Sick Day Chicken Soup

Photographer: Kate
Serves 6

This story begins a couple of weeks ago when my youngest little pixie girl Sami came down with a hideous virus which literally lay her down flat and completely exhausted for an entire week.  I knew the virus must have been extreme because as any mother of a 20 month old child will know, as a general rule they don’t stop for two minutes let alone a week!  I have since dubbed this viral villan ‘the plague’ as it’s been the nastiest and most virulent flu I have ever experienced.  Just as Sami was on the mend I felt something creeping up on me.  After spending a day in the office surviving on Sudafed and simultaneously befriending  my tissue box and de-friending my colleges I went downhill.  Way, way down.

I was pining for chicken soup, you know the health giving variety – a  golden broth scattered with  nourishing vegetables and chickeny morsels.  My only obstacle was the fact that like Sami all I wanted to do was lay down flat. From my horizontal position I devised a plan in my head to make this the easiest sick day chicken soup using a supermarket roast chicken, some stock from a box and a scattering of nice winter veges from the garden.  I added lots of  garlic and ginger for their natural flu fighting properties (and delicious flavour)  and the result was something quite special.  With out a shred of doubt it was absolutely worth the 10 or so minutes of vertical functioning I had to endure to prepare it.

INGREDIENTS


2tbsp Olive Oil
1 leek, sliced thinly
2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced thinly
2L Chicken Stock
8 slices of ginger
2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 precooked roast chicken, chicken removed and shredded
Parsley to serve

METHOD


1. Heat oil in a large saucepan and gently cook the leek until it begins to soften.
2. Add carrots and celery and continue to cook for a couple of minutes.
3. Add hot stock, ginger and garlic.
4. Bring to a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes
5. Add chicken and allow to heat through.
6. Serve with chopped parsley on top and a side of hot buttered toast.