When you have a cold you need more calories in order to produce immune cells so there is some truth to the old adage ‘feed a cold’. Chicken soup is comforting and good for you – the hot broth opens up the sinuses, the vegetables help support the immune system and it is easy on the stomach. A traditional chicken soup uses onions, carrots and celery for the veg. I tweaked the usual recipe by substituting mushrooms for the celery, searing the chicken before adding to the pot, using rice noodles and adding lemon juice at the end (it really does make a difference – don’t know where I read this tip but I use it all the time now to make the taste of dishes ‘sparkle’. If you want a thinner soup add more broth.
2 tbsp. olive oil seasoned with with salt and lemon pepper
1 medium onion – finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic – grated
8 oz. carrots – cut into small pieces
8 oz baby bella mushrooms – sliced
2 chicken breasts – cut into small pieces
3 cups of chicken broth
4 oz. rice noodles – cooked ahead of time (so they don’t absorb all of the broth)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
Heat 1 tbsp. seasoned oil in a skillet and when sizzling add the onion and let brown, then add the garlic and cook a further few minutes. Place onion and garlic in a Dutch oven along with the carrots and mushrooms.
Heat the second tbsp. of oil in the skillet and, again, when sizzling, add the small chunks of chicken and let brown.
Place the brown chicken in with the other ingredients and pour over the broth. Bring to a boil then simmer for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile cook the noodles then cut into small lengths.
After the soup is cooked add the noodles and lemon juice and serve straight away.
