Chicken bacon & lentil soup

When temperatures are this low, soup is a perfect way to nourish yourself and warm up from the inside out. Chicken soup has long been a favourite, and this one, courtesy of kiwi chef Nadia Lim is an absolute beauty.

You will need:

250g diced streaky bacon
1 diced onion
2 peeled, diced carrots
3 diced celery sticks
1 leek , thinly sliced (white and pale green part only)
450g boneless skinless chicken thighs
1-2 tbsp chopped thyme
1/2 cup split red lentils
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
¾ teaspoon salt
¼ cup sour cream

Chipotle sour cream

¼ cup sour cream
1 tbsp chipotle sauce  (optional)
1-2 tbsp parsley, chopped

Method:

Heat a dash of oil in a large pot on medium to high heat. Add bacon and cook for about two minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add onion, carrots, celery and leek. Stir, cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are just tender.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt. Add to pot with thyme, lentils, stock, water and salt and bring to a simmer while stirring. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes until chicken is cooked and lentils are tender.

In a small bowl mix all chipotle sour cream ingredients together.

Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken from soup, roughly dice or shred and return to pot. Stir in sour cream and season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, ladle soup into bowls, add a dollop of chipotle sour cream and sprinkle with parsley and paprika. Serve with ciabatta on the side.