Pea soup with smoked chicken

Pea soup with smoked chicken is so fragrant that you simply won't have to invite anyone from your household to dinner: the whole family will gather in the kitchen long before the dish is ready. Lard gives the broth a special richness, peas and potatoes - a thick consistency, celery - light fresh notes. To complete the picture, we would highly recommend adding a couple tablespoons of finely chopped parsley or cilantro to each bowl of smoked chicken pea soup before serving. It will turn out just fine!

Ingredients

• white bread without a crust - 150 g
• onion - 1 piece
• smoked bacon - 50 g
• carrots - 1 pc
• smoked chicken - 1 pc
• green dry peas - 350 g
• butter - 2 tbsp. l.
• stalked celery - 1 stalk
• salt
• smoked bacon - 200 g

Directions

1. Rinse peas for soup with smoked chicken, put in a bowl, cover with warm water and leave for 2 hours. Then drain the water.
2. Cut lard and chicken for pea soup into large pieces, put in a saucepan, pour 2 liters of water and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam, reduce heat to low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the bacon and chicken from the pan, strain the broth. Add peas to the broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Peel the onions and carrots for the pea soup, finely chop. Wash and chop the celery. Heat 1 tbsp in a frying pan. l. butter, fry vegetables over medium heat, 15 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken meat from the bone, cut it into small pieces, put in the soup along with the fried vegetables. Season to taste. Cook the pea soup for 50 minutes.
5. Cut the bread into small cubes, the bacon into pieces. Preheat a dry skillet, fry the bacon until crisp and place on a plate with a slotted spoon.
6. Add the remaining oil to the pan. As soon as it starts to foam, add the bread cubes. Fry until golden brown. Mix with bacon. Pour the pea soup into bowls, put the croutons with bacon in each.