Chicken Soup for the Cold
Well, it is cold season, right? I woke up with a cold today, which is seriously no fun at all. I did however wash and blow-dry my hair yesterday... so on the bright side, I am having a great hair day! Yeah, my glass is half full.
I think sometimes when people aren't really confident in the kitchen, soup can seem really scary. There are a bajillion different soup recipe combinations out there... that can be overwhelming. Once you realize that there really isn't a wrong way to make soup, and that it is totally up to YOU on how it taste, the thickness, pureed or chunky soup etc., you will make the best soup each and every time - even though it will be different than the last time.
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INGREDIENTS
extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions
3 carrots
6-8 stalks celery
4 cups okra (optional)
1.5 cup tri color quinoa (uncooked)
2 lbs organic chicken tenders
8 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
2 cloves of garlic (I use about 10)*
sea salt and pepper to taste
optional
fresh lemon to squeeze on soup just before serving
pinch of thyme
pinch of parsley
Directions:
Cup up your your onions, celery and carrots and place them in a large soup pot with about 3 TB of extra virgin olive oil. If you aren't a fan of garlicy foods, this would be a good time to add in your chopped garlic. If you prefer more garlic then see step towards end of recipe.
Sautee veggies on medium to medium-high heat until onions are translucent and celery and carrots are soft.
Pour in your okra (I had a bag of frozen okra in my freezer on hand) and mix well. Pour in your broth and uncooked tri-color quinoa (I like to rinse my quinoa before cooking). Add in your raw chicken and turn on medium-low heat for about 25-35 minutes - stirring occasionally, until your chicken is fully cooked.
DO NOT TASTE YOUR SOUP UNTIL RAW MEAT IS FULLY COOKED!
Once chicken is fully cooked, you can either use two forks and shred chicken inside the soup pot or you can carefully remove the chicken and shred it on a plate or cutting board.
After chicken is shredded, place chicken back into soup pot (if you took it out) and stir. Cook for another 10 mintues. Add in your chopped garlic HERE if you prefer more of a garlicy tasty. This will make the first couple servings extra garlicy.
Taste and season to your heart's desire!
I sure hate being sick, and I am never in the mood to eat a bunch of solid foods that require cutting or much thought. Soup is the perfect meal because you can just dip your spoon in, or drink it in your favorite Disney mug!
