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Chicken Ham and Vegetable Soup

Ready in 1 hr 45 mins + waiting

Recipe by Graham 

Chicken, Ham and Vegetable Soup is one of my favourites and makes use of a chicken carcass (and any bits of meat still left). In fact, this soup is so good, I always keep a few containers in the freezer for when I need a 'chicken and ham fix'!

Whilst the cooking time seems long, most of this does not need any careful attention since it is merely making a stock from the chicken remnants.

Preparation Time

15 Minutes + waiting

Cooking Time

1 Hour 30 Minutes

Ingredients for Chicken Ham and Vegetable Soup

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Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

To serve 4 - 6:

3½ pints water
1 chicken carcass
1 large onion
2 sticks celery
1 bouquet garni
  salt and pepper
3 large carrots
2 large potatoes
2 leeks
1 cup frozen peas (petits pois by preference)
1 cooked or uncooked chicken breast
8 oz lean cooked or uncooked ham (e.g. gammon)

How to Cook Chicken Ham and Vegetable Soup

  1. Remove the skin from the chicken, strip off any meat, cut it into small bite-size pieces and set aside. Peel and very roughly chop the onion. Roughly chop the celery and one carrot. If you have any juices remaining from cooking the chicken, make these up to the right volume with water. Otherwise just use water alone and place in a large pan with the chicken carcass and skin, the onion, celery and carrot plus bouquet garni. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
  2. Bring the pan to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. When it has cooled a little, strain this stock through a sieve (strainer), dispose of the solids and retain the liquid. Allow to cool completely and then skim off any surface fat.
  3. Reheat the stock and, as it's heating, peel and dice the remaining carrots and add to the pan. Peel and dice the potatoes, rinse in cold water to remove excess starch and add to the soup. Rinse the leeks, cut off the green leaves at the top and the root at the bottom. Slice the remaining white stem into round slices about ½'" (1cm) thick. Add these to the pan then cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender
  4. Meanwhile, cut the chicken breast and the gammon into small pieces - no more than ½" (1cm) cubes or strips - preferably a little less. Chop any meat that remained on the chicken carcass. When the vegetables are cooked, add the frozen peas, the chicken and the gammon and simmer for two or three minutes (this is enough to cook the meat and leave it tender). Serve immediately for a really tasty and substantial soup.
GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If you want to add extra taste to your soup, crumble a chicken stock cube into the soup as the vegetables are cooking.