Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Method

1. Wash 300 to 400g of chicken breast, soak it in lightly salted water for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse again and drain. Wash 150g of vegetables, being carrot, corn, green peas and mushroom, and cut them into small dice. Separate the stalks and leaves of 2 celery stalks and chop the stalks fine.
2. Bring a pot of water to the boil, lower in the chicken breast, turn the heat to medium and skim the foam. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until just done, lift it out to cool, then shred it. Keep 500ml of the cooking liquid.
3. Set a pot over medium heat and melt 40g of unsalted butter. Add the vegetables and cook quickly for about 1 minute.
4. Sprinkle in 60g of all purpose flour and stir steadily for about 2 minutes so the flour cooks and takes up the butter as a roux, taking care not to let it catch.
5. Add 500ml of unsweetened oat milk slowly, stirring as it goes so the flour dissolves completely. Then add the 500ml of chicken cooking liquid, stir through and cook over medium heat.
6. Once the soup comes to a gentle simmer and thickens, add 9g of chicken soup powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, the chopped celery stalks, salt and ground black pepper. Cook another 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and thick.
7. Add the shredded chicken and the celery leaves, cook 1 more minute, adjust the seasoning and take it off the heat.

Tips

• Half an onion or a few slices of ginger dropped into the pot with the chicken gives a more fragrant broth.
• Letting the roux cool a little, or using milk at room temperature, keeps the soup from turning lumpy.
• The milk goes in a little at a time with constant stirring, never all at once.
• The shredded chicken goes in at the last minute so the meat does not toughen.