Raise your hand if you or someone you have been around, has been sick… If you are raising your hand, THIS IMMUNITY SOUP IS EVERYTHING!
Ahh, January, the month of new beginnings, hope, promise, freezing cold weather and sick folks! Let’s face it, cold and flu season is in full swing with germy people walking around everywhere. All this cold weather with germs floating around leaves us craving warm comfort foods, which is hard to do when you have resolved to eat healthier at the chime of the clock on New Year’s Eve.
Allow me to introduce a bowl of soup that will do just that. This Immunity Soup is a simple easy-to-make soup for what ails ya. I first made this immunity soup a couple of months ago when I had a head cold. I was flipping through some recipes I had torn out of some magazines and came across this recipe from Cooking Light Magazine. Immunity soup is brimming to the top of the bowl with nutrients and antioxidants that will help boost your immune system while keeping you healthy and warm this winter.
Ok, let’s break the ingredients down:
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- KALE: Promotes a healthy digestive tract, contains B vitamins, and vitamin C, which promotes iron absorption among other vital vitamins and nutrients.
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- MUSHROOMS: High in vitamin D. They also contain B vitamins and a powerful antioxidant called selenium, supports your immune system and prevents damage to cells and tissues.
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- CHICKPEAS: Minerals including manganese, magnesium, zinc, and copper, as well some other B-vitamins, including thiamine and vitamin B-6.
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- GARLIC: Anti-oxidant rich. An excellent source of manganese and vitamin B6. A good source of vitamin C, copper, selenium, phosphorus, and vitamin B1.
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- CHICKEN: High in zinc, B vitamins, and other immunity-boosting nutrients.
On top of all those vitamin enriched ingredients, the hot peppery broth flushes out your sinuses of infection by making your nose run, staving infection. So make a large pot of this immunity soup to enjoy for a few days, it just gets better and better sitting in the fridge.
Oh, and don’t worry about all that garlic. Believe me, garlic is not always my friend, but in this soup, the flavor is very mellow.
The original recipe called for bone-in chicken, but I swapped it for roasted chicken breasts because I feel like the roasted chicken has more flavor. Feel free to use shredded rotisserie chicken as the original recipe also suggested. Using chicken that has already been cooked makes this soup even easier to make, so you to start boosting that immune system from all those germs.
Also, you can control the amount of sodium, by using unsalted chicken stock and by rinsing your chickpeas.
Here’s the recipe for this delicious immunity soup:
Immunity Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 celery stalks thinly sliced
- 2 large carrots thinly sliced
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 10 medium garlic cloves minced
- 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 4 cups original chicken stock
- 4 thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- 15 ounce canned chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- Kosher salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 12 ounces curly kale washed, stems removed, leaves torn
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy oven over medium. Add the onions, celery, carrots, thyme sprigs and a pinch of salt; cook, until onions are translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring often, for 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in the stock, and add the chicken, chickpeas, the bay leaves, and red pepper. Season with salt, to taste; cover and simmer, about 30 minutes.
- Stir in the kale; cover and simmer until kale is just tender about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves, before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Fend off cooties, staying healthy and on track with your new year’s diet!
Tasty Eats Ronit Penso says
A bowl a day will keep the doctor away! 🙂
The Mountain Kitchen says
Better than an apple!! Lol!! ?
Diane says
We make homemade soups and are so glad to see some of the grocery stores now selling ‘unsalted’ beef and chicken stock. This immunity soup looks good!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Diane! Happy New Year! Yes, it is so very important to monitor your sodium intake. I am pleased we get an option in stocks and other canned goods. Hope you will try this soup! 🙂
cookingwithauntjuju.com says
I love soups especially during this cold weather we’re having. I’ve been healthy so far this winter but I never mind adding a little cushion such as your immunity soup!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Judi! Happy New Year! I’m glad you have been healthy. I have too, knock on wood!! I am actually going to enjoy a bowl of this soup for lunch. There are a lot of sick people out from work, so I pulled out of the freezer last night to help give me a boost. Stay warm and enjoy the soup!
Julie is Hostess At Heart says
I’m all about trying to stay healthy and feeling well right now and could eat this soup everyday! Happy New Years!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Julie. This is a powerful soup to put in your arsenal! Happy New Year!!
Genie Robbins says
Yep, that should do it. I do love a good “beans and greens” type of soup.
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hope you’ll give this a go Genie. Happy New Year!
FrugalHausfrau says
Debbie, this looks marvelous!! I’d take a bowl anytime, immune system or not!
Mollie
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks Mollie. I actually thawed out some leftover from when I made this for lunch today. There are a couple of people out sick, so I figured it is time for a boost! The soup freezes well and it was even better than I remembered! Hope you give it try!