Free sugars: 0 % of energy (limit < 10%)
- Salt: 0.9 g (limit ≤ 1.7 g)
- Fibre or fruit & veg: 2.6 g fibre / 53 g veg (limit ≥ 2.3 g fibre or 80 g fruit & veg)
Per serving, worked out from the nutrition table against our WHO-based rule. Not endorsed by WHO.
Free sugars
Free sugars: 0 g per serving
0 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 0 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g (WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. who.int/publications/i/item/9789241549028
Equipment
- sharp chef's knife
- chopping board
- vegetable peeler
- large soup pot or Dutch oven, about 8 litres
- instant-read thermometer
- tongs
- large plate for the cooked chicken
- skimming spoon
- wooden spoon
- fine-mesh strainer (optional)
- large heatproof bowl for straining (optional)
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 181 kcal |
| Protein | 21.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 12.9 g |
| of which sugars | 4.1 g |
| of which free sugars | 0 g |
| Fat | 5.2 g |
| of which saturates | 1.4 g |
| Fibre | 2.6 g |
| Salt | 0.9 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
12 g meets High Protein (≥ 5 g, 20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
