Immunity Boosting Chicken Soup

The jury is still out whether or not chicken noodle soup really has healing powers but it's mind over body.

Chicken and pasta noodles may not directly cure a cold but there are some key ingredients that I love to add to my soup that definitely have proven health benefits. Not only do I crave chicken soup during this time of year (and really all times of year) but I crave making it. First off, it makes your house smell amazing. Second, it is so customizable. You can really experiment with it and add whatever flavors you are craving. That is what I love so much about cooking in general. 

My favorite variation of chicken soup contains several immune boosting ingredients. First we have ginger. I love adding ginger to soups, because I really do love the flavor of ginger, and it also just brightens up the dish in general. Ginger is a natural anti-inflammatory which has been linked to literally killing cold. You go ginger! Second I add in in turmeric. Turmeric has anti-bacterial qualities and is loaded with antioxidants. Plus it gives your soup that wonderful yellow warm color. For this recipe, I added in kale, because I had a bag on hand, but you can add in spinach or any leafy greens. The point of this ingredient is just the greens. The darker the greens, the higher the nutrients. After all, you are what you eat, so you just definitely try these chicken soup variations.
I like to switch up some other things in this soup recipe. I use leeks instead of onions because I think they give off more flavor in the soup and it gives a nice crunch element. I also used Israeli couscous this time instead of regular noodles or rice. I really enjoyed it. 

Another thing I boast in my chicken soup recipe is homemade chicken broth. Is this necessary? No. Is it amazingly delicious and more cost effective? Yes. Some of you may not get the pure joy out of making homemade chicken broth with a full chicken, but I challenge you to try it one time. Essentially, I buy a whole chicken, remove the bag of it's guts (yes I once forgot that step), and cover it with water. Add in some carrots, two onions (don't worry about peeling them). I boil it for about an hour (cue amazing house smells) and then drain the broth, pull apart the chicken meat, and you are ready to go. For those less bold, a rotisserie chicken and store bought broth will do just fine. 

Ingredients:
2 tbsp butter
1 leek (rinsed with white parts finely diced)
5 cloves garlic minced
2 carrots diced (I like to make them pretty big pieces)
4 celery ribs diced
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
2 cups shredded chicken
10 cups chicken broth
1 cup Israeli couscous
Juice of two lemons
zest of one lemon
2 cups shredded kale
1 tsp ground pepper
2 tsp kosher salt
3 tbsp fresh dill

In large soup pan or stock pot heat butter over medium heat. Add in leeks, carrots and celery and cook for 3 - 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Add in turmeric, ginger, and chicken. Stir so that the spices evenly coat the chicken. Add in broth, lemon juice and zest and couscous. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 25 minutes. Add in kale and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve and top with fresh dill.