Recipes from The Retreat - TCM Chicken soup

I've had several requests for the superpower soup recipe! So I'm sharing it on the blog so it's always here. I use this if I ever get ill ( thankfully that's rare) made with nourishing bone broth and lots of goodness it's one of the best body boosting, fever fighting, flavourful and nourishing soups ever. Using Traditional Chinese medicine and indeed food as medicine, to heal the body. It's truly delicious and a little magical too.

▢10 oz boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs

▢1 cup diced carrots

▢1 cup chopped celery

▢1 small yellow onion or half of a large onion

▢2 garlic cloves

▢1.5 tablespoon olive oil

▢4 cups chicken bone broth

▢2 cups water

▢½ teaspoon dried thyme

▢¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

▢⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

▢1 cup cooked brown rice, farro, orzo or egg noodles (optional)

▢chopped fresh parsley or dill for garnish

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a medium pan with a thick bottom.

Add carrots, celery and onions and cook on medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often until softened.

Add minced garlic cloves and all the spices. Stir and cook another minute until garlic is fragrant.

Pour in chicken bone broth and 2 cups of water.

Place the raw chicken breast (or thighs) in the pot and bring to boil.

Cook on low partially covered for 30-40 minutes until the chicken is tender.

Take the chicken out and cut into bite-sized pieces or shred with 2 forks or chop with a knife.

Place the chicken back in the soup.

Add cooked rice or noodles if desired.

Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Serve hot sprinkled with chopped parsley leaves or dill.

Notes

If you use chicken thighs, you will need to increase cooking time a bit as it takes longer to cook.

To speed up the cooking process, cut the raw chicken into 2-3 smaller pieces before cooking.

You can also make this soup with leftover cooked chicken. To do so, follow steps 1-4, cook vegetables in broth for about 15 minutes, then add cooked chicken and rice.

The flavor of this soup will depend on the kind of bone broth you are using. Some bone broth kinds have more salt than others. Different brands also vary in intensity. If the finished soup tastes too rich, add a bit more water, ½ to 1 cup at the end.