Immune Boosting Chicken Soup

Step 1
Start by preparing the soup seasoning ingredients. Crush the whole garlic cloves by placing them on a chopping board and firmly pressing down with the flat side of a knife – no need to peel first. Wash and slice the turmeric and ginger, there is no need to peel. Roughly chop the spring onions into thirds, leaving the roots and tops on. Wash the coriander well and chop off the roots and stems, reserving the leaves for serving.

Step 2
In a large stock pot, big enough to fit the whole chicken, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic cloves, turmeric slices, ginger slices, chopped shallots, coriander stems and roots, peppercorns and star anise. Sauté for 3-5 minutes, until smelling delicious and the green part of the shallot is wilted.

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Step 3
Place the whole chicken in the pot, cover with 2 litres of cold water and add the apple cider vinegar. It’s ok if the top of the chicken isn’t covered by the liquid. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low, so the liquid is just bubbling. Don’t let it come to a boil or the chicken will become tough. Place the lid on and cook gently for 90 minutes, skimming the surface of the stock every so often to remove any scum.

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Step 4
Turn off the heat and using tongs, very carefully remove the chicken from the pot. Place in a large bowl and let it cool down. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken meat, discarding the bones and skin.

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Step 5
Strain the stock and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Now you have a bowl of shredded chicken and approximately 2L of flavoursome chicken stock.

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Step 6
In a separate pot, cook the noodles to packet instructions and drain. Pour the stock back into the stock pot and bring to the boil. Turn heat to low, then add the cooked noodles, shredded chicken and baby spinach. Squeeze in the juice of a lemon and add the soy sauce. Taste and add more salt, soy or lemon juice if needed.

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Step 7
Serve soup into bowls and top with chopped coriander leaves, a teaspoon of chilli oil or some fresh grated ginger on top and slurp away the winter blues.

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