Chicken Soup with Pan Fried Chicken Breast and Dill Oil, Chef Rotem Papo, Golda

It is widely known that chicken soup is one of the most comforting foods on the planet, and often call “Jewish penicillin”. Picture a rainy day when you were a child, walking home from school without an umbrella. You arrive home soaking wet and miserable but then the intoxicating smell of your mom’s chicken soup hits you straight away and suddenly all your worries are gone. My updated version is influenced by my time living in Melbourne where we are lucky to have so much incredible Asian food. My broth uses a few Asian ingredients to enrich the flavour and add a little bit of extra healing power.

Ingredients

4x boneless chicken thighs (skin on)

2x chicken breast (skin on)

2x brown onions, roughly chopped

2x waxy potatoes (ie. Nicola)

3x carrots

6x sticks of celery

1x bunch dill

25g ginger, peeled and sliced

20g fresh turmeric, peeled and sliced (or 2tsp turmeric powder) 1tsp black peppercorns

2tbsp light soy sauce

2tbsp lemon juice

100mL vegetable oil

2L cold water

Method Chicken broth

1. Place the chicken thighs, onion, 2 carrots (roughly chopped), 4 sticks of celery (roughly chopped), stalks from the dill (the fine leaves will be used for the dill oil and to garnish), ginger, turmeric and black peppercorns in a large pot and cover with 2L cold water. Bring to the boil.

2. As soon as it begins to boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook on a very low heat for 1 hour, periodically skimming the excess fat from the surface whilst it’s simmering.

3. Strain the stock through a fine strainer into a pot and leave the meat and veg to cool slightly.

4. Pick the meat from the thighs and set aside, discarding the skin and all other strained elements.

5. Season the stock with soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Dill oil

6. Keep some dill leaves aside for garnish and blitz the rest with the vegetable oil until pulverised and bright green. Strain through a fine strainer lined with muslin cloth.

Pan fried chicken breast

7. Season the chicken breasts with a pinch of salt and pepper.

8. Place a frying pan on a medium heat. Add a small amount of vegetable oil and sear the chicken breasts (skin side first) until golden. Turn them over and sear the other side until golden and the breast is cooked, this should take between 12-15 minutes.

9. Allow chicken to rest.

Assembly

10. Cut the remaining carrot and celery into batons (little stricks).

11. Bring the stock to a simmer and add carrot batons, celery batons and diced potato. Cook for 5 minutes and add the chicken thigh meat to warm through, finish by adding lemon juice.

12. Cut the cooked chicken breast in half lengthways and place in the centre of a serving bowl.

13. Place vegetables and chicken thigh meat in a circle around the chicken breast.

14. Pour chicken broth and garnish with dill leaves and drizzle dill oil around.