Chicken Noodle Soup. This humble, simple soup infused with natural herbs and spices is universally loved by kids and adults alike. My little one loves the delicate Chinese flavours of spring onion, ginger and sesame but is also a big fan of he Thai version I make using lemongrass , lime leaves and galangal.
Earlier this week, I felt like trying out some Indian flavours for a change. To tell you the truth, this was a recipe I created on the fly... It is flavoured with aromatic Indian spices such as cloves, bay leaf and black pepper corns. I replaced the egg or rice noodles that I generally use with spiralized Zucchini, because I've been a wee bit obsessed with my new OXO Good Grips Spiralizer :D
The result? A delicious comforting and healthy Chicken Zoodle Soup that was gulped down in record time and I had to physically stop my five year old from licking her bowl clean :)#momwin
This recipe makes 4 servings.
Ingredients for Chicken Broth:
- 1 tsp Olive oil
- Aromatic spices { 3 Cloves + 2 Bay leaves +1 tsp Peppercorns}
- 2 whole Garlic cloves, lightly bruised (leave skins on)
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger, sliced into rounds
- 1/2 Onion, thickly sliced
- 2-3 cups Water
- 4 Chicken Thighs (skinned and cleaned)
- 1/2 tsp Sea salt
Ingredients for Soup:
- 1-2 tsp Olive oil
- 1/2 Broccoli, cut into medium sized florets
- 1 Carrot, cut into matchsticks
- 4 or 5 Button mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 Zucchini, spiralised into Zoodles
- Cooked Chicken meat (after making the broth)
- Lime wedges to serve (optional)
To make (Chicken Broth) :
1.) Warm up the oil in a sauce pan and very lightly sautee the aromatic spices (the heat helps extract maximum flavour from the spices). Add the garlic cloves, sliced ginger and onion and sautee on gentle heat till they're slightly soft.
2.) Pour the water and stir the broth gently for a minute. Add the chicken thighs and make sure they are fully covered by the broth (add a bit of extra water if they are poking out of the cooking liquid / broth. Cover the saucepan and cook on gentle heat until the chicken is done.
3.) Using a pair of kitchen tongs, remove the cooked chicken thighs from the broth and place them onto a clean plate and allow it to cool down to room temperature. Shred into bite sized pieces using a fork or your fingers. Set aside.
4.) Using a fine mesh seive, pour the freshly made broth into a clean bowl or container. This step is very important as it also helps you get rid of the chicken fat and foam).
To make (The Soup) :
1.) Heat the olive oil in a thick bottomed sauce pan. Add the broccoli and saute for a minute. Add the carrots and mushrooms saute till they're tender. Add the spiralised zucchini and stir for a few seconds to coat in the "strands" in the oil.
2.) Pour the prepared spice-infused chicken broth and simmer everything for 8-10 minutes to allow the veggies to cook as soak in the flavours from the broth (yum!!)
3.) Add the shredded chicken a few minutes before you turn off the heat and stir gently.
Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with fresh thyme OR* coriander and a wedge of lime.
Bon appetit!
*Thyme and coriander are very different from each other but both pair beautifully with the ginger-clove flavours of the soup :)
