Nadia Lim's chicken, vegetable & split pea soup

For the parents of young children, from newborn to school age, Nadia Lim's new cookbook "Yum!" will become an essential go-to for nutritious meals - backed by two of NZ's leading pediadiatric dietitians - that all the family will be eager to tuck into.

Of this dish, Nadia says: "There are few dishes more comforting than homemade chicken soup. Whenever I make chicken soup I use a whole chicken which makes a beautiful fresh stock, far nicer in flavour than any stock you could ever buy. And what's so fabulous about this soup is it is so simple to make and you can be so flexible with the vegetables you add; so it's great for using up what's in your fridge."

Ingredients

1	whole free-range chicken (size 14 or 16)
2 litres, approximately	water
1 tsp	salt
1	large leek (white part) or 2 onions, finely chopped
4-5 cups	diced carrot, pumpkin, butternut and celery
1 cup	split yellow peas
1-2 cups	diced courgette, peas and corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
¼ cup	chopped fresh herbs (eg parsley, coriander, marjoram, oregano)

Directions

1. Place whole chicken in a large pot and cover with water and salt. You might have to top the pot up with a bit more water to just about cover the chicken. Cover with a lid, bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 45–50 minutes until chicken is just cooked through. Skim off any foamy scum that rises to the surface while the chicken is cooking.
2. Remove whole chicken with tongs and set aside in a dish or on a chopping board. Pour stock through a sieve into a large bowl (that will hold all the stock) to remove any other impurities. You'll be left with a delicious, clear stock.
3. In the same pot the chicken was cooked in, heat a drizzle of olive oil and cook leek/onion and carrot, pumpkin/butternut and celery for 4–5 minutes or until soft.
4. Return all the chicken stock to the pot and add the split peas. Simmer for about 30 minutes until the split peas are cooked.
5. Meanwhile, shred the chicken meat (with two forks) off the carcass. Stir the courgette, peas and corn, chicken and herbs (if using) into the soup, and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook for a few minutes until vegetables are lightly cooked.