Some weeks call for a meal that sits quietly on the stove and does not ask you to make six decisions.
This soup uses chicken, pumpkin, carrots, and greens. It is warm, straightforward, and flexible enough for the days when the pumpkin is actually butternut squash and nobody needs to make a speech about it.
What you need
This makes about four bowls.
- 450 g boneless chicken thighs
- 500 g pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cubed
- 2 carrots, sliced, and 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, salt, and black pepper
- 1 litre chicken stock, 2 handfuls chopped kale or spinach, and half a lemon
- Optional: 100 ml coconut milk for a creamier broth
Give the pot a little time
- Warm the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook for 5 minutes until beginning to soften.
- Add the chicken, pumpkin, thyme, stock, salt, and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the pumpkin is tender.
- Lift out the chicken, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot. Stir in the greens until wilted. Add coconut milk if using, then finish with lemon and taste for seasoning.
If you want a thicker soup, mash a few pumpkin cubes against the side of the pot. If you want a thinner one, add more stock. The soup is not emotionally attached to its current consistency.
Cook once, be glad later
Leftovers keep in the fridge for a few days and freeze well in individual portions. Cool and store them promptly, then reheat until steaming hot.
Serve as it is, or add fresh herbs if a bunch happens to be waiting in the fridge. If not, dinner will continue without them.
A warm bowl, something simple, and tomorrow’s lunch already handled. That is a decent amount of organisation for one pot.
