Immune Boosting Chicken Soup

·         6 cups organic chicken broth

·         2 cups water

·         1 organic chicken breast

·         2 – 3 organic chicken thighs

·         1 large onion chopped

·         5 cloves of garlic chopped fine and left to sit for 10 minutes

·         1 inch of minced ginger

·         1 tsp turmeric powder

·         ½ tsp black pepper

·         1/4 cup lemon juice

·         2 heads of baby bok choy chopped

·         or a small napa cabbage chopped

·         4 cups of organic baby spinach or chopped bunch of kale

·         2 teaspoons coconut oil or 1 tablespoon olive oil

·         ¼ cup of chopped flat leaf parsley

·         Salt to taste

Finely chop the garlic and let it sit for 10 min.

After 10 min heat 2 teaspoons of coconut oil or a tablespoon of olive oil in a stock pot and let it get hot (not smoking). Add turmeric powder and black pepper.  Let it sizzle for 10 – 20 sec and then add onions, garlic and ginger.  Add a splash of chicken broth and sweat the onions till they are softened.  Then add the remainder of the chicken broth and the chicken pieces.  Add salt to taste.  Let the soup simmer on medium low heat till the chicken is tender (about 30 min).  Put the chicken on a cutting board and shred it chicken with two forks, pulling apart the fibers into bite size pieces.  Put the chicken back in the pot and then add the bok choy or napa cabbage.  Once it is tender, add the lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of cayenne pepper and simmer till flavors are incorporated.  Add prewashed organic baby spinach or and turn the heat off.  Cover the pot to keep the soup hot.  Add parsley before serving. Serve with organic toasted bread with olive oil.

I have added cubed potatoes and carrot to this soup as well.  If you choose to do this, add them after the broth is added so they can soften by the time the soup is ready.

For a VEGETARIAN VERSION, use vegetable broth and add cubed and broiled tofu instead of chicken.

Serves 8

fun MEDICINE facts:

1. Garlic needs to sit for ten minutes after being crushed or chopped for the enzyme alliinase to be activated and stimulate its anti-cancer and bactericidal properties.  If garlic is not allowed to sit for 10 minutes and is fried soon after it is chopped, its health benefits are lost.
2. The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger are well known.  It relaxes the walls of the intestines relieving intestinal spasms, has anti-colon and ovarian cancer properties and boosts the immune system.
3. Frying black pepper with turmeric with black pepper in oil increases its absorption by 2000 fold. Turmeric has powerful anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties and also regulates blood sugar levels..
4. Bok choy as a super food is high in fiber, Vitamin C and folic acid.
5. Parsley is high in Vitamins K, C, A and contains a small percentage of iron and folate.  It also cleanses the liver.
6. Kale is one of the most nutrient dense greens available.  Some are worried about the high concentration of oxalic acid (forms kidney stones) in kale.  When heated or cooked, the oxalic acid concentration diminishes decreasing its likelihood for kidney stone formation.

I made up this recipe for chicken soup when I came down with a bad sinus infection this year.  I did not want to take antibiotics so I proceeded to my chemistry lab (my kitchen) to concoct a soup that would give my immune system a boost and clear my sinuses.  After three bowls of this and a good night’s sleep, I awoke with a significant reduction in my symptoms and a return of my vitality and resilience.

So far, many of my patients used this recipe when they had colds and it miraculously healed them!

Enjoy this soup when you are sick or just to comfort you after a hard day’s work.  It will nourish your body and soul.

Food is Medicine!