Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
2 cloves crushed garlic
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1L good quality chicken stock
4 cooked chicken thighs shredded (you can use left-over cooked chicken too)
1 stick of chopped celery
2 medium chopped carrots
2 medium chopped potatoes
¼ cup of Dirty olive brine
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
400g cooked cannellini beans (approx. 1 can)
200 grams of chopped spinach or silverbeet
Small bunch of fresh parsley
Finely grated parmesan (to serve)
Method
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan add the onion and cook for 10 minutes on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened.
2. Add the garlic, thyme and cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Add the celery, carrots, and potatoes stir. Add the chicken stock, salt, and pepper then bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are just cooked.
4. Drain the cannellini beans and add the cooked chicken and cannellini bean till heated through.
5. Add the spinach until wilted before adding the Dirty olive brine.
6. Season to taste, and more Dirty olive brine desired.
7. To serve, top with fresh parsley and parmesan.
Note:
If you have time, you can make your own stock with the chicken pieces (chicken with bone-in is best for homemade stock) simply put the chicken, salt, pepper a bay leaf if you have it, any vegetables, that you have can be added for flavour. Put into a large pot and boil for approx. 4 hours, drain, reserve chicken meat and the stock for the soup.
