Weeknight Dinners
Waterless Chicken Soup
Clean, concentrated and incredibly soothing. The vegetables quietly do the work here, releasing their moisture to create a naturally sweet broth.
Serves
2 to 3
Prep
15 mins
Cook
45 mins
Ingredients
Soup
• 1 whole chicken, about 1.2 to 1.5 kg, or 4 to 6 chicken legs
• 1 large napa cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 brown onion, cut into wedges
• 1 apple, cored and sliced
• 5 to 8 red dates, optional
• 15 g fresh ginger, sliced
• 100 ml chicken or bone broth, optional
• Goji berries, mushrooms, daikon or carrots, optional
Ginger spring onion sauce
• 30 g fresh ginger, finely grated
• 4 spring onions, finely chopped
• 50 ml avocado oil
• A pinch of sea salt
• 1 tsp tamari
To serve
• Cooked rice, optional
• Sesame seeds
Method
1. Layer the onion, apple and napa cabbage into the base of a large pot or pressure cooker. Sit the chicken on top, then add the red dates, ginger and any optional extras.
2. Pour in the broth, if using. If using a pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 30 minutes and allow a natural release. If cooking on the hob, cover tightly and simmer gently for about 1 hour.
3. To make the sauce, put the ginger, spring onions and salt in a heatproof bowl. Heat the avocado oil until shimmering, then pour it over the aromatics. Stir in the tamari.
4. Pull the chicken into pieces and ladle the broth and softened vegetables into bowls. Serve with rice and sesame seeds, if you like, with the ginger spring onion sauce alongside.
Good For You Note
This is gentle, gut-loving food. Bone broth and collagen-rich chicken support joint and skin health, while the vegetables bring minerals and subtle sweetness. Apple pectin can support the microbiome, and ginger aids digestion.