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Our delicious Flu Chaser Chicken Soup is loaded with lots of special ingredients that will help you feel better too!
I’ve been fighting a cold for the last couple of weeks—and this Flu Chaser Chicken Soup is just what the doctor ordered! 😉
In all seriousness, we’re not claiming to be medical experts of any kind today, but this delicious Flu Chaser Chicken Soup is loaded with lots of ingredients that are believed to help when you are feeling under the weather.
We’ve taken a classic chicken soup (aka New York Penicillin) and added flavorful ingredients like lemon, ginger, garlic, turmeric and cayenne that are also often cited for their health benefits.
What healthy ingredients are in this Flu Chaser Chicken Soup?
- Lemon is loaded with Vitamin C which helps boost the immune system.
- Ginger is considered one of the best remedies for a cold, according to Ayurveda, an ancient holistic medicine that has been around for thousands of years. Ginger also alleviates nausea and can perk up your appetite too.
- Garlic has been used in ancient civilizations to treat infections and respiratory disorders, and also has many other anti-inflammatory effects.
- Turmeric is also used in Ayurvedic medicine to treat inflammation in the body —plus it adds a golden color and a spicy flavor to this soup.
- A pinch of cayenne in this soup adds capsaicin which can help clear clogged nasal passages and sooth a sore throat.
Our Flu Chaser Chicken Soup is also loaded with lots of vegetables including Tuscan kale, cabbage, Shiitake mushroons, plus celery, onions and carrots.
And the broth of this flavorful soup is made with lots of different bones including chicken, turkey and beef. Bone broths are also believed to reduce inflammation in the respiratory system.
In addition to helping you feel better, this Flu Chaser Chicken Soup is just plain healthy and delicious! Even if you aren’t fighting a cold, this soup is a great choice for healthy-eating New Year’s resolutions.
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Flu Chaser Chicken Soup
Ingredients
Stock
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 head of garlic (10–12 cloves), peeled but left whole
1 whole 4-pound chicken with neck (liver and gizzards discarded)
1 whole turkey wing
2 pounds beef bones or marrow bones
8-ounce package Shiitake mushrooms. Stems used in stock, caps used in soup
1 whole large onion, cut into 8 pieces
3” knob of ginger, peeled and sliced
1 bunch scallions, roots cut off
1/2 bunch fresh parsley, including stems
2 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely cut up
2 large stalks celery, coarsely cut up
1 two-inch piece of fresh turmeric, peeled and coarsely cut up
Zest from one lemon
2 whole black peppercorns
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Cold water to cover
Soup
Sliced Shiitake mushroom caps removed from 8-ounce package, stems used in stock
1 1/2 cups onion, diced
1 tablespoon fresh turmeric, finely grated
Juice of one lemon (3 tablespoons)
4 cups chopped green cabbage
5 cups chopped Tuscan kale, leaves only
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch cayenne pepper
Instructions
In a small sauce pan place olive oil and heat to hot then reduce burner to medium low. Add all of garlic and cook on medium low for 30 minutes or until the garlic is golden brown on all sides.
Set garlic and oil aside.
In a large stock pot place chicken, turkey wing, beef bones, Shiitake mushroom stems, onion, ginger, scallions, parsley, carrots, celery, turmeric, lemon zest, peppercorns and salt. Add in cooked garlic and cover the pot contents with COLD water. Save garlic oil for later in this recipe.
Bring up to heat slowly then keep at a medium simmer for three hours, skimming off any foam that floats to the top.
Strain and save stock for later in this recipe.
Pick meat from chicken and turkey, cut into bite sized pieces and discard the remaining solids.
To make the soup, in a 5-6 quart Dutch oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the garlic oil over medium high heat and add the sliced Shiitake mushroom caps and saute for five minutes or until they brown.
Move the mushrooms to the edge of the pan, add two more tablespoons of the garlic oil and add the onion and turmeric and saute for two minutes, then deglaze with the lemon juice.
Add cabbage, kale, salt, pepper, cayenne and all of the stock and cook for 10-15 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
Add the cooked chicken, heat to hot and serve with crackers.
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Best chicken soup ever I must make..
Thanks Gosia!
AMAZING!!!!
I could go on and on, trust me, this is a keeper
Thanks Lisa! So glad you enjoyed the soup!