Slow Cooker Poached Chicken, Quinoa & Vegetable Soup
INGREDIENTS
1 x 1.6kg Organic Chicken
1 large brown onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 carrots, cut into ½ cm rounds
3 celery stalks, cut into 1cm pieces
2 leeks, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 ½ cups quinoa, uncooked (no requirement to rinse Kiwi Quinoa – saponin free)
1 chill, fresh or dried
3 bay leaves
10 whole black peppercorns
3 tablespoons salt
Sprig of thyme or rosemary or good pinch of Italian herbs
8 cups water (more if required to completely cover the chicken carcass in the slow cooker)
2 cups chicken stock
800gm jar whole or sieved tomatoe
Just before serving
1 cup chopped celery tops
2 teaspoons paprika
Additional salt and pepper to taste
METHOD
Place the chicken, all the vegetables (except the celery tops), uncooked quinoa, chilli, peppercorns, salt and herbs into a slow cooker. Cover with water, chicken stock and jar of tomatoes so that the chicken is completely submerged. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or until the quinoa has popped. Allow to cool slightly, remove the chicken from the slow cooker onto a plate. Using 2 forks, remove the skin, shred the meat off the carcass and add back into the soup. Add the chopped celery tops, 2 teaspoons of paprika and season with salt, pepper and chilli to taste. Put the slow cooker back to high heat for twenty minutes or until the ideal temperature to serve. Serve with fresh herbs. We love parsley, marjoram or thyme as that’s what we have fresh in the vegetable garden. Serves six hearty bowls of soup.