Once a month, I try to find time to prepare this hearty, healthy, and nutritious soup. It’s full of different colorful vegetables which provides different types of nutrients. This soup is also a great immune system booster. I especially try and make this soup during the flu season or when a family member is sick. If you ask me, the time it takes to make this healthy soup is ALL worth it.
Here’s a list of some of the vitamins and minerals this soup contains:
Broccoli: Folate, Antioxidant, Vitamin A, Vitamins C & E, fiber
Carrots: Beta-Carotene (Vitamin A), Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Fiber
Sweet Potatoes: Beta-Carotene (Vitamin A), Vitamin C, fiber, vitamin B-6, potassium, Antioxidant
Red Peppers: Vitamin A, Vitamins C&E, folic acid, fiber
Side note: red peppers are said to have the most nutrients compared to other peppers since they are on the vine the longest
Kale: Fiber, Folate, Vitamin B, Potassium, Calcium, Zinc, Vitamins C&K
Turmeric: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant.
Chicken Breast: Protein, zinc
For additional information, please refer to the following links:
http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/ss/slideshow-immune-foods
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/antioxidants-your-immune-system-super-foods-optimal-health
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/kale-nutrition-and-cooking#1
http://www.webmd.com/diet/peppers-health-benefits#1
Step By Step Instructions
How to Make the Stock:
In addition to the chicken breast (with the bone-in) and water, the following are also needed: 5 carrots, 7 ribs of celery, 1 onion, 5 garlic cloves, 1 bay leaf, 8 peppercorns, a few stems of cilantro and thyme and sprinkling of salt (optional if making for little ones).
To prep it, scrub and peel the carrots and the celery. Then, cut them in half. Remove the skin off of the onion and cut it into four pieces. Remove the skin off of the garlic cloves. Set them aside.
When dealing with raw poultry, always immediately wash your hands thoroughly. Also, immediately wash anything (like surfaces, utensils, bowls, et cetera) that touches the raw poultry so the bacteria doesn’t spread.
Place the two chicken breasts into a large pot and cover it with water. Use as much water as needed to cover the chicken. This water will be discarded so the quantity doesn’t matter. This is going to give the breasts a quick rinse.
Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a boil. At the same time, add 10 cups of filtered water to a tea kettle and bring it to a boil over high heat.
Once the water with the chicken breast comes to a boil, carefully dump the water out into the sink being careful of the steam. Bring the pot back to the stove top.
Carefully add the boiling water from the tea kettle into your pot with the chicken.
Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, cilantro, thyme and salt to the pot.
Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and allow it to simmer until the chicken’s internal temperature registers to 165 degrees with a food thermometer which can take about 30-40 minutes.
Notes: If foam accumulates at the surface, remove it with a spoon.
Remove the chicken from the pot and place a food thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the chicken. The middle of the chicken breast measured to be a few degrees over 165 degrees. So I knew it was cooked through.
Separate the bone and skin from the meat of the chicken and add that back to the stock. The bone and skin will continue to provide flavor to the stock. Continue to simmer the stock on low heat for an additional hour or more.
After the chicken has rested for about 5-10 minutes, shred the chicken or cut it into bite size pieces or into pieces that you feel comfortable feeding your child.
As the stock continues to cook, it’s a great time to get the rest of the ingredients ready for the soup.
Ingredients needed for the soup are
2 tablespoons of oil (I like to use avocado oil), 1/2 of an onion, 2 carrots or 1 large carrot, 3 ribs of celery, 2 garlic cloves, small amount of freshly grated ginger (optional), 1 red bell pepper, 1 sweet potato (optional), 1/2 of large broccoli head, 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric, small amount of pasta, half of a lemon, 2 kales (stem removed), handful of cilantro, some dill (optional), salt and pepper to taste (optional if preparing for an infant or toddler).
Dice the carrots, red bell pepper, sweet potato (optional), and broccoli into the size you feel comfortable feeding your child. Set them aside.
Now back to the stock
Place a large heatproof bowl in the sink that can hold over 10 cups of liquid. Place a mesh strainer over the bowl. Carefully pour the stock with the vegetables into the mesh strainer. The vegetables will remain in the mesh strainer while the liquid will strain into the bowl. Place a different bowl under the strainer to catch additional liquid as you walk to toss the vegetables away in the trash can.
Set the bowl with the stock aside. Your tasty stock is ready.
How to Make the Soup:
In that same pot that the stock had cooked, add 2 tablespoons of oil ( I use avocado oil) over medium heat.
Add the diced onion, carrots and celery.
Cook until the onions start to lighten in color, about 3-5 minutes. Add 2 finely minced garlic cloves and grate in some ginger (ginger is optional). Stir. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Don’t cook it for too long or else it will get bitter.
Add your chopped vegetables (sweet potato (optional), broccoli, red bell pepper) and the chopped or shredded chicken breast. Stir and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes. Stirring frequently.
Note: I don’t always add sweet potatoes. At times at do where other times I don’t. Feel free to leave it out, if desired.
After 2 minutes, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric and stir.
Carefully add the prepared stock. Give it a stir.
Bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, add the pasta or noodles.
I added about 10-20 spaghetti pieces. Not much is needed.
If using spaghetti, break it up into smaller pieces, as shown on the right.
Add the pasta to the boiling soup. Give it a stir and cover the pot with the lid. Allow the soup to simmer for 30 minutes.
Once the 30 minutes is up, you may squeeze 1/2 of a lemon (this part is also optional) making sure the seeds don’t go into the soup. Allow the soup to simmer for 5 more minutes.
Then finely chop the kale leaves (stem removed). Also, finely chop the cilantro and the dill. Add the greens to the soup. Stir and cook the soup for an additional 5 minutes.
Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
Note: You may ladle some soup without the added salt into your little one’s bowl, then add the salt to the soup in the pot, to taste, for the rest of the family.
The soup is done. It’s hot so be careful when serving or place them into glass storage containers.
Enjoy!!
Recipe
Stock Ingredients-Organic if Possible:
- 2 Bone-In and Skin-On Chicken Breasts
- 10 cups of filtered water
- 5 carrots
- 7 ribs of celery
- 1 whole onion
- 5 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 peppercorns
- few thyme & cilantro stems
- Sprinkling of Himalayan Pink Salt (optional if preparing for an infant or toddler)
Soup Ingredients-Organic if Possible:
- 2 tablespoons of oil, I used avocado oil
- 1/2 of an onion
- 2 carrots or 1 large carrot
- 3 ribs of celery
- 2 garlic cloves
- small amount of freshly grated ginger (optional)
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 sweet potato (optional)
- 1/2 of large broccoli head
- 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric
- small amount of pasta
- half of a lemon (optional)
- 2 kales, stem removed
- handful of cilantro
- some dill (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste (optional if preparing for an infant or toddler)
Instructions
How to Make the Stock:
To prep the vegetables, scrub and peel the carrots and the celery. Then, cut them in half. Remove the skin off of the onion and cut it into four pieces. Remove the skin off of the garlic cloves. Set them aside.
Place the two chicken breasts into a large pot and cover it with water. Use as much water as needed to cover the chicken. This water will be discarded so the quantity doesn’t matter. This is going to give the breasts a quick rinse.
Note: When dealing with raw poultry, always immediately wash your hands thoroughly. Also, immediately wash anything (like surfaces, utensils, bowls, et cetera) that touches the raw poultry so the bacteria doesn’t spread.
Cover the pot with a lid and bring it to a boil. At the same time, add 10 cups of filtered water to a tea kettle and bring it to a boil over high heat.
Once the water with the chicken breast comes to a boil, carefully dump the water out into the sink, being careful of the steam. Bring the pot back to the stove top.
Carefully add the boiling water from the tea kettle into your pot with the chicken. Add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf, peppercorns, cilantro, thyme and salt to the pot. Bring the water to a boil. Lower the heat to medium low and allow it to simmer until the chicken’s internal temperature registers to 165 degrees with a food thermometer, which can take about 30-40 minutes.
Notes: If foam accumulates at the surface, remove it with a spoon.
Once the interior of the chicken registers to 165 degrees, remove the chicken from the pot. Separate the bone and skin from the meat of the chicken and add that back to the stock. The bone and skin will continue to provide flavor to the stock. Continue to simmer the stock on low heat for an additional hour or more.
Once the chicken has rested for about 5-10 minutes, shred the chicken or cut it into bite size pieces or into pieces that you feel comfortable feeding your child.
As the stock continues to cook, it’s a great time to get the rest of the ingredients ready for the soup. Dice the carrots, red bell pepper, sweet potato (optional), and broccoli into the size you feel comfortable feeding your child. Set them aside.
Now back to the stock
Place a large heatproof bowl in the sink that can hold over 10 cups of liquid. Place a mesh strainer over the bowl. Carefully pour the stock with the vegetables into the mesh strainer. The vegetables will remain in the mesh strainer while the liquid will strain into the bowl. Place a different bowl under the strainer to catch additional liquid as you walk to toss the vegetables away in the trash can.
Set the bowl with the stock aside. Your tasty stock is ready.
How to Make the Soup:
In that same pot that the stock had cooked, add 2 tablespoons of oil (I used avocado oil) over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots and celery. Cook until the onions start to lighten in color, about 3-5 minutes. Add the finely minced garlic cloves and grate in some fresh ginger (ginger is optional). Stir. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Don’t cook it for too long or else it will get bitter. Add your chopped vegetables (sweet potato-optional, broccoli, red bell pepper) and the chopped or shredded chicken breast. Stir and allow it to cook for a couple of minutes. Stirring frequently. After 2 minutes, add 1/2 teaspoon of ground turmeric and stir. Carefully add the prepared stock. Give it a stir. Bring it to a boil. Once it starts to boil, add the pasta, mix, lower heat to a low-boil, cover it with a lid and allow this to cook for 30 minutes.
Note: for the pasta, I added about 10-20 spaghetti pieces. Not much is needed. If using spaghetti, break it up into smaller pieces.
Once the 30 minutes is up, you may squeeze 1/2 of a lemon (optional) making sure the seeds don’t go into the soup. Allow the soup to simmer for 5 more minutes. Then finely chop the kale leaves (stem removed). Also, finely chop the cilantro and the dill. Add the greens to the soup. Stir and cook the soup for an additional 5 minutes.
Season it with salt and pepper to taste. Turn off the heat and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
Note: You may ladle some soup without the added salt into your little one’s bowl, then add the salt to the soup in the pot, to taste, for the rest of the family.
The soup is done. It’s hot so be careful when serving or place them into glass storage containers.
Enjoy!
