My children all got sick right before Christmas. At the first inkling of fever, I started them all on my what they call my “hippy-voodoo remedies” including Oscillococcinum, Sambucol, Emergen-C and lots of rest. I also started cooking lunch.
Lunch? Of course!
I have been working on my healing chicken noodle soup recipe for about 2 decades now, and it is just chock full of healthy ingredients. If nothing else, the steam from the soup can help break up congestion, but I honestly think that this soup helps people feel better faster. Of course, I’m a mama, not a doctor, but I believe in doing what works!
Here are a few of the ingredients in my healing soup for the flu or a cold:
Chicken Foot Broth (OK, fine, you can use regular broth, but a good 24 hour broth has the most nutrition according to Oh Lardy! and lots of other sources)
Onion – a nutritional powerhouse, especially when it come to boosting the body’s immune response!
Carrot – a great boost of antioxidants!
Garlic – an antibacterial and antiviral agent!
Rosemary – pain relief, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, the list goes on!
Kale – jam packed with vitamins and antioxidants!
I could go on and on about the health benefits of each ingredient, but what you really want to know is, “how does it taste?” Well, let’s just say that Eric has actually been known to fake an illness to get me to make the soup. Even Lucas, my picky eater downed a bowl of this soup the other day and he wasn’t even sick yet!
One thing that my children love about this soup is the high ratio of what they call “goodies to soup.” If you like your soup “soupier,” by all means, add more liquid than this recipe calls for!
- 1 tbsp coconut oil (can substitute butter)
- 1 tbsp butter
- ½ cup onion, chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped or grated
- A few sprigs of rosemary or other fresh herbs
- 1 - 2 quarts chicken bone broth (depending on how "soupy" you like it)
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 handful greens such as kale or spinach
- 1 cup cooked chicken, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1 cup pasta
- ⅓ cup cream (optional)
- salt & pepper
- Sweat onions and carrots in oil and butter.
- Add garlic and cook until aromatic.
- Prepare a tea ball or piece of cheesecloth filled with fresh herbs.
- Add broth and herb ball and bring to a boil.
- Add pasta and cook just slightly less than the time on the package calls for.
- Add peas, greens, chicken and cream and heat about 2 minutes more.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove herb ball before serving.
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