Chicken Cabbage Soup

This is a soup that fills the house with the kind of smell that makes everyone wander into the kitchen asking “what’s cooking?"

Cabbage, carrots, celery, and onion simmer in chicken broth and vegetable juice until the flavours meld together into a rich, savoury base.

Meanwhile, chicken breasts get seared with a coating of sweet paprika for smoky colour and flavour, then deglazed with white wine before being cubed and stirred into the pot.

Another 45 minutes of gentle simmering and every spoonful is deeply flavoured, loaded with tender vegetables and chunks of chicken.

Kitchen Tips

• Chop the cabbage finely so it practically melts into the broth during the long simmer. Big chunks won’t break down enough.
• Don’t skip the deglazing step. That white wine lifts all the paprika-flavoured fond off the pan and adds it straight to your soup.
• This soup gets better overnight. Make a big batch and reheat the next day when the flavours have had time to deepen.
• Season at the end, not the beginning. The long simmer concentrates everything, so early salting can leave you with an overly salty result.