Immunity Chicken Noodle Soup
I love the saying, “let food be thy medicine.” I’m sure it’s been taken out of context and stretched to fit all manner of crusades, but I like to take it at face value. When I’m feeling unwell, I intuitively crave long simmered soups with the warm undertones of ginger and herbs. Not surprisingly, these same delicious seasonings are known for their immune boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. January is a month known for its cold temperatures and sniffles which makes this soup a prime candidate for dinner. You can make it as simple or complex as you’d like, but the garlic and ginger will give you a double hit of flavor and healing. At the end of a cold day, a bowl of chicken soup sounds just right.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 inch chunk of ginger, peeled and finely grated
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 onion, diced
4 carrots, cubed
4 stalks celery, diced
2 teaspoons salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
6 cups chicken bone broth
4 chicken breasts
1 package of jovial egg noodles or stellini (or whatever pasta you like!)
juice of 1 lemon
Directions:
Heat a large dutch oven over medium low heat. Get all your veggies ready to go. A simple trick for peeling ginger is to use a spoon to scrape the paper thin skin off rather than using a knife or peeler. Then use a fine microplane grater to grate it into a pile of ginger. When the veggies are all ready, add the butter to the pot to melt. Place the onions, garlic, and ginger in the pot and stir until fragrant and golden. Add the carrots and celery and stir a bit. Add the salt, pepper, turmeric, thyme, and bay leave and stir through. Pour the broth in the pot and nestle the chicken breasts in and cover with the lid and let simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts and shred them with 2 forks and add back into the soup. Let it simmer for another 20-30 minutes. Add the noodles in the soup 10 minutes before serving to cook. Just before serving squeeze the juice of the lemons in the soup. Taste for seasoning and adjust to you taste. Enjoy!
