Creamy chicken, bacon and lentil soup with ciabatta
<p>Celebrity chef, entrepreneur, food writer and television personality Nadia Lim shares this winter recipe. Serve this robust soup with crispy ciabatta – a meal full of goodness.</p>
<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Ingredients:</strong></span></p>
<ul>
<li>250g streaky bacon, sliced 1cm</li>
<li>1 onion, finely diced</li>
<li>2 carrots, peeled and finely diced or grated</li>
<li>3 stalks of celery, finely diced</li>
<li>1 leek, white and pale green part only, thinly sliced</li>
<li>450g boneless, skinless chicken thighs</li>
<li>1-2 tbsp. chopped thyme leaves</li>
<li>½ cup split red lentils</li>
<li>2 cups chicken stock</li>
<li>2 cups water</li>
<li>¾ tsp salt</li>
<li>¼ cup sour cream</li>
</ul>
<p><em>Chipotle sour cream</em></p>
<ul>
<li>¼ cup sour cream</li>
<li>1 tbsp. chipotle sauce (store-bought) or your favourite chilli sauce (optional)</li>
<li>1 tbsp. chopped parsley</li>
</ul>
<p><em>To serve</em></p>
<ul>
<li>2 tbsp. chopped parsley</li>
<li>Pinch of paprika or smoked paprika (optional)</li>
<li>Warmed or toasted ciabatta slices</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pot on medium to high heat. Add the bacon and cook for about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion, carrots, celery and leek. Stir, cover and cook for 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are just tender.</li>
<li>Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt. Add to the pot with the thyme, lentils, stock, water and salt and bring to a simmer while stirring. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is cooked and the lentils are tender.</li>
<li>In a small bowl mix all the chipotle sour cream ingredients together.</li>
<li>Using a slotted spoon, remove the chicken from the soup, roughly dice or shred and return to the pot. Stir in the sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.</li>
<li>To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, add a dollop of the chipotle sour cream and sprinkle with parsley and paprika (if using). Serve with ciabatta on the side.</li>
</ol>
<p>How to do like to use lentils in the kitchen? Do you have a recipe to share with us? Let us know in the comments below.</p>
<p><em>Written by Nadia Lim, first appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz.</span></strong></a></em></p>
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<p><strong>Related links:</strong></p>
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