Creamy Chicken Soup

Serves: to serve 4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Ready In: 1 hr 40 mins

- remains of cooked chicken plus whole carcass

1 large - large onion

2 sticks - celery

1 large - carrot

1 - leek

1 - bouquet garni

2 teaspoons - salt

1 - chicken stock cube

3 oz - butter

2 level tablespoon - plain flour (all purpose flour)

3 - eggs

½ pint - double cream (heavy cream)

Remove the skin from the cooked chicken, strip off any meat, cut it into small bite-size pieces and set aside. Peel and chop the onion. Roughly chop the celery, carrot and leek. If you have any juices remaining from cooking the chicken, make these up to 4 pints (2.25 litres) with water. Otherwise just use water alone and add to a large pan with all the vegetables.
Add the bouquet garni, crumble in a chicken stock cube and add salt to taste. Add the skin and bones from the chicken carcass and bring the pan to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1½ hours. Allow to cool a little, then strain this stock through a sieve (strainer), dispose of the solids and retain the liquid. Allow the liquid to cool completely and then skim off any surface fat.
Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute without browning. Gradually stir in the stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for two minutes. Add the cooked chicken pieces that you put aside and continue to gently simmer for a few minutes until the chicken pieces are warmed through.
Separate the egg yolks from the whites and blend the yolks with the cream. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the cream and egg mixture and serve immediately.