Chicken and Farfalle Soup

Enjoy Chicken and Farfalle Soup with your favourite bread. Photo / Olivia Moore - That Green Olive

People say soup is a hug in a bowl — this soup is entirely that. It’s incredible how much flavour you can get from such simple ingredients — I love this soup not only for its simplicity, but its robust taste.

There’s sweetness released from the capsicum, brightness from the basil and richness from the chicken. Farfalle is cooked in the soup, absorbing its flavours and oils for a tender bite that is welcome amongst shredded chicken, soft vegetables and a silky broth.

This soup cooks for about two hours all up — this allows the flavours to really develop. Don’t try to speed this up! Let it simmer away while you get other things done around the house — or cosy up with a movie and a glass of wine. And as with any soup, enjoy it with your favourite bread — toasted of course.

Go to Olivia’s website for more recipes: www.thatgreenolive.com

Serves 3-4

● 1 onion, finely diced

● 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

● 2 tbsp olive oil

● 25g butter

● 1 zucchini, finely diced

● 1 green capsicum, finely diced

● 3 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in (450g)

● 1 heaped tbsp mustard

● 1L chicken stock

● 5g fresh basil leaves, shredded

● 100g dry farfalle

● 1 tsp salt

● ¼ tsp ground white pepper

Method

1. Heat oil and butter together in a large saucepan over medium heat. When melted, add onion and garlic and cook for 3 minutes until translucent. Add zucchini and capsicum and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vibrant and browning in places.

2. Add chicken and mustard, and stir to coat. Cook for 5 minutes until chicken is lightly browned. Add chicken stock and basil.

3. Cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes. Remove chicken and allow to cool. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones and shred with a fork. You can either finely chop the skin, or discard.

4. Add chicken back into the pot along with the farfalle, and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir though salt and pepper.

5. Ladle into bowl