Immune Boosting Chicken Soup (gf/df)
It’s good for the soul…
When you’re sick, there is nothing like a hot, zesty bowl of soup to soothe what ails you. This one gets its kick from fresh ginger, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Use chicken bone broth if you can - it’s more nutrient-dense than regular broth, containing more protein, collagen, electrolytes, and minerals. Along with the veggies and spices, packing phytonutrients and immune-boosting antioxidants, this soup has it all!
Like all my recipes, this is a great base to get you started. Don’t stress if you’re missing an ingredient. If you have something slightly different, throw it in! Soups are easy and versatile!
This soup is gluten-free and dairy-free, and a perfect bowl of comfort for a cold fall day.
This will cure what ails you!
Immune Boosting Chicken Soup (gf/df)
INGREDIENTS
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 large celery stalks, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped
4-8 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I like more!)
8 cups chicken bone broth (ideal) or chicken stock
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 15-oz can of drained and rinsed chickpeas
3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken (OR 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts- see note)
2 cups kale leaves, chopped (stems removed)
1-2 lemons
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots and saute, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and saute, stirring occasionally, another 2-3 minutes until tender and fragrant.
2. Stir in the chicken bone broth, bay leaves, turmeric, crushed red pepper, salt, and chickpeas, and bring to a boil.
3. Mix in chicken, cover, and allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove bay leaves. Add in chopped kale, cover, and simmer for 5 more minutes.
5. Remove from heat and squeeze with lemon. Check for taste and feel free to add more lemon or salt as you please.
6. Share with those you love and enjoy! Soup will keep in the refrigerator for 4 days. It also freezes nicely.
*NOTES:
If you do not have rotisserie chicken, you can also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken breast tenders (skinnier slices of the chicken breasts - they will cook faster). Add these to the soup in step 2, bringing the soup to a boil and allowing the chicken to cook in the broth. After 12-15 minutes, check the chicken. When cooked through, remove from the soup onto a cutting board or plate. Using two forks, shred the chicken and add it back into the soup. Remove the bay leaves, add in the kale, and gently simmer for 5 more minutes. Then proceed to step 5.
If you do not have a Dutch oven, I cannot highly enough recommend this Le Creuset. It carries a hefty price tag, but I will tell you: I received this as a wedding gift in 2002. I have used it weekly since owning it and will continue until the day I die. You might have to bury me with Ol’ Blue (yes, mine is blue - but they have the most gorgeous colors. You can select one that complements your kitchen and leave it out all the time.).