Comforting and nourishing! This Immune Boosting Chicken Soup is the ultimate meal for Fall and Winter. It is made with nutrient-dense vegetables and anti-inflammatory spices to get you through the cold and flu season.
Immune Boosting Chicken Soup
Winner, winner, chicken dinner! When I’m thinking of a warming bowl of soup, the first one that comes to mind is a classic chicken soup. It is comforting, comes with some lean protein and nutrient-dense vegetables and is the perfect balanced lunch or dinner when the cold season is in full swing.
This soup is not only delicious and my go-to meal when I’m feeling sick. A bowl of chicken soup always makes me feel better, and that’s not a placebo effect. The ingredients used in this nourishing soup and the cooking process make it a real booster for the immune system. Read on to get all the health benefits and some tips for making this easy chicken soup recipe.
Cold- and flu-fighting soup
The ingredients in this Immune Boosting Chicken Soup come with a lot of health benefits. When combining and cooking them, they create a nutrient-dense dish perfect for cold and flu season.
Using chicken with the bones is very intentional. Chicken is rich in a compound called carnosine, which helps reduce cold symptoms like a stuffed nose or a sore throat. When cooking chicken with the bones and joint tissue on them, there is another thing happening. During the cooking process, the joint tissue dissolves into the soup and builds some natural compounds. Our body absorbs these compounds when eating the broth, which reduces inflammation. In other words: The symptoms go away faster.
Moreover, the root vegetables used in this soup are full of vitamins and minerals that support the immune system. Especially onion and garlic are said to have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties and help fight infections.
Finally, ginger and turmeric make this soup a booster for your immune system. They come with lots of vitamins and antioxidant properties.
Of course, this soup is not a substitute for any medicine you take when you’re having a cold or flu. But it supports the body fighting an infection.
Read more about the health benefits of chicken soup here.
Tips for making this recipe
- Measure and prepare all the ingredients first before starting to cook. This way, you don’t stress out when assembling the soup with having to do so.
- Serve with soup noodles, the low-carb alternative zoodles, barley, or rice for a complete lunch or dinner.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also put freeze it for up to 3 months.
More nourishing soup recipes you’ll love
- White Wine Celery Root Soup
- Spicy Coconut Carrot Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Chorizo Chips
Immune Boosting Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 chicken thighs
- 1 large leek (or 2 small ones)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 150 g celery root (1 cup chopped)
- 4 carrots
- 4 fresh parsley stalks
- 10 g fresh ginger (thumb-piece)
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon dried lovage
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Peel and roughly chop celery, carrots, leek, garlic, and ginger. Pluck the parsley leaves out of the stalks and set them aside.
- Heat 1,5 l (1 ⅓ cups) water in a water boiler or on the stove. It seems like a lot of water, but some of it will evaporate during the cooking process.
- In a large pot, heat vegetable oil on medium to high heat. Put in chicken thighs, garlic, and ginger. Roast for about a minute, stirring occasionally.
- Pour in hot water and bring to a boil. Add ginger, turmeric, bay leaves, parsley stalks, salt and pepper. Stir and cover with a lid. Cook on low to medium heat for about 30 minutes.
- Add chopped carrot and celery and cook for another 30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove chicken thighs, celery stacks, ginger, garlic and bay leaves from the soup. Separate the meat from the bone, roughly chop and put it back into the soup.
- Serve with soup noodles, the low-carb alternative zoodles, barley, or rice for a complete lunch or dinner.
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
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