“A terrific soup that is bursting with flavours. It’s delicious as it is, but it’s worth including the homemade pesto – it only takes a few minutes to make from scratch and adds a freshness that takes this soup to a whole new level. We love cannellini beans best, but any white beans (such as pillowy butter beans) will work so feel free to substitute with your favourite.”

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
2 carrots
2 celery sticks
3 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breasts (skin on)
1 bay leaf
2 × 400g tins white beans
1 litre chicken stock
10g parsley
1 lemon
Salt and pepper

For the walnut pesto:

40g parmesan or pecorino cheese
1-2 garlic cloves
60g baby spinach
Juice of ½ lemon – you can use the lemon from the soup
½ tsp salt (to taste)
150ml olive oil
60g walnuts

Method

Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Peel and cut the carrots into 2cm dice. Cut the celery into 2cm dice. Strip the thyme leaves from the stalks and discard the stalks.

Set a large saucepan or shallow casserole pan over a medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil. Place the chicken breasts in the pan, skin side down. Cook until golden brown. Then turn the breasts over to cook the other side until golden. Remove the chicken and set aside for later.

Place the pan you used for the chicken, with the oil and pan juices still inside, over a low heat. Add the onion, thyme, bay leaf, and a good pinch of salt. Cook until translucent, stirring regularly, for about 10-15 minutes. Drain the tins of beans, rinse, and set aside.

Add the garlic, carrot, and celery to the pan and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the stock. Bring to a gentle simmer. Then add the chicken and poach for 15 minutes or until tender. Remove the chicken breasts from the soup. Strip off the skin and shred the meat with a fork.

Add the shredded chicken back to the pan together with the drained beans. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently for 8-10 minutes.

Finely chop the parsley. Grate the zest of the lemon into the pan and add the juice of half the lemon.

For the pesto, finely grate the cheese. Peel one of the garlic cloves. Add both to a blender with the spinach, juice of half a lemon, and a pinch of salt. Then add the olive oil and blend. Finally, add the walnuts and pulse until roughly chopped to give you a coarse texture. Taste, add more garlic if needed, and season to taste.

Once the soup is ready, add the chopped parsley and serve in bowls with a spoonful of pesto.

Pesto tip: store the pesto with a drizzle of oil over the top. It will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.

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