Dairy-Free Chicken and Vegetable Soup
Rice milk and floury potatoes give this seasonal soup a lovely creaminess that's balanced by the freshness of vibrant, colourful vegetables: summer in a bowl
Serves: 6
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 chicken breasts, skinned
500ml vegetable or chicken stock (if using cubes or powder, check on the label that they are lactose-free)
1 litre rice milk
500g floury potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 medium young carrots, peeled and cut into thin strips
1 small courgette, finely sliced
1 orange or yellow pepper, deseeded and cut into strips
250g sweetcorn kernels
150g peas
150g green beans
5g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and celery and fry over a gentle heat for 5 minutes, until softened but not coloured. Add the chicken and fry until golden.
- Pour in the stock and milk and add the potatoes. Cook for about 40 minutes, until the potatoes are soft and the chicken is tender. Remove the chicken from the liquid and shred using forks. Remove two big ladlefuls of soup (including quite a generous amount of the potatoes) and liquidise until smooth. Return the mixture to the pan and stir well. Add the shredded chicken.
- Stir in the remaining vegetables, bring back to the boil and cook for a further 4–5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft but retain a little bite. Stir in the chopped parsley, season and serve at once.
Drinks recommendation
A light red with plenty of balancing acidity makes a refreshing contrast to the vegetable subtleties here.