Creamy Red Kuri Squash Soup & Shredded Chicken

📝 Ingredients

• 1 red kuri squash (about 1.2 kg)
• 450 g chicken breast (3 fillets, about 150 g each)
• 2 potatoes (about 150 g each)
• 1 brown onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 chicken stock cubes + 1.2 L hot water
• 100 ml light single cream, 12 % fat
• 40 g pumpkin seeds
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 slices of country bread (50 g each)
• Salt, black pepper, nutmeg

🍴 Utensils

• Large pot with lid
• Stick blender
• Frying pan
• Large knife
• 2 forks
• Toaster

📖 Steps

1. Wash the squash, scrubbing the skin well. Halve it with a large knife, holding it steady on a stable chopping board, scoop out the seeds and stringy fibres with a spoon, then cut it into 3 cm cubes without peeling: the skin turns meltingly soft as it cooks.
2. Peel the onion, garlic and potatoes. Thinly slice the onion and cut the potatoes into cubes. In the large pot, fry the onion in the olive oil for 4 minutes over a medium heat until translucent, then add the crushed garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
3. Add the squash, potatoes, crumbled stock cubes and 1.2 L hot water. Bring to the boil over a high heat, then lower the whole chicken breasts into the stock, making sure they are fully submerged.
4. Cover and leave to cook for 20 minutes at a gentle simmer over a medium-low heat. The chicken is done when it is white all the way through with no trace of pink, and the squash should crush easily with the tip of a knife.
5. Meanwhile, dry-toast the pumpkin seeds in a frying pan over a medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring, until they puff up and crackle slightly. Tip them straight onto a plate so they don't burn.
6. Lift the chicken breasts out of the pot and leave them to cool slightly on a plate for 5 minutes. Shred them with two forks, pulling along the grain, then season lightly with salt and add pepper.
7. Blend the contents of the pot with a stick blender until perfectly smooth, tilting the pot to avoid splashes. Stir in the cream, season with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg, and thin with a little water if it's too thick.
8. Toast the slices of country bread. Divide the piping hot soup between 4 bowls, pile the shredded chicken in the centre and scatter over the pumpkin seeds. Serve immediately with the toast.