There’s no better time to rustle up a comforting soup than the autumn months, helping you stay warm from the inside out. To make soup even more flavourful and creamy, one home cook suggested using a popular leftover you might have going spare after the weekend.
Self-taught home cook Tom recently shared his “ultimate” comfort food dish, a warming winter soup that utilises leftovers as the heart of the recipe. In a recent TikTok video, Tom, better known Tom Just Cooks, rustled up a creamy soup that uses the trimmings of a roast chicken dinner. Tom said: “This creamy chicken and leek soup is the ultimate comfort food. Perfect for using up your leftover roast chicken… That is the one on a cold day.”
To create the perfect winter warmer, you only need to use your leftovers. Using up leftover trimmings from your weekend roast will also help reduce food waste.
However, if you don’t have leftover roast chicken to use, you can use a rotisserie chicken instead. To make the soup creamier, Tom adds a dollop of soft cheese.
Tom’s video has already been viewed over 260,600 times, receiving 5,369 likes and 145 comments. Anita wrote: “My mouth is watering just watching lol.”
Karen commented: “I’m making this tonight now.”
Allison said, “I cheat i use tinned potatoes and lazy jarlic, its well lush this,” while Andy agreed, “FYU page delivered, literally thinking what to put together with left over veg i have from a hot pot and this is exactly that.”
Vanessa commented: “I’ve made this today. Its delicious and filling.. and you’re right, its perfect for a cold wet day like today!”
Lee suggested: “Add half a cup a rice in next time game changer.”
So if you need some inspiration to use up any roast dinner leftovers, this is how you can transform it into a wonderful winter soup.
Ingredients
- One tbsp olive oil
- One tbsp butter
- Two large leeks, trimmed and sliced
- Three garlic cloves, finely chopped
- Three medium carrots, diced
- Two sticks of celery, diced
- Two medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into chunks
- Two sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
- Two bay leaves
- One litre chicken stock
- One cooked rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 100g garlic & herb soft cheese (like Boursin or Philadelphia)
- Salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
- Fresh parsley, to serve
Method
Soften the veg: Heat the olive oil and butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, garlic, carrots, and celery. Cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant.
Add the potatoes and herbs. Stir in the potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper.
Add stock and simmer: Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for around 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and starting to break down slightly.
Add the chicken & soft cheese: Stir through the shredded rotisserie chicken and the garlic and herb soft cheese. Let it gently heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the the soup turns creamy.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. Ladle into bowls and top with chopped parsley and cracked black pepper. Serve with warm crusty bread or a thick slice of buttered toast.
