The comfort of chicken soup

Recipes 1 Comment 2756 Views October 22, 2019 Sandra
22 Oct. 2019
Comments: 1
Views: 2756
By: Sandra

My grandmother always said that chicken soup will cure whatever ails you. But what is it about homemade chicken soup that is so truly comforting?   As we roll into the chilly months, I find I always need a batch of chicken soup on hand to ward off the cold and soothe the soul.

Chicken soup made with bone broth is not only delicious, but does have proven health benefits. Because the broth is a source of gelatin, it is a great addition to your diet as it may protect your joints. Additionally it may assist in reducing gut inflammation and is a good source of :

There have long been discussions contesting the actual medicinal benefits of chicken soup, but it turns out there are a few studies that have examined just that. Dr. Stephen Rennard’s study published in the medical Journal Chest of  the University of Nebraska Medical Centre .

“Dr Rennard theorizes that by inhibiting the migration of these infection-fighting cells in the body, chicken soup essentially helps reduce upper respiratory cold symptoms.”

 

Sandy Allonen, a clinical dietitian at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston states:

Notwithstanding the medical spin on the benefits of chicken soup, here are also some fun facts about it:

    • * The earliest archaeological evidence for the consumption of soup dates back to 6000 BC, and it was hippopotamus soup.
    • * The inspiration of Andy Warhol ‘s “Campbell’s Soup Cans” series came from eating it for lunch every day for 20 years.
    • * January is National Soup month and March 13th is National Chicken Soup day.

It alllllll begins with the broth!   Naturally if you are a vegetarian, you simply omit the chicken portion…the broth as prepared below will still be very delicious. So here is my tried and true chicken noodle soup recipe made from slow simmered chicken stock.

 

Chicken Noodle Soup

Bone Broth

You can use a stock pot on the stove top, but I find that using my slow cooker and slowly simmering for 12-14 hours makes the broth rich and flavourful.

Ingredients:

  • – 1 bag (1-2 lbs of chicken bones. It depends on your slow cooker size). These are very inexpensive from your butcher. I get a 2lb bag for about $6.00)
  • – 1 large onion cut in large chunks
  • – 2-3 carrots
  • – 2-3 stalks of celery
  • – 4-6 cloves of garlic
  • – 1 cup white wine ( or cooking wine if you must)
  • – 3-4 red chillies or 1/8 tap chilli flakes ( this is optional, but it gives the broth a bit of zing!)
  • – Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

Arrange the bones on a parchment lined shallow baking dish and roast at 375F for 45 mins

Arrange the roasted chicken in your slow cooker and arrange the vegetables all around and in between the chicken.

Pour the white wine all over. Add water to cover, but ensure you it is no higher than 1” below rim to avoid spillage. Add salt and pepper.

Slow cook on low heat for minimum 12 hours. I usually prepare one morning and then finish off the following afternoon. Stir occasionally.

After about 12 hours the aroma will be simply divine and the broth a rich, gorgeous colour.

Remove all bones and vegetables and using a fine metal sieve, strain all the bits away so that you are left with clear broth.

Allow to cool so that any fat rises to the top ( skim it off). Alternatively, I have a fabulous fat separator that works wonders.

 

Chicken Soup

While the broth is cooling, prepare the following:

Ingredients:

  • – 1 red onion diced
  • – 2-3 carrots peeled and diced
  • – 1-2 cups finely chopped kale or baby bok choy
  • – 2-3 stalks of celery
  • – 1 cup chopped mushrooms
  • – 1 – 1½ cup cooked and cubed chicken ( can be breast, or thigh or a mixture of both)
  • – ½ cup of you favourite pasta, or a 1” diameter handful of fetuccini, linguini etc pasta broken into 1 ½ “ bits
  • – 2-3 T olive oil
  • – Freshly ground sea salt and pepper

 

Combine all the vegetables in a stock pot with a smidge of olive oil.  Sauté about 10 mins until vegetables are soft.   Add the clear bone broth and heat to a slow boil.   Add pasta and cook until tender.   Add chicken and heat through ( about 3-5 mins)

And voilà….. with crusty bread or simply on its own, you’ve got some serious nutritious deliciousness in a bowl.

 

Enjoy!

 

Xoxo – Sandra

 

Source:

Mayoclinic.com

Medicalnewstoday.com

Healthline.com

Livescience.com

MedicalXpress.com