Light Chicken Garbure

📝 Ingredients

• 750 g chicken legs (3 legs, about 250 g each)
• 100 g turkey lardons
• ½ white cabbage (about 500 g)
• 1 tin white beans (265 g drained)
• 400 g potatoes (3 medium, about 130 g each)
• 3 carrots (about 100 g each)
• 2 leeks (about 200 g each)
• 1 brown onion + 2 garlic cloves
• 1 chicken stock cube + 1.5 L hot water
• 2 bay leaves + 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4 slices country bread (about 40 g each)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, black pepper

🍴 Utensils

• Stockpot or large casserole dish
• Chopping board
• Chef's knife
• Ladle
• Two forks
• Toaster

📖 Steps

1. Remove the skin from the chicken legs by pulling it off firmly, using a piece of kitchen paper to get a good grip. Peel the onion and garlic, then slice them thinly. Peel the carrots and cut them into 2 cm dice.
2. Halve the leeks lengthways and rinse them under the tap, separating the leaves to remove any soil, then slice thinly. Rinse the white beans under cold water and leave to drain.
3. Heat the oil in the stockpot over a medium-high heat. Brown the chicken legs for 3 minutes on each side, then set aside on a plate. In the same pot, fry the lardons, onion and garlic for 3 minutes over a medium heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent.
4. Add the carrots and leeks and sweat them for 5 minutes, stirring. Crumble the stock cube into 1.5 L of hot water and pour into the pot, then return the chicken legs with the bay leaves and thyme. Bring to the boil.
5. Reduce to a low heat, cover leaving a small gap and simmer gently for 30 minutes, skimming off any grey foam that forms. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut them into 2 cm dice, then remove the core from the cabbage and cut it into 1 cm strips.
6. Add the cabbage, potatoes and white beans. Continue cooking, covered, for 30 minutes, until the potatoes crush easily with a fork and the cabbage is meltingly tender.
7. Remove the chicken legs and leave to cool slightly for 5 minutes. Shred the meat with two forks, discarding bones and cartilage, then return it to the pot. Remove the bay leaves. Crush a few pieces of potato against the side of the pot to thicken the soup, and season with salt and pepper.
8. Toast the slices of country bread. Place a slice in the bottom of each soup bowl and ladle the piping hot garbure over the top: the bread soaks up the broth. It should be very thick, with the ladle almost full of vegetables.