Preparation Time: 20 mins
Cooking Time: 50 mins
Serves: 4

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 strips bacon, trimmed of visible fat and finely chopped
1 chicken thigh (on the bone, if possible), about 140 g, skinned
2 onions, finely chopped
500 g potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups reduced-salt chicken stock
leaves from 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme
pepper to taste
1 1⁄4 cups low-fat milk
chopped parsley, or a mixture of chopped parsley and fresh thyme, to garnish

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the bacon, chicken and onions, and cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Increase the heat and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring the ingredients occasionally and turning the chicken once, until the chicken is pale golden-brown in colour.

2. Add the potatoes and cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour in the stock, then add the thyme and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pan, and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate. Remove and chop the meat and discard the bone, if necessary. Return the chicken meat to the soup. Stir in the milk and reheat the soup gently without boiling.

4. Ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with chopped parsley or parsley and thyme and serve.

Variations:

• For a smooth result, you can purée the soup in a blender or food processor in step 3 after the chicken has been replaced.
• For a winter vegetable soup use 800 g mixed diced leeks (use both the white and pale green parts), carrot and turnip instead of the onions and potatoes. Finely chop the green tops from the leeks, and add them to the soup with the milk at the end of cooking, for extra colour.

Per serving: 250 calories, 18 g protein, 9 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 37 mg cholesterol, 24 g total carbohydrate, 10 g sugars, 3 g fibre, 837 mg sodium.

If you enjoyed this soup try some Creamy Chicken and Corn Soup. Craving something more familiar? Try our Old-Fashioned Chicken Noodle Soup.