The Archives of My Mind

Gray skies and cold breezes are upon us! It’s time to pull out the fuzzy socks and hot soup recipes.Chicken soup is my favorite, it’s easy and can help combat cold and flu symptoms.

Studies show that the steam from chicken soup eases scratchy throats and treats respiratory problems with the amino acid released from chicken during cooking.

Here’s a quick and easy chicken soup recipe that you can throw together in about 40 minutes:

10 cups water
4 red potatoes
3 regular tomatoes
1 cup chopped carrots
½ cup diced onions
4 celery stalks
2 chicken breasts with skin and on the bone
2 teaspoons tomato paste
1 lemon
½ cup brown rice
1 Mexican zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon pepper
½ cup Pato Sauce (optional)Prep time and cook time can be consolidated by boiling water while chopping veggies. Add about 10 cups of water to a stock pot and turn heat to high.

While water heats, chop tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, onion, potatoes, celery all into bite size pieces.

Once the water begins to boil, add 2 teaspoons of tomato paste into the boiling water. Mix it around to make sure it dissolves.

Next, scrub the two chicken breasts under cold water and throw them into the boiling water whole, no skinning, slicing or chopping. You’ll shred them apart after they’ve cooked thoroughly and the meat is ready to fall off the bone.

Add the garlic salt and pepper.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and throw the veggies and brown rice in. Let it all simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. With forks, break the chicken away from the bone. Remove the bone and skin from the pot and let soup cool.

Serve and season with lemon to taste.

Recipe serves 6.