Chicken Noodle Soup

This has to be one of the best soups in the world! I know the ingredients list seems a bit daunting with its incessant appearance but trust me, this soup is like an instantaneous fast lift, massage, detox, all in one! It’s no wonder the Jewish call it Jewish penicillin!

For this soup I use very thin Spanish pasta called fideo and Greek egg noodles (hilopites) which are a bit thicker and both combined lead to one hell of an amazing Chicken Soup!If you’ve a cold, this is the soup to make, if you’re simply after an instant energy lift or need to warm up and the heater is not sufficient, this is the soup to make … or if you’re like me and find nothing more pleasant than a bowl of chicken soup in the winter frost go ahead and make it!

I don’t want to spoil this recipe by giving you my own interpretation because everyone in my family loves it for a completely different reason, so, go ahead and try it yourself to give it your own interpretation.  

Ingredients

2 Cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 brown onions, finely chopped

1 leek, finely sliced

3 stalks of celery, finely sliced (keep the leaves from the celery stalks)

1 bunch of broccolini, end of stems cut (I usually cut 2 inches off)

1 bunch of bok choy, end of stems cut

1 carrot, finely sliced

2 potatoes, cut into small pieces

Parsley

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon of butter

¼ teaspoon cumin

½ paprika flakes

1 chicken with all the skin taken off

½ litre chicken stock

2.5 litres boiling water

1 cup of thin spaghetti/fideo cut into smaller lengths (no bigger than the palm of your hand in height)

Salt and pepper to taste

Method

In a large saucepan place the olive oil and butter and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot add the onions and sauté for 5 minutes. Add the leeks, garlic and celery and sauté for a further 5 minutes. Add the carrots and potatoes and sauté for 2-3 minutes before adding the broccolini and bok choy. Place the cleaned chicken on top of all the vegetables. Add the chicken stock and boiling water (it should nearly cover the whole chicken but not quite). Add the cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Chop the parsley and the celery leaves and place on top of chicken. Place lid on tip of saucepan and reduce heat to low. Allow to boil for 1 hour and 45 minutes. Remove the chicken and place on a work surface to remove chicken from bones and shred slightly. Discard bones. Add the shredded chicken back to the saucepan and add the pasta. Check for seasoning and allow the pasta to cook. Once pasta is cooked, take off the heat and serve with a nice ciabatta or baguette. Enjoy feeling instantly better and warmer!