Hearty Chicken Soup

I have eaten a lot of chicken soup in my life - usually when I’m sick.

And everyone has their way of cooking it. This recipe was developed because I had cleaned chicken breasts and had some bones. I immediately made some chicken stock. It’s relatively easy in that it’s a roaring boil for 30 minutes with some choice stock vegetables.

Making the actual soup is simple. Everything about food should be simple.

So as our country breathes through a second wave of the Covid-19. I pray that this bowl will bring comfort to many who are battling to eat and keep food down.

Ingredients

Chicken bones (the more the better)

1 tsp salt

6 sage leaves sage (fresh or dried)

1 tbsp dry thyme

4 celery stalks, including the leaves.

1 very large carrot, cut in half

1 onion, sliced thickly

4 chicken breasts, steamed and shredded

1/2 cup peas

2 carrots, sliced in rounds

2 cups mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp ginger powder/fresh ginger

1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)

cracks of black pepper

1 tsp Sumac

1 star aniseed

Method

1. In a stock pot, drop in celery, 1 carrot (cut in half), sage, thyme, chicken bones, and the onion.

2. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Strain the broth and let the bones cool for 10 minutes. Pick off all the chicken from bones and set aside.

4. Pour broth back into the stock pot, season with 1 tsp salt, ginger, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, black pepper, Sumac, and the star aniseed.

5. Bring the broth back to a boil then lower the temp to a very low simmer.

6. Add all the chicken, sliced carrots, mushrooms, and peas to the pot. If you have access to a fresh sprig of rosemary, add it. If you don’t, that’s okay.

7. Let the soup broth boil for 25-30 minutes. If it needs a little bit of water, add boiling water to the pot, but not too much.

8. Serve with fresh coriander and croutons.