I know I’ve been MIA for the last little while (ahem…3 months) but I have still been playing in the kitchen and learning lots. I’ve been traveling and studying and enjoying these longer, sunnier, milder days of winter. Despite this pretend winter we’ve been having, the pesky cold and flu viruses have still be lurking around. It seems that everyone around me has been battling some type of cold, flu or infection and they have been so kind as to sneeze in my direction and pass it onto me. Needless to say, there has been a lot of chicken soup flowing at our house. You might think that chicken soup for a cold is just a myth, something your mama made in hopes to make you feel better. Well…I’m here to tell you, it works!
- Chicken broth nourishes your small intestine. You’re probably thinking why do I need to heal my small intestine when I have a cold? Because your digestive tract contains thousands of immune cells. Keeping it strong means your body will fight that cold more efficiently.
- Chicken broth is rich in gelatin. Gelatin allows your body to better use the protein that you digest. This is important because when you have a cold, you don’t eat as much. Whatever you are eating, you want to absorb it the best you can. Increasing your protein absorption means your body has the building blocks to heal.
- Chicken broth is an alkaline liquid. Too much acid in your body puts a strain on healing. Taking in alkaline liquids (water with lemon is another one), neutralizes the acid in your body and strengthens making it easier for you to kick your sickness to the curb.
- It hydrates! A nice liquidy soup that is delicious means you are taking in lots of liquid which keeps your body hydrated and cleanses out all the icky bugs causing your sickness.
Marilene’s Healing Chicken Soup
My homemade chicken soup is the kind that heals your sniffles and your soul. It is soothing, warming, comforting and very nourishing. With coconut oil, ginger, cayenne onion and garlic it is an antimicrobial powerhouse that will get your body cleansing that virus out. The turmeric makes it a vibrant yellow and gets the anti-inflammatory mojo going. With all the minerals and vitamins extracted from the chicken bones, you get a broth that prepares your body for healing. In Portuguese, chicken soup is called “canja” and it is traditionally made from a freshly butchered chicken. Please take the effort to find a free range, organic chicken. It is best when you know your farmer or butcher directly so that you can ensure that the chicken lived a happy life and died with dignity.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp of coconut oil
- 2 onions, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 1 whole chicken, cut in 8 pieces (be sure to ask for the neck and back; if the butcher has extra bones or necks lying around take those too)
- 1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar
- 1 inch piece of ginger, cut in 4 pieces
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- water to cover
- 1 teaspoon of turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
- Heat coconut oil over medium heat in a heavy pot/dutch oven.
- Add the onions and saute for a minute until fragrant. Add the carrots and celery, saute for 3 more minutes.
- Add the chicken pieces and bones. Stir in apple cider vinegar. Toss in ginger, garlic and bay leaf.
- Cover with water and bring to boil on high. After a few minutes, skim the scum that rises to the surface and discard.
- Season with salt and pepper and reduce heat to low, simmer for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.
- Remove chicken and bones. Allow to cool.
- Once cool, remove the chicken meat from the bones, discard bones and chicken skin. Shred the meat into bite size pieces and add to chicken broth. Taste and season as needed. Pour in bowls and let the healing begin 🙂