Every Jewish Grandmother’s recommendation for a cold? Chicken Soup! 

Every Jewish family has their own version of the classic chicken soup. A comfort dish, chicken soup has been said to heal the soul and cure any sickness.

It all starts with a basic chicken stock, but what you add to it later is what makes it so unique and amazing. Some ingredients are a secret that I cannot fully disclose, as my Bubby will kill me. But, the best part is creating your own secret chicken soup to pass on through the generations. 

A feel-better chicken soup recipe, that will solve all your problems. Check out the recipe below! 

Chicken Soup 

WHAT YOU NEED

1 x 2.5 kg chicken

2 medium onions, peeled and roughly chopped

3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

3 sticks of celery, trimmed and roughly chopped

1 large turnip, peeled and roughly chopped

1 small bunch of dill

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 2 inch thumb of ginger, peeled

Salt and pepper to taste

*You can add any other seasonings of your choosing, like thyme, rosemary, parsley, bay leaves, etc.

WHAT TO DO 

  1. Rinse your chicken in cold water, pat it dry with kitchen paper and put it into your biggest pot. I like to chop up my chicken before hand, so it is easier to pull apart once the stock is finished. Cover with cold water to come above the chicken. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 30 minutes. All the while skimming the froth off the top of the chicken.
  2. Once there is little to no froth left (it should be white and not brown coloured), add the chopped vegetables, garlic cloves, ginger, seasonings and season with a good pinch of sea salt and pepper. Bring everything back to the boil, then turn the heat down and leave it to simmer for at least 1 hour. I like to let my soup simmer for as long as I have. The longer the better. *If you do simmer it for longer and water starts to boil out, just add water accordingly. 
  3. When the soup is done simmering, use tongs to carefully transfer the chicken to a pan. to cool. Remove the soup from the heat and strain it through your biggest sieve or colander. Pull out the decent-looking pieces of veggies and put these back into the soup, getting rid of anything else. Put the pot, back on a medium heat and bring back to the boil covered. 
  4. When your chicken has cooled enough to handle, either use two forks or  use your hands to shred the meat off the bone. Set meat aside and get rid of the skin and bones. Add all your shredded chicken meat back to the soup. Chop up some fresh dill and add in. Taste the soup, and season with salt and pepper or any other seasonings accordingly. Enjoy hot or soup can be frozen into small serving size containers for later use!

Enjoy!

xo

Amanda