Gojiberry Chicken Soup - a natural immunity booster

Chicken soup for the soul, chicken soup for the soul - now I am beginning to understand how and why this term came about. Chicken soup really comforts me and my family. It warms us inside out and with carefully selected ingredients, chicken soup is also known to boost our body's immunity. Now I cook chicken soup (different kinds) every once a week as a source of nourishment and drinking this soup has somehow helped hubby and myself fight fatigue. Nothing beats drinking this bowl of soup after a long day of work and when we lose our appetite. The chicken soup is also easy to make and does not take me huge efforts to cook. As a result, this chicken soup has become a weekly regime for me and hubby.



When The Spiced Life announced Family Recipes, I was eager to share this recipe with everyone out there. The recipe was not originally created by me. Instead, I adapted this recipe from BBC - Grow Your Own Drugs documentary. Now this soup recipe is already a keeper. Especially when the H1N1 flu is still pervasive in the world, having a natural immunity booster is a PLUS for everybody. Garlic, ginger, onions, mushrooms, gogi berries, chili - they all contain essential minerals and antioxidants that makes this a healthy chicken soup.



Goji Berry and Chicken Soup for Colds and Flu (adapted from BBC - Grow Your Own Drugs)
Serves 2 to 3

Ingredients:
2 chicken thighs and drumsticks (preferably organic)
Water to immerse the chicken pieces
1 large onion, peeled and sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed whole
2inch ginger, peeled and shredded
8 shiitake mushrooms, caps only
5 tbsp dried goji berries, soaked in water to rehydrate
1 fresh medium-sized chillies, seeded and finely sliced

Directions:
1. Place the water and chicken pieces in a large pan. Add the onions, garlic, mushrooms, ginger and place with the chicken in the pan. Bring to boil and when boiling, turn down to low heat to simmer gently for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the chicken is tender and falls apart. Remove from heat
2. Five minutes before serving, add the goji berries
3. Garnish with sliced ginger and chili



We often make soups using Chinese herbs and do not usually cook chicken soup this way. But this way is really not a bad way. And I've actually grown to love it too!

Tag: soup, chicken soup