Mix the egg yolk and double cream together and, off the heat, stir into the soup. Put back on the heat, stirring until warm enough to eat.Pour into a blender in batches of about 10cm of liquid and whizz and then push through a fine sieve, back into the rinsed-out saucepan.If it looks as if it's getting too thick and white-saucey, just add a glug of full-fat milk or as much as you feel you need. Add 15g butter and cook in the same way for another 5 minutes.Add a pinch of salt and keep cooking over a lowish heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.While you're not stirring, shred or finely chop the chicken and add to the pan. Bring up to the boil, stirring occasionally.By this time the chicken should be ready to come out, so remove it and pour the milk and stock with the bay leaves and garlic into the floury leeks, stirring while you do so.Into the leek mixture stir 1 tbsp of flour and cook on a low heat, stirring, for a couple of minutes. A couple or so minutes before the chicken is ready, the leeks should be soft and cooked enough.I know it sounds not very long but another 5 minutes should do it. Sprinkle the chicken mixture with the bread crumb mixture. Add more xanthan gum for a thicker consistency if you want. Simmer soup for an additional 5-6 minutes. Sprinkle in xanthan gum while continually stirring. Cook for 12-15 minutes under low-medium heat. Stir the bread crumbs and butter in a small bowl. Stir in shredded chicken, then pour in the chicken stock or broth and cream. Step 3 Bake for 20 minutes or until the chicken mixture is hot. Bring up to the boil, then turn down to simmer and cook until the chicken breast is just tender. Stir the soup, milk, frozen peas, chicken, noodles and cheese in a 1 1/2-quart casserole. Meanwhile, put the stock and milk in a saucepan with the bay leaves, clove of garlic and chicken breast.Put 30g butter in a thick-bottomed saucepan, melt it and in it cook the leeks gently until soft.I happily use my Italian chicken stock cubes here: half of one in 300ml water will be fine. In either case, discard most of the green part: you want this creamily white, not a pale, lurid lime green. I use those spindly little dwarf - or baby - leeks (speciality of the sprauncier supermarkets), but ordinary, still slender, leeks, just very finely sliced, would do.

Heat olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. In theory, at least, I prefer meatier chunkier soups (preferably with pasta in, too) but when I need soothing rather than bolstering, this nostalgic chicken soup is unparalleled. Instructions Season diced chicken with salt and pepper, to taste. This creamy chicken soup is the perfect cold weather soup.

Cream of chicken soup