Home Made Chicken Soup

A nourishing and restorative recipe for keeping well

Chicken soup is a great heal all. Whenever I get the chance, I buy organic chicken frames and make up a big stock. Mainly by adding a few carrots and celery sticks with 2 frames and 4+ litres of water to cover, bringing to the boil and simmering for 3-8 hours, and straining off the beautiful broth.

Then - here is the key - I freeze batches of the broth/stock, so that when someone in the family starts to get run down, I can pull this out to make this soup quickly while keeping the nutrition content high, ie instead of buying commercial stocks.

The frozen stock can be used for other meals too, but I love having a quick nutritious chicken soup at the ready anytime.

Enjoy…

Chicken Soup

2 zucchinis, grated

1 small leek, thinly sliced and washed well

2 celery stalks finely sliced

½ bunch of silverbeat, finely sliced

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 carrot, finely sliced or cubed

2 cups of peas

2 chicken Maryland (or any cut of chicken on the bone)

1 - 2 litres of organic (preferably home made) chicken stock

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1 tsp fresh sage leaves chopped

Fresh ginger - optional

Rice noodles (if desired)

Place chicken and chicken stock in a large saucepan, cover with lid and cook for 40 mins - 1 hour, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken, allow to cool, then shred.

Warm olive oil in a large heavy based saucepan, when warm add leeks and stir cooking for 7 mins or so, until leeks have softened. Add carrots, celery, 1/2 the spring onions and herbs and cook for a further 5 mins. Add zucchini, silverbeet and the stock. Cook gently for 20 mins.

In a separate pot fill ¾ with boiling water and add small amount of rice noodles, cooking per instructions. Strain. Allow to cool and cut into 5cm or so pieces.

Add shredded chicken to soup, and cook for a further 5 mins, in the last minute adding the peas and remaining spring onions. Add rice noodle pieces and stir to combine.

Serve warm and enjoy.