My family loves chicken noodle soup – especially on a cold, snowy day!
When my kids were smaller, nothing was more comforting than a big pot of soup simmering on the stove all afternoon while the kids were building snow forts and sledding. They would troop into the house, all snowy and wet. As soon as they got inside, they would smell the soup simmering and, with a hopeful look, ask if it was ready.
I would peel all the wet layers of hats, gloves, boots, and jackets off and set them down at the table. As soon as that bowl of steaming soup was in front of them, they would taste that first spoonful and grin. I still picture those rosy faces slurping up all that chicken noodle goodness!
Fast forward to 2021. I was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent an aggressive treatment plan. I battled breast cancer and won. One of my weapons of choice was food. Healthy foods helped keep up my strength during chemotherapy, helped me heal after surgery, and helped reduce inflammation after radiation. In particular, there was an amazing mineral broth recipe my friend shared that I drank on a regular basis. Made from tons of vegetables and kombu, it was nutrient dense, with tons of natural electrolytes, yet gentle on your stomach. Perfect for those days after chemo when you were nauseous but still needed to eat to keep up your strength. It worked better than Ensure, or any of the various electrolyte drinks doctors suggested.
Now, I am always finding ways to boost the health impact of my recipes. My Immune Boosting Chicken Noodle Soup does take a couple hours to prepare – I worked in some of the mineral broth ingredients – but I promise you it is totally worth it! It has all the feel good noodles, some simple additions that add great health benefits, AND tastes awesome!
What Health Benefits?
Chicken thighs vs. Chicken breasts
Dark meat chicken contains vitamin K2 (menaquinone), a naturally occurring, fat-soluble vitamin that has antiangiogenic properties. What does that mean? A lot. Vitamin K2 helps suppress the growth of new blood vessels needed by cancerous tumors to grow and metastasize. Eating K2 rich foods can significantly reduce your chances of dying of heart disease. It also interferes with the body’s ability to make cholesterol and can prevent hardening of the arteries.
Kombu
Kombu is a type of thick, flat seaweed commonly used in Asian cooking. You can find it in your local Asian markets or on Amazon, dried and packaged in large strips. It has a wonderful umami flavor and is often used in Dashi broth for ramen bowls.
It is a nutritional powerhouse; high in iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C. The amino acids in kombu also help your body to break down and digest food easier.
Turmeric
Tumeric has an active ingredient, curcumin, which has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Rich in phytonutrients, turmeric protects the body by neutralizing free radicals and preventing cell damage. Diets rich in plant-based foods with lots of phytonutrients are associated with the prevention of conditions such as cancer and heart disease.
Can you see why I like this soup so much???
How to Make Immune Boosting Chicken Noodle Soup
Prepare the Stock:
Cut carrots, celery and onion into large chunks.
Place the chicken thighs in a large stockpot. Add the carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf and kombu. Cover with about 10 cups of water.
Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. As the chicken simmers, occasionally skim off the foam.
While the stock is simmering, peel and slice the carrots, slice the celery, and chop the onion.
Once the chicken is cooked through, pull it out and let cool enough that you can shred the chicken and set aside. Scoop out the carrots, celery, onion, kombu and bay leaf from the stock. Discard.
Prepare the Chicken Soup:
Add 3-4 more cups of water. Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme, parsley, turmeric, black pepper, and bouillon. Bring the stock back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the shredded chicken back in along with the pasta and chopped spinach. Simmer for an additional 6-8 minutes until pasta is cooked. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
Enjoy!
Immune Boosting Chicken Noodle Soup
Ingredients
Ingredients:
Chicken Stock Ingredients:
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs about 2 ½ lbs.
- 2 stalks celery – large chunks
- 1 carrot – cut in large chunks
- 1 onion – peeled and quartered
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 strip kombu see note below
- 10 cups water
Soup Ingredients:
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 3-4 cups shredded chicken
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tsp. dried thyme or 2-3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 tsp. dried parsley or 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. ground turmeric
- 1 tsp. salt use less to start
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. organic chicken Better than Bouillon
- 1 cup fideo cut spaghetti pasta or thin egg noodles
- 1 cup frozen chopped spinach
Instructions
Instructions:
Prepare the Stock:
- Cut carrots, celery and onion into large chunks.
- Place the chicken thighs in a large stockpot. Add the carrots, celery, onion, bay leaf and kombu. Cover with about 10 cups of water.
- Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. As the chicken simmers, occasionally skim off the foam.
- While the stock is simmering, peel and slice the carrots, slice the celery, and chop the onion.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, pull it out and let cool enough that you can shred the chicken and set aside. Scoop out the carrots, celery, onion, kombu and bay leaf from the stock. Discard.
Prepare the Chicken Soup:
- Add 3-4 more cups of water. Add the carrots, celery, onion, thyme, parsley, turmeric, black pepper, and bouillon. Bring the stock back up to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the shredded chicken back in along with the pasta and chopped spinach. Simmer for an additional 6-8 minutes until pasta is cooked. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.