Monday, January 16, 2012

chicken soup



The mercury has plummeted and I'm feeling the first sniffles and scratchy throat of the cold that's whipping through my friends. Time to whip up a batch of chicken soup. Making your own homemade chicken soup takes only a few minutes longer than opening and heating up a can.  But it's so much more satisfying.

For this soup I cooked chopped onions, carrots and celery in a little olive oil until the onions were softened then added some minced garlic and finely chopped ginger and cooked for about a minute more. Then came about a litre of broth which I brought to a boil then added some shredded rotisserie chicken (a real time-saver) and herbs.  I used sprigs of thyme and a bay leaf but it's up to you - why not lemongrass for an Asian spin?  I couldn't decide between noodles or rice so I went with the best of both worlds and grabbed some orzo from the pantry.  Then it was just a matter of simmering until the pasta had cooked, the chicken was hot and the flavours blended.  Salt and pepper to season (and a few dashes of hot sauce if you want added decongestant powers!) and voila! Until they come up with a cure for the common cold it's just what the doctor ordered.

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