Chicken and Sweet corn Soup
Rich, warm and creamy flavours balanced to perfection

Remember soups were originally designed as a means to use left overs so feel free to use cooked chicken instead of fresh if you find a container of it staring at you from the dark depths of your fridge

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 Tblsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1 onion
245g / 9oz chicken flesh (legs, breast, whatever)
200g / 7oz sweet corn
250ml / 9fl oz milk
250ml / 9fl oz chicken stock
Salt and pepper

Mise-en-Place:
Roughly chop the garlic and onion
Slice the chicken flesh
Prepare the stock and mix with the milk

Method:
In a saucepan over a medium to high heat:
Heat the oil
Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned
Add onion before the garlic colours too much and 'brown off'
Add the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes
Add the sweet corn, milk and stock, bring to the boil then simmer for 10 minutes
Blend
Check seasoning and serve

Adjust:
Chicken flavours not strong enough: add more chicken stock
Too bland: add more chicken stock, salt and pepper
Not rich enough: add more stock and milk
Too thin: add more sweet corn and chicken then blend / Or boil rapidly to reduce liquid volume
Too thick: add more stock or milk

Presentation:
Serve simply, place in a bowl and serve with crusty or garlic bread

Cowboy Tip: Got no chicken and no milk? Complete the recipe as normal but use plenty of chicken stock and powdered milk to substitute the flavours or the original ingredients. After blending no on will be able to notice the difference! (Now that's a real kitchen rodeo cowboy trick!)

Science behind the dish:
It is the blended chicken and sweet corn particles that thicken the soup. After being thoroughly blended these fine particles trap and hinder the movement of the water molecules preventing the liquids freedom of movement thus causing the soup to thicken