Potato soup with leek, pasta and chicken – creamy, hearty and full of flavour.
Here is a soup that brings together all the best things about a classic potato and leek soup – but with extra body and texture, which makes it a complete meal in itself.
Potato soup with leek, pasta and chicken is mild, creamy and filling – perfect for children and adults alike, and ideal on a cold day when dinner should be both easy and comforting.
The soup starts with crisp-fried bacon, which is set aside while onion, garlic and leek are briefly sautéed in the pot. Finely diced potatoes go in together with the pasta and stock, and everything simmers until the pasta is tender. Because the potatoes are cut so small, some of them naturally break down – and that gives the soup a wonderfully creamy consistency, with no need to blend.
To finish, the soup is rounded off with a little cream, and the shredded chicken and crisp bacon are folded in – then it is seasoned with lemon juice, fresh thyme, salt and freshly ground pepper.
I also add a good handful of grated aged Havarti – it gives a lovely roundness and a little extra depth of flavour. You can of course use Vesterhavsost (a Danish aged hard cheese) or Parmesan instead, if that is what you have in the fridge – they all work really well here.
Serve with a little extra fresh thyme on top and a piece of good bread on the side – this is a soup you will find yourself making again and again.
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 roughly 1.2 litres of liquid I recommend at least three stock cubes, as described in the recipe, so you still get the deep, rounded flavour that would otherwise come naturally from a poached chicken.
You will still get a delicious, mild and creamy soup – but the flavour gets that extra lift when the stock is given a little extra care.
I always poach a whole chicken when I make soups like this – a soup where the base, that is the stock, is a big part of the flavour. I put the chicken in a pot, cover it with water and bring it to the boil. I skim the water well and then add 2-3 stock cubes, whatever leftover vegetables I have lying around and 10 peppercorns. I simmer the chicken over a low heat for about 45 minutes – depending on its size, and then I like to let it rest in the water for 15-20 minutes before I take it out.
If there is time, I put the carcass back into the pot once the meat has been picked off, and let the stock simmer on. I add extra water if needed, depending on how much stock I need.
Potato soup with leek, pasta and chicken
Ingredients
- 150 g bacon, diced
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 large leeks, sliced into rings (save some of the green tops)
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 500 g potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
- 150 g pasta (cooking time over 10 min.)
- 1,2 l water
- 3 cubes chicken stock
- 100 ml cream e.g. whipping cream (38% fat)
- 500 g cooked chicken, shredded
- 50 g aged Havarti, finely grated
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves picked
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Oil
Method
- Heat a splash of oil in a large pot and fry the bacon until golden and lightly crisp. Set it aside on a plate.
- Fry the onion, garlic and leeks in the same pot until the onion is translucent. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Sprinkle over the flour, then add the diced potatoes, pasta, water and stock cubes to the pot, and let the soup simmer until the pasta is almost tender. By this point some of the potatoes will have started to break down – this helps to thicken the soup.
- Add the cream and shredded chicken – along with the finely sliced green leek tops and the fried bacon. Stir well and heat the soup through until the pasta is cooked and the soup is piping hot.
- Finally, stir in the cheese and thyme together with the freshly squeezed lemon juice, and season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Serve topped with fresh thyme.
Nutrition
Premium
Skøn ret og mætter uden at være tung. Lavede retten i den urengjorte gryde jeg havde kogt kyllingen i
og det gav en dejlig dyb smag.
Hej Jens
Hvor er det dejligt at høre – tusind tak for feedback:)
Warm wishes, Dianna
Hold nu op hvor var den lækker. Tak for opskriften 🙂
Hejsa
Det er jeg virkelig glad for at høre – tusind tak for de søde ord:)
Warm wishes, Dianna