In The Kitchen With Kanta : Homemade Chicken Soup

Cold/Flu season has officially come and gone, or at least it did for everyone else but me…great!  It’s just my luck to have the flu when it is summer, the sun is shining and the birds are singing, there is so much activity going on – but not for me.  I’m cooped up inside, wrapped up in a blanket, with Vicks rubbed across my whole body; drinking hot tea, whilst everyone else is enjoying a cool beverage and an ice cream.  This isn’t what I imagined when I thought of summer.

It’s been a week now and I have no intention of continuing on with this flu, it’s about time we parted ways.  I have tried nearly everything and my last resort is Chicken Soup.  Maybe those ‘old wives tales’ were actually true, maybe Chicken soup is the perfect remedy to cure a cold.  Well, Organosulfides, vitamin C and vitamin A stimulate the production of immune cells, help with antibody production and generally boost immunity; they are found in garlic and onions, which are some of the ingredients used in chicken soup (and other soups).   Chicken soup contains a wide variety of nutrients and vitamins, and all these nutrients are in liquid form, which means that they are quickly and easily absorbed; and last but certainly not least chicken soup tastes darn good!!

Ingredients

• 55g butter
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, finely diced
• 25g plain flour
• 1.2 litres (2 pints) chicken stock
• 450g cooked chicken, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Method

Over a medium heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently fry the garlic, onions, celery and carrots until they start to soften.

Stir in the flour and cook for 2 minutes, until you make a slightly thick paste.  Add the chicken stock and bring the mixture to the boil, stirring continuously. Season with salt and pepper, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Add the cooked chicken and cook until it’s completely heated through.  Add more salt and pepper if need be, and stir in the parsley.

Serving

Serve the chicken soup piping hot, in a bowl, and sit back and relax.  Enjoy!

Kanta Temba is a cake maker and decorator. She is also the owner and founder of Kanta Kakes – cake shop.

You can find her work on www.kantakakes.com.  Follow her on twitter @KantaKakes and Instagram @KantaTemba.