Chicken and roast parsnip soup recipe

Created by Matthew Evans

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Cuisine: Modern Australian
Serves 6

Roast chicken is the base for one of my favourite soups, especially if the chicken has been cooked on a kettle-style barbecue, although an oven is just fine for everyday cooking. Roast a large chicken and extra parsnips, then use the bones and leftovers to make a soup that’s perfect for a cold winter’s night. It’s a wise way to get the most from each bird, especially if you’ve spent good money on a quality chicken. If you can, buy a chicken that hasn’t been fed antibiotics, not just for health issues, but because the chicken has taken longer to grow, resulting in a bird with more robust flavour.

Ingredients

1.8kg whole chicken
1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle
1kg parsnips, peeled, quartered lengthwise, cored
1 large leek, washed, chopped, trimmings reserved
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs thyme
¼ cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley, stalks reserved
½ tsp black peppercorns
Turkish pide, to serve

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Preparation

Preheat oven to 220°C. Rinse the chicken including the cavity with cold water, then pat dry with paper towel. Place, breast-side up, in a roasting pan, drizzle with oil and rub all over with salt and pepper. Place parsnips on an oven tray, drizzle with oil and season.

Place chicken on top shelf of oven and parsnips on lower shelf and roast both for 20 minutes, turning them halfway, or until chicken is light golden. Reduce oven to 180°C and roast chicken and parsnips for a further 15 minutes or until the parsnips are golden brown. Remove parsnips from oven and roast chicken for a further 20 minutes or until the juices of chicken run clear when the thickest part of a thigh is pierced with a skewer.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat, discarding the skin, and refrigerate until needed. Place bones, leek trimmings, celery, bay leaves, thyme, parsley stalks and peppercorns in a large saucepan. Cover with 4L water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low–medium and simmer for 2 hours. Strain and discard solids.

Roughly chop parsnips and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and cook leek for 8 minutes or until very soft but not browned. Add chicken stock and parsnips, bring to the boil and season. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, shred or finely chop chicken, then add to soup with chopped parsley. Simmer for a further 5 minutes to warm through. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve soup with Turkish pide.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Charlotte Bell.

If you enjoyed this Chicken and roast parsnip soup recipe then browse more Modern Australian recipes, soup recipes, slow cooking recipes and our most popular hainanese chicken rice recipe.

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