Chicken soup - EASY recipe or good ready-made

[SpaceOp]

I love soup. I can and do cook various veggie soups which are great. And I always have a couple of tins of tomato soup in the cupboard. But chicken soup is my nemesis. I love a good chicken soup but tried to make it a couple of times and it was a disaster. Most ready made chicken soups I don't like and I haven't found a single tinned one that is, in my opinion, edible. The M&S chicken, mushroom and rice is the only one I've found I quite like but it's a) expensive and b) fresh so I have to eat it within a day or two when I like the option of having soup when I feel like it.

So please, can someone either recommend a good tinned one and/or a very easy recipe that I can cook and perhaps freeze myself? I like it a bit creamy - definitely no minestrone style with bits of veg to pick out.

Definitely my favourite shop-bought chicken soup is Yorkshire Provender roast chicken and veg, although it’s probably not what you’re looking for because a) it has veg bits and b) it’s fresh! However, you can freeze it. www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/yorkshire-provender-roast-chicken-soup-with-traditional-vegetables-600g

This is my favourite recipes, although again it’s probably not what you’re after as it’s not especially simple. Sorry thehappyfoodie.co.uk/recipes/classic-cream-of-chicken-soup

Any bots of chicken with fat on it so quarters,thighs or drumsticks.

Roast the chicken i the oven first as it gives the flavour.

Bung the chicken in the slow cooker or in the pot with some veg(my go to is browned onion- that is a must for flavour,carrot and celery).

Cook slowly until chicken comes off the bones easily,strain it and you have good stock base for any soup.

You can strip the chicken off the meat,return to the stock with or without veg and blend it.

Creme fraiche is better than ordinary cream if you want “creamy” taste

thanks both. Will see what I can do. I don't mind bits of veggie, I just don't want a veggie style soup. I do like a good broth, but that's not really what I'm aiming for.

Came on to recommend the M&S chicken mushroom and rice... I’ve tried loads, it’s the best

I get a cooked chicken and peel off the breast meat. Have a pot of stock going, add ginger, garlic, coconut milk, a few squeezed lemons, spring onion, coriander, fish sauce. Chuck in the cooked chicken.

Should have said you can easily add rice to bulk it up.

My Bulgarian friend used to give me her granny’s soup. I make a lazy approximation which we love in our house: bag Waitrose soffritto (frozen chopped carrot, celery and onion), soften in a lot of olive oil for ages. Then fry off a pack of chicken thighs (skin and bone on/in). Pour over lots of cold chicken stock (I just pour over cold water and add a couple of kallo organic chicken stock cubes). Bring to boil and then simmer for 20 or so minutes. Discard skin and bone and shred chicken and add back to pan. My DH prefers to chill it and then take the fat off. I don’t mind it tbh.

@dysoncansuckit

I get a cooked chicken and peel off the breast meat. Have a pot of stock going, add ginger, garlic, coconut milk, a few squeezed lemons, spring onion, coriander, fish sauce. Chuck in the cooked chicken.

Although this is NOT what I had in mind, it actually makes a lot of sense. I like it!

I do a roast chicken and veg soup...soften sliced leeks, diced potato and carrots in a little oil. Add cold roast chicken chopped/shredded however you fancy and decent quality bought chicken stock, dried sage, pinch of ground cloves, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Simmer until chicken is thoroughly heated and veg cooked.

What I then to do is use a straining spoon to scoop some of the solid bits into a blender, whizz and add back to the pan to thicken along with a good slug of double cream.

Sometimes add pearl barley with the veg and a handful of frozen peas towards the end.

It's gorgeous with thick crusty bread and butter.

@SpaceOp it's creamy too because of the coconut milk. I'm lazy so I use store bought stock

The M&S Chicken Mushroom & Rice was my favourite soup ever until I discovered this recipe. I would honestly eat this for every meal if I could and it’s super easy to make:

www.gousto.co.uk/cookbook/recipes/creamy-pulled-chicken-soup-with-garlic-bread

I make a Caribbean chicken soup. Roast a whole chicken seasoned with all purpose, stuffed with thyme, garlic and rosemary.
In a separate pan brown off onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, carrot. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add in chicken seasoning, all purpose, chopped pumpkin, whole scotch bonnet NOT SLICED! Just pop it in, all spice and add two packs of cock soup or chicken noodle. Season to taste shred the meat into the soup

I can't help but I also really like the m&s chicken mushroom and rice soup. If we weren't in tier4 I'd go and get some now.

Mine has bits in so you probably wouldn't like it. I guess you could blend it?

Put chicken thighs in a pot and boil them. Take out and add to the water chopped potatoes,onion,pepper and carrots. Add some chicken stock seasoning and herbs (I use a mix of parsley,thyme and dill) . Debone the chicken and take the skin off. Cut it into smaller pieces if you so wish. Add back to the pot until veg all nice and soft.

Thanks all. @beautyboxaddict I might try that. I like a few veggies in my soup, I just don't really like a broth with veggies floating around. Or rather, I DO like that, it's just not what I'm craving.

Also, FYI, just had a heinz chicken and sweetcorn soup to which I added some fresh cream and a few squeezes of lemon juice. Wasn't AMAZING. but was totally edible.

Secret is to add butter to the soup