Soup
Butterbean chicken soup with rocket pesto
This rustic butterbean chicken soup gets a delicious flavour boost with the addition of a simple rocket pesto. My husband and
- Serves 3 -4 servings
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 30 minutes
- Total 40 minutes
My husband and I see eye to eye on most things… except for soup! He maintains that soup is not food – i.e not satisfying enough to be had on its own for lunch or dinner. He is, of course, totally wrong as I have taken pains to point out the past 20 years. Not only is soup FOOD, it is good food. I rely almost entirely on 
This rustic butterbean chicken soup with rocket pesto is my current favourite – and I think it will become yours as well! It is, like most soups, so easy to prepare, but what takes it to the next level is the rocket pesto. It transforms an already delicious soup to addictively yummy. Should you have any leftover pesto, you can use it on pasta or even as a dip.
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Recipe
Butterbean chicken soup with rocket pesto
This butterbean chicken soup gets a delicious flavor boost with the addition of a simple rocket pesto. You can use leftover roast or rotisserie chicken instead of fresh if you prefer.
- Serves 3 -4 servings
- Prep 10 minutes
- Cook 30 minutes
- Total 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 7 oz (200g) mini chicken breasts (or use leftover roast chicken)
- 2 x 14 oz (400g) (cans butter beans, drained and rinsed)
- 1 yellow onion (finely diced)
- 1 large carrot (finely diced)
- 1 leek (white part only, finely diced)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste or a large tomato (seeded and finely diced)
- 3 ½ oz (100g) small pasta like stellini
- 4 cups (1 liter) hot chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 bay leaf
- handful fresh basil (roughly chopped)
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- For the rocket pesto
- 7 oz (200g) fresh rocket (arugula)
- large handful basil leaves
- 3 ½ oz (100g) grated Parmesan plus extra to sprinkle on soup
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled)
- 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + water to thin pesto if needed
- salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
- 1
Blend half a tin of butterbeans in a blender and set aside.
- 2
Make the pesto: blitz all the ingredients in a blender or mini chopper, adding a bit of water if it needs thinning. Transfer to a bowl.
- 3
Heat the oil in a large pot. Pan fry the chicken breasts (if using fresh) and brown on all sides. Set aside.
- 4
Add the chopped vegetables and fry, stirring occasionally, until softened 5-7 minutes.
- 5
Stir in the tomato paste and add the butterbeans and butterbean purée, chicken and stock. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- 6
Add the pasta and cook for a further 10 minutes (or as per package instructions). Remove the chicken from the pot, shred, and return to the soup.
- 7
Taste the soup and season.
- 8
Serve the soup with some of the pesto, an extra drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of Parmesan and some crusty bread.
