It’s Winter, which mean that it’s also cold season! The best way to prevent the Winter/Spring cold is to boost your immune system. With the Holidays over, it’s time to detoxify our bodies from all the excess we have a tendency to do during that time of year! I have the perfect soup recipe that will do all of the above…
One of the stars of this soup (other than the chicken) is the kale. I had never eating kale in my life and every time I would taste something with kale, I found that it had a very ”strong” taste that was very unpleasant. So, like several people, I simply left the kale on the shelf at the grocery store – just like we do to the poor brussel sprout!
The other star –GARLIC… 12 cloves! Garlic as several benefits which one of them is treating cold & flu!
This soup is loaded with good things for your body, several spices to boost your immune system & will keep you full and prevent in between meal snacking.
What do you need:
- A Rotisserie chicken (yes the full chicken) – you can also use left over turkey from the Holidays; you will need around 4 cups
- 2 cups of chopped kale
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 4 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 can of chickpeas
- 12 cloves of garlic – no worries, you won’t be left smelling like garlic after, I promise
- 1 cup of fresh white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 10 cups of Chicken Stock
- Olive Oil
- 1/2 tsp of Red Pepper flakes (a touch of heat)
- 2 tsp of Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp of Turmeric – the immune system boosting spice
- 2 Bay leaves
Why a Rotisserie Chicken?
Don’t get be wrong, you can, if you wish, use chicken thighs or breast that are raw and cook them yourself or prepare your broth by boiling them. There is something about the taste and texture of a Rotisserie chicken that just goes well with this soup!
What’s next?
- Chop all your vegetables… once that is done, unless you are using left over turkey from the Holidays, you will need to prep your Rotisserie chicken in pieces
- Using a large pot, heat your olive oil and a medium heat and add you onions, celery, carrots, garlic & mushrooms. cook for about 5 minutes stirring on occasion.
- Add all the other ingredients, except for the kale, and bring to a boil. Once it is boiling, bring down the heat to let it simmer for 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and add the kale. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes to let the kale soften.
That’s it… That’s all! You are ready to serve.
This soup serve around 8 to 10 portions – depending on the size of bowl you serve.
Go ahead, go outside… play in the snow… enjoy Winter!
