Long before supermarkets sold pre-cut vegetables in plastic trays, a pot of soup was how a kitchen used up whatever the garden or the vegetable box had given that week — a carrot here, the last of the leeks, a potato that needed using. Add whatever chicken was on hand, a slow simmer, and you had a meal that cost almost nothing and wasted even less.
That thinking still holds. Our Chicken Garden Soup is built the same way — a base of onion, carrot, celery and leek, chicken simmered until it falls apart, and a finish of Wilson’s Basil Flavoured Oil stirred through at the end, so the herb sits on top of the broth instead of getting lost in it.
It is a proper pot of soup – meant for a big bowl and seconds. Here is how we make it.
Chicken Garden Soup
Ingredients
Method
- Warm 1 tablespoon of Wilson's Basil Flavoured Oil in a large pot over medium heat. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, add to the pot, and brown for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Add the remaining basil oil to the pot along with the onion, carrot, celery and leek. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute, until fragrant.
- Return the browned chicken to the pot, add the potato, stock and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the courgette and cabbage or spinach, and continue to simmer for 10 more minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Remove the bay leaf. Stir through the chopped parsley and check the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper as needed.
- Ladle into bowls, finish each with a drizzle of Wilson's Basil Flavoured Oil, and scatter over a few fresh basil leaves before serving.
Notes
- Storage: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: freezes well for up to 3 months. The potato can soften on thawing, so some prefer to leave it out and stir in freshly cooked potato when reheating.
- Make ahead: the soup can be made a day in advance and reheated gently on the stove; the flavour deepens overnight.
- Serving suggestion: serve with warm crusty bread for mopping up the broth, and finish with an extra drizzle of Wilson's Basil Flavoured Oil at the table.
We Use Basil Flavoured Oil
A broth-based soup like this one is mostly water, stock and simmered vegetables, which means it needs something at the end to lift it. That’s the job of Wilson’s Basil Flavoured Oil. Stirred in right before serving, it sits on the surface and carries its aroma up with every spoonful, rather than boiling away like a herb added too early would.
It also does something for the vegetables specifically. Carrot, celery and leek turn soft and a little sweet after a long simmer, and the basil oil brightens that sweetness instead of masking it. Meanwhile the chicken stays the anchor of the dish — the oil adds lift around it, never over it.
A drizzle at the table does the same job again, so the first spoonful and the last one both get that herby top note.
Our Tips
Cut the vegetables to a similar size — it means everything cooks through at roughly the same time, so you’re not left with mushy carrots and firm potato in the same spoonful.
Brown the chicken first — a few minutes in the pot before the vegetables go in builds a base flavour the stock alone won’t give you.
Add the basil oil off the heat — stirring it in once the pot is off the stove keeps its flavour fresh rather than cooked out.
Season in layers — a little salt when the vegetables go in, a little more once the stock has reduced, and a final check before serving.
Keep the simmer gentle — a rolling boil will toughen the chicken and break the vegetables apart before they’ve had a chance to flavour the broth.
Taste before you add extra stock — a thicker soup often just needs a longer simmer, not more liquid.
How We Serve It
A big bowl, a spoon, and thick bread for mopping up the last of the broth is really all this soup needs. If bread is on the table, warm it first — it makes a difference.
For a heartier plate, ladle the soup over a spoonful of cooked rice or barley in the bowl. It turns the same pot into something closer to a stew, useful on a colder evening or when there are hungrier appetites at the table.
Leftovers taste even better the next day, once the vegetables have had time to sit in the broth. Reheat gently, check the seasoning, and finish with another small drizzle of basil oil before serving.
More Ways to Use Basil Flavoured Oil
Once you have a bottle of Wilson’s Basil Flavoured Oil in the pantry, it earns its keep well beyond this pot of soup.
Finish another vegetable soup with it — it works just as well stirred through our Wholesome Minestrone Soup, where the tomato base takes just as well to a herby lift.
Brush it over dough before baking — our Three Flavour Focaccia uses it as one of its toppings, and it works just as well on a plain loaf.
Stir it into a bean stew — the way we finish Rae’s Ribollita, where it lifts the beans and greens the same way it lifts the vegetables here.
Toss it through pasta — a spoonful over hot pasta with a little parmesan makes a five-minute meal out of almost nothing.
Whisk it into a salad dressing — combined with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt, it turns a plain green salad into something worth serving on its own.
The Good Stuff
An herb-infused oil like this one carries the aromatic compounds of real basil through fat, which is what lets the flavour spread evenly through a dish rather than sitting in one spot the way a chopped leaf can. It’s a different result to a synthetic basil flavouring, which tends to taste sharp and one-note rather than rounded.
Wilson’s Basil Flavoured Oil is Halaal and Kosher certified, and suitable for vegan, vegetarian and Hindu diets. Keep it in a cool, dark place, or refrigerate it, and it will hold its flavour for up to two years. It comes in 250ml and 1L bottles, as well as 6x250ml and 12x1L cases for anyone stocking up.
One bottle covers a lot of ground in a kitchen, which is part of why it’s worth keeping close to the stove.
Ways to Change It Up
Swap the chicken thighs for chicken breast — it will cook a little faster, so add it later in the simmer to keep it from drying out.
Use whatever vegetables are in the crisper — green beans, parsnip and sweet potato all work in place of what’s listed here.
Add a tin of butter beans — stirred in for the last ten minutes, they make the soup more filling without much extra effort.
Spoon in some small pasta or noodles — added for the last eight minutes of cooking, they turn the soup into a more substantial meal.
Make it dairy-finished — a spoonful of cream stirred in at the end rounds out the broth for a richer bowl.
Go meat-free — leave out the chicken, use a vegetable stock, and add extra beans or potato in its place.
Questions You Might Have
Can I make this soup ahead of time?
Yes. It keeps well in the fridge and the flavour actually improves after a day, once the vegetables have had time to sit in the broth.
Can I freeze Chicken Garden Soup?
It freezes well for up to three months. The potato can soften a little on thawing, so some people prefer to leave it out and add fresh potato when reheating.
What can I use instead of chicken thighs?
Chicken breast works too, though it cooks faster and can dry out if simmered too long, so add it later in the process. Bone-in pieces also work well for extra flavour, simply remove the bones before serving.
Why add the basil oil at the end instead of at the start?
Adding it off the heat protects its flavour. Simmered for too long, a flavoured oil loses some of its aroma, so a finishing drizzle keeps it fresher and more noticeable in the bowl.
Is this soup gluten-free?
As written, yes, provided the stock you use is gluten-free. Check the label if you’re cooking for someone with a sensitivity.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes. Brown the chicken and soften the vegetables in a pan first, then transfer everything except the basil oil to the slow cooker with the stock and cook on low for six to seven hours. Stir the basil oil through just before serving.
Where can I buy Wilson’s Basil Flavoured Oil?
It’s available to order directly from oliveoil.co.za and at leading retailers across South Africa.
Ready to Make This?
One bottle of basil oil, one big pot, and a soup worth coming home to.
More From Our Kitchen
Wholesome Minestrone Soup — Rae’s Ribollita — Cheesy Onion Soup — All Recipes
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