This is an easy chicken soup, ideal if you have someone in your family who isn’t feeling well or if you want a warming meal on a cold, wintry night.
Chicken Noodle Soup
Ready in 40 minutes
Serves 4–6
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely sliced
• 3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 500g skinless, bone-in chicken thighs
• 2 litres salt-reduced chicken stock
• 80g dried egg noodles
• salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
TO SERVE
• chopped fresh Italian parsley
Heat the oil in a large pot over a low heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots and gently sauté for a few minutes.
Place the chicken thighs in the pot and pour over the stock. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and comes away from the bone easily.
Remove the thighs from the pot and place on a chopping board.
Add the noodles to the pot to cook while you shred the chicken.
Using two forks, pull the chicken apart. Discard the bones and place the shredded chicken in the pot.
Once the noodles have cooked through, season the soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with parsley.
Tips + tricks
• I use bone-in chicken thighs to give the soup even more flavour and nutrients. You can use boneless thighs, or even chicken breast if you have it to hand.
• Another nutritious addition is half a bag of baby spinach. Add the spinach at the same time as the shredded chicken, and serve the soup just after the spinach has wilted.
Butter Chicken Pies
Butter chicken is such a popular takeaway dish in New Zealand. This is another way to serve it, in a flaky puff-pastry pie. The chicken breast is pan-fried and then shredded, which makes it nice and tender, and the gravy is full of flavour. Your friends and family will be asking for this meal over and over again.
Ready in 1 hour and 20 minutes
Makes 4 individual pies or 1 large pie
• 500g chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and cracked black pepper, to season
• 4 sheets puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten
BUTTER CHICKEN GRAVY
• 1 onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp white sugar
• 1 tbsp crushed garlic
• 1 tbsp crushed ginger
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 1 cup water
• ½ cup cream
TO SERVE
• steamed green vegetables
Cut the chicken breasts in half horizontally. Drizzle with the oil and season well with salt and pepper.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Cook the chicken for a few minutes on each side, until cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a bowl, cover with tinfoil and set aside to cool.
To make the Butter Chicken Gravy, add the onion and half the butter to the same pan. Sauté over a low heat for a few minutes.
Add the garam masala, coriander, cumin, paprika, salt, cinnamon and sugar to the pan. Cook off for a few minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger and tomato paste to the pan, stirring to combine. Add the remaining butter and allow to melt. Sprinkle over the flour and fry off for a few minutes, mixing as you go.
Slowly add in the water, half a cup at a time. Stir to combine. Pour in the cream and cook for a few minutes until nice and thick. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. Grease 4 small pie dishes or 1 large pie dish.
Shred the chicken breasts. Add the shredded chicken to the sauce with any cooking juices. Stir to combine.
Line the pie dish(es) with pastry, trimming the edges as you go. Spoon in the chicken filling, distributing evenly. Place the remaining pastry on top of the pie(s) and seal the edges. Brush with the egg wash. Bake for 40 minutes or until the pastry is golden and flaky.
Serve with steamed green veges on the side.
Lemon Curd Cheesecake Slice
This can be served as a dessert or a treat. It is easy to make and you can easily change up the flavours. Instead of a lemon curd on top you could use ½ cup fruit compote or jam.
Ready in 30 minutes + setting time
Makes 16 pieces
• 250g packet malt biscuits
• 100g butter, melted
LEMON TOPPING
• 250ml thickened cream
• 250g cream cheese, softened
• 2 tbsp caster sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup lemon curd
Line the base of a 20 cm square slice tin with baking paper.
To make the base, place the biscuits in a food processor and blitz to a fine crumb. Add the melted butter and blitz again until combined.
Pour into the prepared tin. Spread out to the edges and smooth the top with a spatula. Place in the fridge to chill while you make the topping.
To make the topping, add the thickened cream to the bowl of a stand mixer. Whisk on high for 1 minute until fluffy.
Add the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and half the lemon curd. Whisk on high for a few minutes until well combined, scraping down the sides as you go.
Pour the topping on top of the chilled base and spread out evenly. Dollop the remaining lemon curd over the top and use a spoon to swirl it through. Chill overnight to set completely.
Once set, remove from the tin and carefully remove the baking paper from the base.
Slice into 16 even pieces using a sharp knife, wiping the knife clean with a paper towel between each slice.
Place on a serving plate and serve immediately, or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Tips + tricks
• Thickened cream contains gelatin, which helps the slice to set.
• Swap the malt biscuits for Milk Arrowroots, Maries, Super Wines or another plain biscuit of your choice.
An edited extract from Everyday Comfort Food by Vanya Insull (Allen & Unwin NZ, RRP $39.99).
