Hearty Chicken and Vegetable Soup

This is the perfect winter warming soup...thick and hardy, a stick to your ribs meal when served with some crusty bread.

• Ready In: 1 hr 10 mins
• Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  leek, halved, washed, thinly sliced
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 1  large carrot, peeled, diced
• 2  sticks celery, diced
• 2  small zucchini, diced
• 1  swede or 1  potato, peeled, diced
• 1 1⁄4 cups  dry  soup mix, rinsed (I used a mix of green and yellow split peas and red lentils)
• 8  cups  chicken stock (can use a good quality powder)
• 1  kg  skinless chicken legs

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until soft but not coloured.
2. Add carrot, celery, zucchini and swede. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Stir in soup mix, stock, chicken and 1 cup cold water. Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil.
4. Reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour or until soup mix and vegetables are tender add a little more water/stock if required.
5. Remove chicken legs from soup. Allow to cool slightly. Remove meat from bones.
6. Roughly chop chicken meat and add to soup.
7. Season with salt and pepper.
8. Ladle soup into bowls. Serve.