We Love Cooking! + TIME

:: RESTORATIVE CHICKEN SOUP! (Not just for the soul!)

First of all I have no decent excuse for the lack of posts, well that's a lie, maybe just one, the fact that by the time I cook the recipe I want to post about, it's dark, and when it's dark the pictures look pretty terrible, and when there's no pictures the posts don't look as nice. So with that in mind, I decided that I'm just going to have to blog ahead regardless of pictures!

If the darkness wasn't the biggest clue of all, I think you may have noticed the seasons have well and truly changed. It seems to me almost impossible to avoid some sort of illness during these cold months, and generally doctors tend to treat illnesses that have gotten out of hand with strong medicines. For me, this is all to silly, because with a little care and attention most colds can be easily caught before they turn into something much more serious. One year I realised I had been prescribed almost 6 antibiotics, which probably could have been avoided. Unfortunately it seems a lot of doctors tend to treat the symptoms instead of the cause.

From the very first signs of cough or runny nose, I'm already treating myself with a bang of Vitamin C and the natural disinfecting solution of Lemon Juice and Honey in hot water every hour. Always seems to do the trick! For congestion, however old fashioned it might sound, I give it the steam treatment with a few drops of Olbas Oil. I can generally stop myself getting worse by applying these simple steps and eating something healthy regularly throughout the day.

My restorative Chicken soup is one of those amazing foods that, just by eating, makes me feel like I'm already getting better! I read somewhere recently about scientists who had found something sciencey about chicken soups and their health benefits, I can't remember what exactly it was but it was enough for me to go make some soup so it must have been good!

RESTORATIVE CHICKEN SOUP

  1. 2-3 Chicken breasts sliced into chunks
  2. 3 Garlic Cloves chopped finely
  3. 1 Large Onion chopped finely
  4. 1 Large Carrot chopped
  5. 1 Leek sliced in chunky pieces
  6. 1 Thumb Sized piece of Fresh Ginger, grated
  7. 700ml of Stock (Can be chicken or vegetable, it's up to you!)
  8. A good handful of fresh herbs roughly chopped
  9. Good Sprinkle of Salt and Pepper

The best thing about this soup is that once the preparation is done you just bung it into a pot and leave it to it's own devices.

In a large pot, fry the chicken in a drop of olive oil for about 4 minutes till the meat is sealed and remove from the pot. In the same pot add the garlic and fry for one minute, then add the onion and fry till they turn translucent, I love that word, translucent. Anyway add the rest of the veg and cook on a low heat until the mix has reduced to about half it's size, then add the stock.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the cooked chicken, ginger, herbs and seasoning. Leave this to cook at a gentle simmer for about an hour, the flavour intensifies the longer you leave it so keep checking it, and season to your own taste.

And there you go, should help any cold or cough you come across! :)

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:: RESTORATIVE CHICKEN SOUP! (Not just for the soul!) + TIME