Immune Boosting Chicken Soup
My husband came home from Melbourne last week with man-flu
How did I know it was man-flu? Well I didn’t get it!
There’s only two things you can do for man-flu
The first one is to provide lots of sympathy
The second and almost as necessary panacea…Chicken Soup!
So this is what I made for him
And it obviously worked, as he survived!
The ‘magical’ immune-boosting benefits of this chicken soup include…
Garlic – has antibacterial and antiviral properties
Turmeric – stimulates immune function, anti-inflammatory
Carrots and Pumpkin – both excellent sources of beta-carotene, which your body converts to Vitamin A as needed. Vitamin A is a powerful antioxidant that improves immune function and promotes mucus membrane health
Broccoli – cruciferous vegetable, contains sulforaphane which helps protect your immune system from age-related decline
Cabbage – can increase your body’s ability to fight infection
Other veggies – promote general health
Parsley and Coriander – excellent sources of Vitamin C which protects you against, and helps your body fight colds and flus
Homemade Chicken Stock – or what some people now call ‘bone broth’ – rich in minerals that support healthy immune function
But best of all, it’s deeelicious!
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 large brown onions, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon fresh turmeric, finely grated or 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 cups diced pumpkin
- 1 head broccoli, stalks and florets separated, stalks diced finely
- 1 cob corn, cut into 8 or 1 cup corn kernels
- 2-3 litres chicken stock (see link to recipe below)
- 2 cups cabbage, sliced
- 2 cups cooked chicken, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch flat parsley, leaves picked, washed and roughly chopped
- 1 bunch coriander, washed and roughly chopped
- Heat the oil in a large pan, and gently fry the onion until soft, about 7–8 minutes.
- Add garlic, turmeric, celery, carrots, pumpkin, broccoli stalks, corn and chicken stock.
- Bring to the boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 20 mins, or until vegetables have softened.
- Add broccoli florets and cabbage and cook for a further 10 mins.
- Then add cooked chicken and allow to heat through.
- Turn heat off. Stir through parsley and coriander just before serving.
- Enjoy
How to make your own chicken stock
Note – Other ingredients you could use to boost the immune powers of this soup include Asian mushrooms (e.g. shiitake), ginger and greens, including spinach, silverbeet and kale
