Lisa's chicken soup

Let’s be honest - it’s grim out there today. Up and down the country grey skies and drizzle are getting us all down. Well here’s just what you need to make it through the day - Lisa Faulkner’s feel good, warming, chicken soup.

Lisa's chicken soup

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, bone in skin on. You could use a whole chicken or chicken portions - wings, whatever you like.

1 chicken stock cube

6 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

4 celery sticks, roughly chopped

2 onions, skin on and quartered

12 peppercorns

1 large teaspoon marmite

1 bouquet garni sachet

2 bay leaves

3 litres water

I like to use extra fine egg noodles or rice vermicelli noodles

Method

• Place al the ingredients into a very large pan and cover with 3 litres cold water

• Bring to the boil and scrape off the scum that might come to the surface using a slotted spoon. Simmer over a gentle heat for 3 hours - be careful not to let the stock boil or you will have a bitter and cloudy soup. .

• After three hours, remove from the heat and lift out the chicken thighs and put to one side

• Strain the stock into a bowl and reserve the vegetables. Place the strained stock into the fridge for 6-7 hours or overnight.

• Remove the skin from the chicken and shred the meat. Remove the onion skins from the vegetables and keep for later.

• When ready to serve, take the stock from the fridge and remove and discard the layer of fat that will have formed. Place the stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil, then season to taste. If you are adding noodles place them into the chicken stock to cook for about 4 minutes.

• Place the shredded chicken and vegetables into serving bowls and ladle over the hot stock and noodles (if using). Top with chopped parsley and serve.