It’s a truth universally acknowledged and perhaps even scientifically proven, that chicken soup can help to heal a common cold. However, instead of opening a sad can of store-bought soup or even making your own (in that case, are you even that sick?), the chicken soup that really feeds my soul is the one that is made by my mother.
I am lucky enough to live a short train ride away from my parents’ so instead of being home alone while my boyfriend is away, I decided to take myself, with my runny nose, teary eyes, non-stop sneezing, and tissues busting forth from my coat pockets, home for a bit of unadulterated tlc and my mum’s chicken soup. Sure, I am 33 but as my wise 11-year old niece, Anoushka Aurora, very eloquently wrote, I also have all my other ages stuck inside me. So this weekend, my 10-year old self was the dominant one.
Now this soup (recipe below) is not extraordinary and doesn’t have any secret ingredient. It is incredibly simple but it does have two things that make it a magical elixir for me. Firstly, it is not a watery broth but instead, it has golden baubles of butter bouncing on the surface and a small splash of indulgent single cream that makes the soup both healing and luxurious. Secondly, my mum makes it.
Ingredients (for 2 servings)
- 1 chicken breast or 4 mini fillets – dice small
- 1 shallot – finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove – finely chopped
- 2tsp butter
- 1tsp plain flour
- 4 mugs boiling water
- 1 Knorr chicken stock pot
- Half mug of milk or quarter mug of single cream
Method
- In a thick bottomed saucepan, over a low heat, sauté the 1tsp of butter, the chopped shallots and garlic until transparent
- Add the diced chicken and stir a few times before adding the plain flour
- Add the mugs of boiling water, stirring constantly so that the flour doesn’t go lumpy. Then add the Knorr stock pot and simmer for 2-3 mins
- Taste and if needed, add another half a stock pot
- Bring to the boil and then simmer on low heat until the soup thickens slightly
- Before taking off the stove, stir in the milk or single cream
- Serve with black pepper
On this occasion, my taste buds could barely register much, so I couldn’t taste the flavour of the soup. But from the combination being back home for 24 hours, eating multiple helpings of the chicken soup, and watching back-to-back episodes of House of Cards, season two, I emerged kleenex free.
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