There’s nothing more satisfying when the weather cools than a night in by the fire, indulging in a bowl of homemade chicken and leek soup. This fresh take on the classic has the benefits of quinoa, topped with a nourishing poached egg, elevating it to something a little special and extra hearty.

At its core, succulent chicken infuses the broth with layers of savoury richness. At the same time, the textured quinoa satisfies and soothes the soul with a healthy dose of protein and essential nutrients. Add this to your rotation of easy midweek dinners for any night of the week, or impress your guests with a dish crafted with love and wholesome goodness.

Chicken, leek and quinoa soup — Chicken and leek soup with quinoa. *(Credit: Cath Muscat)*

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced

2 sticks celery, trimmed, thinly sliced

1.5L chicken stock

2 chicken breast fillets (500g), trimmed

⅓ cup white quinoa

⅔ cup frozen or canned corn kernels

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Ground sea salt and cracked black pepper, to season

4 poached eggs

Seeded sourdough dinner rolls, to serve

Method

Heat oil in a stock pot over medium heat. Add leek and celery and cook, stirring, for about 8 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add stock. Bring to the boil. Add chicken breast and simmer, covered, for 10-12 minutes or until chicken is cooked.

Remove chicken and set aside until cool enough to shred. Stir quinoa, corn and soy sauce into soup. Cover and simmer on medium low heat for about 10 minutes or until quinoa is cooked.

Meanwhile, shred chicken. Return chicken to soup, add parsley, season to taste and stir until combined. Ladle into bowls. Top with a poached egg and serve with dinner rolls.

Recipe Kerrie Worner

With over 20 years in magazines, Kerrie’s work has adorned HB’s pages as contributing food editor, along with BHG, Elle Cuisine, Australian Women’s Weekly and Family Circle. “It is so important to encourage people to learn simple food skills so they can learn how easy it is to fall in love with their creative side,” she says.