Chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food and if you're a fan you will definitely love this chicken and sweetcorn soup with semolina. Most of the classic features are there: shredded chicken and carrots in a delicious chicken broth. But in this recipe we're using semolina instead of noodles. And the bite comes from sweetcorn. Plus we're adding a hint of ginger, for a little health and flavour boost.
Chicken soup is the kind of food many people seek when feeling a little under the weather. A homemade chicken broth is a comforting way to get nutrients in a simple form. Adding vegetables and carbs makes the soup more complete and will fill you while making you feel good.
But chicken soup can also be a delicious everyday meal. You don't need to be sick to long for a steaming hot bowl of this chicken and sweetcorn soup. In fact, this soup comes together quite easily, so it's a great mid-week recipe to enjoy on a rainy day.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken legs - you can use wings, but I prefer the legs.
- Shallots - alternatively you can use yellow onion.
- Carrots - these, like the chicken, are kind of a must in this recipe.
- Butter - use olive oil or vegan butter for a dairy free option.
- Grated ginger - not mandatory, but it's really good for you.
- Bay leaf - a soup classic.
- Salt
- Semolina - this is the secret ingredient, so I would recommend not to skip it.
- Sweetcorn - from the can, very easy.
- Boiling water - adding water to the ingredients here, because it need to be added boiling, so it requires a further action while making the recipe.
For detailed quantities, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to make chicken and sweetcorn soup
First off, take care of your mise en place and prep the veggies. Peel and slice the carrots. Finely mince the shallot and grate the ginger. Drain the canned corn. Set aside.
1. Melt the butter in a large pot, add the shallot and grated ginger, cook on medium heat until fragrant, 2 minutes.
2. Drop in the chicken legs and sear in the butter on all sides, 5 minutes. Move them around to prevent them from sticking to the pan.
3. Aside, boil the water and add it until there is enough so the chicken is entirely covered. Add the sliced carrots, bay leaf and salt.
4. Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Keep covered, letting a little opening for the steam to escape. Check from time to time.
5. Lower the heat, remove the chicken legs and bay leaf. Add the semolina to the broth, slowly stirring to prevent lumps. It will swell.
6. Tear meat away from bones and skin, put meat back into the soup, along with the sweetcorn. Let the corn come to temperature one minute, then serve.
Chicken and sweetcorn soup Recipe tips
For best results I recommend to slice the carrots really thin. This way, they will cook through completely and almost melt in your mouth as you eat them. In order to achieve thin slices that are all the same size, I used my food processor. Good knife skills will also do the job, but it takes more time, and I am lazy and I love my food processor (one day I will write a love letter to my food processor).
As for the meat, I prefer larger bits, so do not tear it apart too much when deboning it. I like a good mouthful of meat, so I prefer chunky bits. Besides, if you need to reheat the soup, it will hold a bit better.
I finished off my soup with some freshly cracked black pepper. For a stronger bite, you could drop in a little chili oil. I went quite easy with the ginger, but you can add as much as you like. I prefer if it stays in the background, but you can definitely go for a stronger ginger flavour.
Further inspiration
If you enjoyed this chicken soup with corn and semolina, here are some other recipes you may want to try. Another meat soup, made with ground beef and cavolo nero. A chicken stew conveniently prepared with cream cheese. A lentil stew flavoured with crispy bacon. And a creamy reindeer stew with mushrooms. Just click the images below to access more recipes.
If you tried this recipe, let me know your thoughts in the comments. If you're planning to try it another time, pin this recipe to Pinterest. Please consider subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Instagram and on Pinterest.
Chicken and sweetcorn soup
Ingredients
- 800 g chicken legs
- 2 shallots
- 2 carrots
- 30 g butter
- 1,5 teaspoon ginger grated
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 30 g semolina
- 140 g sweetcorn
- 1 liter water
Instructions
- Prep the veggies. Peel and slice the carrots. Finely mince the shallot and grate the ginger. Drain the canned corn and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a large pot, add the shallot and grated ginger, cook on medium heat until fragrant, 2 minutes.
- Drop in the chicken legs and sear in the butter on all sides, 5 minutes.
- Aside, boil the water and add it until there is enough so the chicken is entirely covered. Add the sliced carrots, bay leaf and salt.
- Cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Keep covered, letting a little opening for the steam to escape.
- Lower the heat, remove the chicken legs and bay leaf. Add the semolina to the broth, slowly stirring to prevent lumps, it will swell.
- Tear meat away from bones and skin, put meat back into the soup, along with the sweetcorn. Let the corn come to temperature one minute, then serve.
Notes
- Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- The nutritional information provided is made with an online calculator and only meant to be used as a guideline.
