Roasted Sweet Potato Soup

Roast vegetables

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (390 F) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper. Peel and roughly chop the sweet potato and onion and transfer them to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the oil, salt and pepper over the vegetables and use your hands to mix it all together. 

Peel the clove of garlic and cut it in half.

Transfer the vegetables to the two baking trays, spreading them out as evenly and as spread out as possible. Add half a clove of garlic to each tray.

Cook the vegetables in the preheated oven until they are beginning to brown. This should take around 30 minutes. Turn the oven off and leave the vegetables inside for an hour. This will allow the vegetables to caramelize nicely.

Shredded chicken part one

Turn the oven back on to 180 degrees (355 F).

In medium sized bowl, mix together dried oregano, dried thyme, paprika, salt and pepper.

Take each chicken breast and use your hands to rub the herb mix into the chicken. Place the chicken pieces in a large oven bag on an oven tray and place the tray in the oven. Leave it in the oven for around 20 minutes of until the chicken is fully cooked (chicken juices run clear – you can test this by cutting the chicken in the middle).

Soup

While the chicken is in the oven and once the roasted vegetables have cooled down, transfer the vegetables to a large pot. Add water to the pot until all the vegetables are just covered with water. Use a stick-blender to blend the soup, and add another 8 cups of water, celery salt, salt, pepper and tabasco sauce.

Place the soup on a medium heat and bring it to a simmer.

Fried onion

In a small saucepan, heat the oil until hot. Add in the onion and use a wooden spoon to mix it around until it begins to brown and caramelize. This should take around 7 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Shredded chicken part two

Once the chicken is cooked, take it out of the oven and let it cool down. Shred the chicken by picking at it with your hands, in line with the grain of the chicken. You should look aim for thin, stringy pieces.

Assembly

Once the soup is hot, dish it into bowls and top with a tablespoon of chicken and a teaspoon of the fried onions. Serve immediately.