Chicken soup with fennel and potatoes – a truly delicious, warming soup with tender chicken, soft potatoes, fennel, leek and plenty of fresh thyme. The soup is clear, yet full-bodied and rich in flavour from the homemade chicken stock. Crisp-fried bacon and the aromatic vegetables add that little extra something. It really does taste wonderful.
I love a good homemade chicken soup where you can really taste every ingredient. Here the fennel adds a mild, aromatic note that goes beautifully with the chicken, while the potatoes make the soup satisfyingly filling. The fresh thyme ties it all together, and the combination is simply lovely.
I start by poaching a whole chicken, and I can really recommend it. It gives you the most flavourful stock with plenty of depth, and at the same time tender, juicy chicken for the soup. Once the chicken is cooked, I lift it out and let it rest a little while I strain the stock and measure out the amount I need.
Next I fry the bacon in a large pot until golden and lift it out with a slotted spoon, leaving the flavourful fat behind. I fry the onion in the bacon fat before adding garlic, thinly sliced fennel, a little ground fennel seed and fresh thyme. It all fries together for a few minutes so the aromas can develop. And the smell in the kitchen is quite something!
Once the vegetables have had a few minutes in the heat, I add the potatoes, leeks and the homemade chicken stock. Then the soup just needs to simmer gently until the potatoes are almost tender. Meanwhile I pick the meat from the chicken and cut or shred it into smaller pieces, depending on what I fancy.
Finally I stir the chicken back into the soup along with the bacon and a little finely sliced green leek top, which gives the loveliest colour and a touch of freshness. The soup simmers for another 5 minutes or so, until the chicken is heated through and the potatoes are completely tender. Then I season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
I serve the soup piping hot with a little extra fresh thyme and, if you like, a small drizzle of good olive oil on top. It is so simple, yet tastes wonderful. A proper soup that fills you up and warms you right through.
This is the kind of chicken soup I love to serve in the colder months, but to be honest I think it is just as good the rest of the year. It is hearty without being heavy, and the fresh flavour of fennel, leek and thyme makes it something special.
Chicken breast instead of a whole chicken
If you want to save a little time, you can use chicken breast instead of a whole chicken.
Just remember that the flavour of the soup depends on the stock – so make a strong base. For about 1.8 litres of liquid I recommend at least 4 stock cubes, so you still get the deep, rounded flavour that otherwise comes naturally from a poached chicken.
You will still get a delicious, mild and velvety soup – but the flavour gets a real lift when the stock is given a little extra attention.
Chicken Soup with Fennel and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 1 large fresh chicken
- (or 600 g chicken breast – see intro)
- 10 peppercorns
- 2-3 chicken stock cubes
- Vegetable trimmings, e.g. spring onions, carrots, celery
- Salt
- Water
For the soup
- 150 g bacon, diced
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 fennel bulb
- 2-3 tbsp fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
- 400 g peeled potatoes, diced
- 2 leeks, sliced into rings (save the green tops)
- 1,8 l stock from the chicken
- 100 g fresh spinach
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- A little olive oil (optional)
Method
- Place the chicken in a large pot and cover it with water. Bring to the boil and skim the surface well.
- Add the peppercorns, stock cubes, a few mixed vegetables and salt – turn down the heat and let the chicken simmer gently, covered, over a low heat for about 45 minutes, depending on its size.*Use vegetable trimmings or whatever you have to hand – they are simply there to add more flavour to the stock.
- If you are using chicken breast for this recipe, you can simply poach it in a little stock – it needs about 10 minutes, depending on size. In that case I recommend making a fresh batch of stock for the soup.
- Lift out the chicken and strain the stock to remove the vegetables, peppercorns and so on. Measure out the amount of stock given in the ingredient list. Let the chicken rest while you prepare the soup – then pick the meat from the chicken and cut or shred it into smaller pieces.
- Fry the bacon in a large pot, with a splash of oil if needed, until crisp and golden.
- Meanwhile, cut the fennel into quarters and slice it thinly.
- Lift out the bacon with a slotted spoon and set it aside on a plate.
- In the same pot, fry the onion until translucent. Then add the garlic, fennel, ground fennel seeds and thyme and let it all cook for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Add the potatoes, leeks and stock and let the soup simmer gently, covered, until the potatoes are almost tender – about 15 minutes.
- Finally, stir in the chicken, bacon, leek tops and spinach – and let the soup simmer for a further 4-5 minutes.
- Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve the soup with a little fresh thyme on top and, if you like, a drizzle of good olive oil.
Nutrition
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