This is one of the recipes that I have developed through months of trial and change and can now proudly say that I own it. There is not a single person who has eaten this soup and hasn’t asked me for the recipe. It has now become a regular for many members of the family as well.
This soup is warm, creamy and aromatic. It’s basically comfort in a bowl. It contains plenty of chicken shreds, making you feel satisfied even without any bread on the side. This soup is the first thing I make when someone in the family is feeling down. Sore throat: chicken soup, cough and cold: chicken soup, flu: chicken soup, headache:chicken soup. But I also often make it when everyone is well, especially in colder months to boost immunity. My husband says he can have it every day without complaining as he likes it that much. Okay now that you know how good this soup is, let’s continue with what goes in.
What part of chicken is preferred to make this soup?
I prefer using whole chicken with skin after cutting it into big pieces. If you do not have whole chicken, you can use any part that contains bone and meat like thighs, legs or wings. The bones, when boiled release collagen into the soup making it creamy and very nutritious. The skin also renders flavor to the soup while keeping the meat moist. You can discard the skin after the meat has been cooked.
What vegetables and spices are to be used?
The vegetables and aromats that I always include in my chicken soup are potatoes,bell pepper, carrots, onion,ginger and garlic. The potatoes make the soup smooth and creamy while the bell pepper gives it a nice peppery tone. The carrots add a little sweetness and the onion, garlic and ginger provides the soup with a deep rounded flavor. Black peppercorns provide a nice heat which you can feel while slurping it down your throat. Cinnamon, cardamom and bay leaves render their incredible aroma into the soup. There isn’t anything that you can think of missing in this soup. You can add more variety of vegetables that you like, for example: zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, leeks etc.
Can I freeze the chicken soup?
The chicken soup freezes very well. You can make a double batch and freeze half for consumption later. Put it into an airtight container to freeze.
For defrosting:
- take out from the freezer either 24 hours before consumption and put it into the fridge or
- take out a few hour before consumption and put it to room temperature.
Boil it in a saucepan and stir well to make the consistency smooth again. It will taste as good as the freshly made one.
Mizna’s Signature Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 1 small whole chicken with skin (substitute: 1 kg thighs, legs or wings)
- 3 medium carrots
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 medium brown onion
- ½ yellow/red bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 4 cm piece of ginger
- 10-15 black peppercorns
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 2 bay leaves
- 1½ tsp salt
- 2 liters water
Instructions
- Peel and roughly dice/chop the carrots, potatoes and onion. Peel and crush the garlic with a knife and roughly chop the ginger.
- In a big pot add the chicken at the bottom, followed by all the vegetables,spices and salt.
- Add 2 liters of water to the pot and bring it to boil on high heat.
- After it boils, lower the heat and cover with a slightly tilted lid. Cook for 30 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and take out all the chicken pieces and the bay leaves, leaving the vegetables inside the pot. Keep the chicken aside and let it cool down.Discard the bay leaves.
- In the meanwhile, puree the vegetables using a stab mixer until smooth.
- Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, take the skin off and shred it into pieces of desired size.
- Add the chicken back to the pot and bring it to boil again. Let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Garnish with some chopped coriander and drizzle some lemon juice. Add some chili flakes or roasted cumin for some extra heat.
Notes
- You could add any other vegetables of your choice also, along with the ones used here.
- You can puree the vegetables also using a blender . Make sure to cool the vegetables down before adding them to the blender.
- Add some dried red chili if you like it spicy.
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