Growing up my mom (like many moms) would always make me chicken soup when I was sick. Based on articles I’ve read over the past few years, the medical community now seems to agree with “mom”. Chicken soup really can help a cold.
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Description:
Over the last few days my family decided to share the gift of "a cold" with each other. So far (knock on wood) I'm the only healthy one left. I want to share with you a recipe I've made for over 20 years. The recipe is loosely based on my mom's recipe with some tweaks of my own.
Ingredients:
2 tbsp of Olive Oil
3/4 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of ground black pepper
1/2 tsp of dried thyme
6 to 8 chicken legs or 4 legs and 2 breasts (more chicken means more flavour)
1.5 cups of elbow pasta
1 medium onion (chopped thin)
4 cloves of garlic (chopped fine)
2 medium carrots (diced to taste)
1 or 2 stalks of celery (diced to taste)
12 cups of water (yes, this serves a few and leaves you with left-overs)
3 or 4 sprigs of parsley chopped
Directions:
In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium high. Once the oil is hot add the onions. After about one minute, add the garlic. Mix onions and garlic until the onions become translucent. With the stove still on medium high add the chicken laid across the bottom of the pot. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper and thyme. After about a minute turn the chicken over inside the pot to brown it slightly. Now add the water. Raise the temperature to high and bring the water to a boil. Once the water's boiling, reduce the heat to medium low, cover and let it simmer until the chicken comes off the bones easily with a fork.
Using tongs move the chicken to heat resistant bowl and let it cool. Pour the remaining liquid through a Sieve into a large heat resistant container to strain out all the little bits left in the water. Pour the broth back into the pot. Raise the temperature to medium high and add the carrots. After about 8 minutes add the celery and pasta. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium low (slow simmer).
After cooling for a bit, peel and debone the chick and place on a cutting board. Chop the chicken into bite sized pieces. Once the pasta is fully cooked add the chicken and the parsley. Give it a good mix. Taste and adjust the salt if needed. The soup is ready to serve.
Tips:
– You don’t need to strain the broth after removing the chicken. I do this because my family is picky
– Adding the garlic at the same time as the onions can burn the garlic before the onions are ready
– I usually let my pasta over cook a touch… it's how I ate it growing up. Adjust to taste.
