Chicken drumstick soup

It feels a little strange to be sharing a recipe for soup on a 31 degree (Celsius) day here in Brisbane, however I have been slowed down for most of this week with a cold and along with focusing on other nourishing foods and drinks, upping some supplements + soaking up as much rest as possible with a 20 month old toddler dashing about, have been enjoying a lot of this tummy loving, immune supporting, ‘hug in a bowl’ goodness and thought I’d share this week’s version of a basic recipe…

Like many recipes you will get from me, it is a bit of a mix and match one in terms of the veggies, herbs & noodles you use – this is the version I created this week with what I had available in the fridge/cupboard but there’s been many a different take on this over the years and I suggest you do the same – use what you have/love/feel like and play around with it!

I also made this on the stove in a saucepan this week as the lid of my slow cooker recently broke (SOB!), and so the recipe below speaks to that, however it is easily converted to a slow cooker recipe – just use more liquid as needed and follow the usual guidelines for your appliance.

Made with beautiful immune and digestion supporting foods like garlic, bone broth, turmeric and ginger along with veggies like kale, leek and carrot plus organic chicken drumsticks, it is easy to make, easy to eat and best of all, easy to digest – perfect for those times times when our body needs some easy nourishment and a bit of rest – makes around 6 serves.

Ingredients:

• 5 or 6 organic chicken drumsticks
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 leek, chopped (root and leaves/green top removed)
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped (or more if you prefer!)
• 4 stems of kale, leaves ripped off and chopped
• 1/4 cup dried herbs (I used oregano and rosemary)
• 1 TBSP bone broth concentrate (I used a turmeric and ginger version)
• 1 packet of brown rice noodles (I used the thicker, pad thai type)
• Filtered water (I used around 3 – 3.5 litres)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Olive oil, butter or ghee for browning the drumsticks

Method (stove top):

• Using a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the olive oil/butter or ghee over medium heat and add the drumsticks – cook them, turning regularly for around 5 minutes or until they start to brown
• Add the leek and garlic and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften
• Add the rest of the vegetables and the water
• Stir in the bone broth and herbs
• Cover with a lid until it starts to boil then remove the lid and turn down the heat to low and simmer until the chicken is cooked and tender and beginning to fall off the bones (usually around 1 – 1.5 hours)
• While the soup is cooking, prepare your noodles/pasta as per packet instructions
• Remove the drumsticks and when cooled enough to work with, remove the meat and return it to the pot
• Add salt and pepper to season and taste – add more herbs, pepper or bone broth concentrate as required
• Divide the noodles/pasta among some bowls and pour the soup on top
• Stir and serve – enjoy!

Notes

**Use any veggies you like – some other examples are; celery, parsnip, corn, onion, spinach and green beans

** Use any herbs you like – some other examples are; bay leaves &/or fresh or dried thyme or parsley

** Use any noodles/pasta you like – some other examples are; thinner rice noodles, kelp noodles, pulse/legume pastas or spaghetti, wholegrain pastas or spaghetti

** Consider swapping noodles/pasta for quinoa or barley or add some potato to your soup instead of grains

** Feel free to use chicken broth or stock in place of water and omit the bone broth concentrate – the concentrate was all I had on hand this week!

** You don’t have to brown the chicken first if you don’t want to – I feel it makes a difference to the taste, but it’s still delicious without that step