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We have officially surpassed the halfway mark for January, and you might be feeling a little run-down or under the weather. So if you're in need of a bit of comfort, you really can't go wrong with making a big pot of soup.

Over the past few months I've tried out so many different recipes and techniques, but I always come back to a simple chicken noodle soup packed with veggies. It's filling and nutritious, and I think I've discovered the ideal ingredient when it comes to that all-important soup base. Surprisingly, it's not a stock cube or bone broth, but it's tasty and ultra-cheap too.

Next time you're in the supermarket shopping for your soup ingredients, head to the world foods aisle and pick up a few sachets of soup base. These powders come in a massive variety of flavours and spice levels, and they can be used to recreate your favourite takeaway dishes at home quickly and easily.

While stock cubes are always handy to have in the cupboards, I sometimes find that you don't always get the best flavours in your food when cooking with them. They tend to add a plain saltiness without much depth, which is why I much prefer something with more of a hit.

Just as an example, the chicken-flavoured Lee brand I've currently got in my cupboard cost just 95p for five sachets. Here's how I've been making my chicken noodle soup, and I guarantee you'll never go back to stock cubes once you try this alternative.

Ingredients (serves four)

• Two chicken breasts
• Three soup base sachets
• Two bay leaves
• Two carrots, finely chopped
• Two celery sticks, finely chopped
• One onion, finely chopped
• Three nests of egg noodles
• Tbsp chilli crisp in oil
• Tbsp soy sauce
• Pinch chilli flakes
• Pinch garlic granules
• Small bunch coriander, chopped
• Two spring onions, chopped

Method

In a large soup pot, place your chicken breasts, soup base, bay leaves and around 1.5L of cold water. Place it over a medium heat with the lid on, and when it starts to boil, set a timer for around 12 minutes.

When the time is up, take the chicken out and shred it up. Discard the bay leaves, and leave the rest of the liquid in the pot.

Meanwhile, to a frying pan, add the onion, celery and carrot along with some oil. Fry for around 10 minutes until softened, adding in the garlic and chilli flakes too.

Put the soup pot back on the heat and add the vegetables along with the soy sauce and chilli oil. Bring to a boil and simmer for around 15-20 minutes.

While that's cooking, boil the noodles according to the packet instructions. I like to cook them seperately so they don't absorb too much of the water for leftovers, but if you're serving it all right away, you can cook them in the soup.

When the 20 minutes is up, add the chicken, coriander and spring onions and cook for five more minutes. Add the cooked noodles to a bowl, spoon over the broth, add an extra drizzle of chilli oil on top and enjoy.