Chicken broth/stock

1 medium free-range chicken

3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped

1 onion, peeled and cut into large chunks

5 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole

10 peppercorns

1 tsp salt

3 sprigs of thyme and 3 sprigs of parsley,

tied together with strings

Chicken noodle soup

25g butter

2 carrots, finely diced

1 onion, finely diced

1 stick of celery, finely diced

Freshly-ground pepper

900ml chicken broth/stock

Small knob ginger, peeled and grated

75g rice or egg noodles

Breast of cooked chicken, shredded into

strips

75g spinach, roughly chopped

2 tsp soy sauce

To serve (optional)

2 scallions, finely sliced

1 small red chilli, finely sliced

A small handful of basil leaves

  • Put all the ingredients for the broth/stock into a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for an hour and a half.

  • Carefully remove the whole chicken to a plate. Then pass the stock through a sieve into another

    saucepan. Only one of the breasts of chicken and 900ml of the stock will be needed for the following dish, so reserve the remaining chicken for another chicken dish or for sandwiches and cool the remaining stock, then either pop in the fridge or freezer for using again.

  • To make the soup, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a low heat.

  • When it begins to foam, add the carrots, onions, celery and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir to combine with the butter.

  • When the vegetables are soft but not coloured, which will take about 10 minutes, add the stock and ginger and simmer for 15 minutes.

  • Add the noodles, shredded chicken, spinach and soy sauce and simmer for five minutes.

  • Ladle into four bowls. If serving to those who like a little heat, sprinkle a little fresh chilli, scallion and basil leaves over each bowl.

    • Nessa Robins grew up on a farm in Moate, Co Westmeath,where she lives with her husband Diarmuid and their four children. Her first cookbook, Apron Strings: Recipes From A Family Kitchen is published by New Island.

    For more inspiration, visit Nessa's blog