Chicken soup is one of the oldest food remedies in the book because it works. When you make chicken soup the traditional way, it contains powerfully healing and protective nutrients.
We love this recipe by TBYH founder, Robin Shirley. It’s flavored with add garlic, onions, sage, bay and thyme, which also lend antiviral and antibacterial properties to the soup. Robin says, “I make sure to use locally grown fall vegetables, like leeks, sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and potatoes, and make sure to use good chicken fat and bone broth to give the soup fat soluble vitamins A and D, plus essential minerals for immune support and energy.”
A Great Way To Re-Mineralize Your Body
We hear a lot about “bone broth” these days. It’s an ancient food made from simmering bones of fish, poultry or beef for many hours in water. The resulting liquid is full of minerals and collagen protein from the broken-down bones. This kind of nutritious food is helpful for re-mineralizing and strengthening bones, joints and skin.
Unfortunately, working with animal bones presents a mental challenge for many! Luckily, you can now search google to find local bone broth companies popping up in a city near you.
But, we do have another (cheaper and easier) method for reaping the benefits of bone broth…
Make Your Own Healing Broth – Shortcut!
“It turns out that a lot of the collagen protein melts off the bones when you roast a chicken,” Robin says, “So what I usually do every weekend is spend a few minutes getting a whole chicken or whole chicken, cut up (bone-in, skin-on) into the oven – and letting it roast for about 75-90 minutes at 375 F. The meat is used for dinner that night.
All the liquid that has melted off the chicken into the pan is full of collagen protein and minerals. I save it in the fridge and add it to my soups for a nutritious flavor boost. The fat that rises to the top when chilled is what I use to cook vegetables. I take the bones from that cooked chicken and stick them in the crockpot with water on low for 24 hours, and use that broth for another batch of soup.
This makes it so that I don’t have to buy the chemical-laden chicken broth in the box, and I don’t waste any of the chicken.”
This may seem like quite a task to those who aren’t used to cooking or who have chronic illness, but it is a dish that you can make once and enjoy for many days. Because it is a nutrient-dense food that will help you to regain energy and build up a mineral reserve, it is worth it to put the effort into making it in the first place!
Ingredients
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3 T. olive oil, chicken or duck fat
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2 medium onions, peeled and diced
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4 medium carrots, ends removed and sliced or diced
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5 stalks celery, ends removed, rinsed and diced
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2 medium sweet potatoes or potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces, OR, just buy these already chopped at most grocery stores
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1 Tbs. garlic paste, or 4 cloves, minced
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1 Tbs. sage, roughly chopped, (dried or fresh)
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1 Tbs. thyme leaves (dried or fresh)
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1 bay leaf
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1-2 tsp. sea salt (start with 1, add more as needed – I use this brand of salt)
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2 quarts filtered or spring water, or homemade chicken broth
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1/2 – 1 cup drippings from a roast chicken (optional)
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2 c. cooked chicken meat, chopped
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1 c. frozen green peas or broccoli florets (optional)
Directions
- Heat a large soup pot (5 quarts or larger) over medium heat. Add the first 10 ingredients to the pot and stir to coat everything in oil. Stir occasionally to prevent vegetables from sticking.
- After about 5 minutes, cover the pot and allow vegetables to cook for about 5 minutes longer. Continue to stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Add water or broth, and chicken drippings and stir. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes more, until all vegetables are tender.
- Add remaining ingredients and turn off the heat. Allow the peas or broccoli and chicken to heat through. Add more water or broth to reach desired consistency.
- Serve hot. Store in fridge for no more than 7 days. Freeze unused portion and reheat over stove.
Are you a visual learner? Do you want to watch Robin Shirley, TBYH Founder make recipes like this in her kitchen? Come join us and Take Back Your Health™ IN THE KITCHEN!
