The Ultimate Chicken Soup for the Soul

Looking for a delicious recipe for Chicken Soup? Here is your answer!

The answer to the flu season

Battling a cold ? In the midst of a flu season ? Want some comforting soup to chase the blues away & offer comfort to the soul ? Need to spring back to health after a bout of cold & fever ? Look no further!

Chicken soup

This spicy aromatic Chicken soup from South India is quick & easy to prepare, yet deliciously spicy and is the answer to the seasonal flu.A favorite home remedy with amazing healing properties.

Try out this Ultimate Chicken soup for the soul today, it is sure to boost both your physical and mental well being today!

Nostalgia

Growing up in the foothills of the Western Ghats, in South India, I remember making sure my study table always faced the mountains and the deep blue sky, majestically spread above them.

Each day  as I sat down to study… the strength and inspiration I drew from those hills was immense. To this day, mountains do that to me,  with their calming presence !

The water  from the rivers that flowed down those mountains was crystal clear, I used to believe, it even had its own music while it flowed over fertile lands quenching farm lands and people along the way.

We did not have to plan vacations, every weekend was a retreat  in itself. An escape to these beautiful places surrounded by Nature’s best, rejuvenated the soul and the spirit, keeping the mind and air clean.

When the water level was low we would run along the river bank as children, picking flat rocks for our little aquarium at home.Simple joys, meant the world to us even then.

When the water level raised we would hike up the mountain path….

……to go  bathe in the water falls.

How it all started ?

Trekking back down the hill, we would be  mighty hungry.

The state tourism department had a tourism bungalow for visitors at the foothills, where we could place our order for food before hand so by the time we got down hill, hot food would be waiting for us to relish.

The aroma would tease our senses, as we winded down the path to the bungalow. Life was simple or so it seemed then, coz we were children, cherishing every bit of childhood joy there ever was.

The Ultimate Soup Guide

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Venu’s special

There lived a permanent chef  in the tourist bungalow those days, by name Venu. He was physically challenged due to an injury that had left his right hand totally paralyzed. He smiled very little talked even less.

Why do I still remember him after all these years ? Yes, you guessed right. His amazing  dishes, in spite of his physical challenges was something you would remember for ages.

My favorite among them was his chicken soup, ghee rice, mutton kurma and fish cutlets, yes in that order , exactly ! Some people and some memories you carry with you all your life.

Today “Venu” was in my kitchen in spirit guiding me along as I cooked my spicy chicken soup, Chettinad  style ( a region in South India, famous for its spicy dishes, with their classic signature in each one of them).

Have you ever wondered how difficult it is to think up the taste, the aroma, the flavor while cooking a dish, from memories past ?  Today I was determined ….come what may, it is going to be “Venu’s chicken soup “in my kitchen,  though I am continents away ! I craved it !!

Recreating the magic

Where did the inspiration come from ? Well, last evening, my kid came back from school with a stuffy nose and flu like symptoms.Nothing like chicken soup to chase the cold away, so off I went to get my pot brewing.

Easy and delicious, with ingredients you are likely to have in your kitchen, made in a jiffy, the best and healthy comfort soup you can ever wish for in this cold winter.

Make a whole pot of it & refrigerate it, I promise you, you won’t be sorry when you beat the cold winter and the crazy traffic on your way back home to have this yummy soup waiting for you, in your refrigerator. All you have to do is warm it up  before you have a bowlful of it !

Chicken Soup Recipe

The Ultimate Chicken Soup for the Soul

Recipe by Maya Shetty

Course: CHICKEN -CURRY PREPARATION, CHICKEN DISHES, FOOD, SOUPSCuisine: Indian

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Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Calories

151

kcal

Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• To grind into a fine powder after roasting them

• 1 tbsp 1 Coriander seeds

• 1 tbsp 1 Jeera/Cumin seeds

• 1 1 -2 Cardamom

• 1/2 tbsp 1/2 Fennel Seeds

• 3 3 -4 Dry red Chilies

• 2 tbsp 2 Pepper Corns

• Other Ingredients

• 8 pieces 8 Chicken Thigh

• 1 large 1 Onion finely sliced

• 2 2 Tomatoes

• 6 cloves 6 Garlic

• 2 tbsp 2 Coconut Oil

• 1 cup 1 Mixed Vegetables Carrots, Green Peas, Cauliflower florets,Potatoes

• 1 tsp 1 Turmeric Powder

• Salt to taste

• 4 cups 4 Water

• 3 3 Cloves

• 1 inch 1 Cinnamon

• 2 2 Cardamom

• Bay leaf

Directions

• In a seasoning pan, dry roast all the spices .Then blend them into a fine powder, once the spices cool down. Set aside.
• Clean & cut chicken into bite size pieces, the bone pieces with the meat on them, can be left as such, coz when you cook they add to the flavor .In a seasoning pan, dry roast all the spices .Then blend them into a fine powder, once the spices cool down. Set aside.
• Now in a thick bottomed pressure cooker, add the coconut oil , when it turns warm, add the cloves, cinnamon, bayleaf and cardamom. Next add the crushed or sliced garlic, wait till the raw smell disappears.To this add the finely sliced onion and saute them, till they turn transparent. Add the turmeric powder & mix well.
• Next add the cubed tomatoes and wait till they soften into a mushy mass. Then add the mixed vegetables and allow them to soften in the steam.
• Now add the chicken pieces and allow it to cook in it’s own steam , after adding the finely blended, dry roasted spice powder to it. Make sure both the chicken pieces and the vegetables are well coated with the spice powder.
• Add the water, cover with lid and wait for the pressure cooker whistle to blow. After 3-4 whistles the chicken will be well cooked & tender, the bone pieces would let the juices flow into the soup enriching it further.
• Remove from stove, garnish with cilantro and serve hot

Notes

•  Since flu makes one dehydrated and the need to eat any solid food  becomes even scanty when one is sick, this is a good way to keep oneself hydrated,  healthy  while maintaining energy levels. Research says ,that as long as one consumes the chicken soup in regular intervals while sick, the compound present in the chicken soup, carnosine helps prevent the congestion  and minimizes inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. Eating chicken soup when you have a cold also helps coz’ you’re breathing steam, which also loosens up  the congestion.Other key ingredients in a chicken soup include onions, garlic and additional vegetables that add flavor and a healthy dose of phytonutrients – vital for a well-functioning immune system. They can also help to reduce inflammation in the body, which in turn may help to ease the symptoms of a pesky cold.

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A list of soups for you to pick from

Ahead, you’ll find soups that utilize all the best flavors of Fall. You’re bound to encounter a few fall soups that speak to your taste buds. And not only can you get creative with what you put in each recipe, but you can also break out yourslow cooker or Instant Pot for some of these recipes, making for easy dinner options too.

Creamy Vegetarian Soups

• Chickpea and Spinach Soup
• Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Spinach Cream Soup
• Creamy Carrot Soup

Clear Vegetarian Soups/Rasam

• Rasam/Clear Vegetarian Soup
• Watermelon Rasam
• Tomato Rasam
• Radish leaves Rasam
• Cranberry Rasam
• Garlic Rasam
• Lemon Rasam

Soups with Meat

• Chicken Soup for the soul
• Hyderabadi Marag/Mutton Soup
• South Indian Mutton Soup
• Nilgiri Chicken Kurma/Nilgiri Chicken Soup

Enjoy the soup season, trying out the delicious and comforting soup recipes found here.Do leave a comment on how it turned out for you. There is more coming in this soup season, watch out for this space.

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The Bottom Line

Enjoy the soup season, trying out our delicious and comforting Chicken soup recipe. Would love to hear your feedback, in the comments section below.

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