Recipes at the top, sweet blog post below.
Kira's Feel Better Soup
- 7 cups Water
- 64 oz 75% Less Sodium Organic Chicken Broth
- 1 container Kame Udon Noodles
- ~10 Chicken Drumsticks
- 4 Large Carrots, diced (bite size)
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 3 medium green onions, diced (white & green separated)
- 1 pkg (4oz) shiitake mushrooms
- 5 tbsp minced garlic
- 4 tbsp minced ginger
- ½ head cabbage
- ~1 tsp Gochujang (korean chili sauce, optional)
- ½ tsp turmeric
- Pinch of ground star anise
- Garlic Powder, Pink Himalayan Salt, Black Pepper, Regular Olive Oil (to coat chicken)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub chicken legs with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, brown each side of the legs. Transfer skillet to oven and bake for ~25 minutes.
Set a stockpot over medium high heat. Once pot is warmed, coat the bottom with a thin layer of regular olive oil. Saute carrots, onion, cabbage, and green onion (white part only). When onion is translucent, add garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and gochujang (if using). Once fragrant, add broth and water. Turn heat up to bring to a boil, then turn back down to keep at a simmer.
Add Udon and chicken legs and stir. Add star anise, turmeric, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to simmer until cabbage is no longer stiff and is semi-translucent. Add green onion (green part), stir and serve.
Got a cold? Got the flu? You’re in luck. This soup will help you feel better and get back on your feet in no time. So Steve immediately got sick after seeing the family during Thanksgiving. Full on fever, runny nose, nausea and over all aches and pains. Not a fun way to recoup after a holiday. I went to work and made this soup, which by the way – this makes a TON of soup.
This is with only two normal size bowls taken out of it, so you may need to adjust your recipe depending on how much you want to make. I will sometimes freeze it if I know we won’t finish it before it goes bad.
Legit, everything in this soup is good for you. Let’s break it down:
- Ginger is both an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory, and also treats nausea, and muscle aches and soreness.
- Turmeric is also an anti-inflammatory and increases your antioxidant capacity.
- Garlic boosts your immune system and helps detox your body.
- Shiitake mushrooms help boost your immune system as well and also help with stomach aches.
- Green onions and onions have antibacterial and antiviral properties and also aid in digestion.
- Carrots are rich in beta carotene, which our body converts into Vitamin A, which is important for your immune function.
- Chicken broth reduces inflammation in the respiratory system and aids in digestion. It also promotes better sleep because of the magnesium it contains, which is required for over 300 enzymatic processes in the body, including synthesizing proteins, transmitting nerve signals and relaxing the muscles.
- Udon Noodles are an easily digestible complex carbohydrate and is rich is Thiamine. Thiamine has been proven to help make your immune system stronger and improve bodily stress resistance. These noodles also have niacin, which can help reduce inflammation and improve circulation.
- Cabbage is packed full of vitamin C, which can help reduce your cold duration and severity. Cabbage can also aid in digestion and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Bonus, eating cabbage can help lower your LDL “bad” cholesterol.
- Star Anise is rich in antioxidants, vitamin A and vitamin C. The oil produced from star anise contains thymol, terpineol and anethole, which is used for treating cough and flu. Star anise also aids in digestion, alleviate cramps, and reduce nausea.
- Chicken legs can help boost immune cells in your body and helps reduce stress. Not to mention it’s an excellent source of protein.
- Gochujang contains antioxidants and anti-inflammatories.
- Himalayan Pink Salt increases hydration, prevents muscle cramping, helps you absorb nutrients, improve circulation and create an electrolyte balance.
- Black pepper is high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatories and helps absorb nutrients, promotes gut health and acts as a natural pain reliever.
- Olive oil has antioxidant, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory properties. Not to mention, it is a really healthy fat and helps reduce heart disease and LDL cholesterol.
I listed primarily the pertinent health benefits of these ingredients, but there are so many more that I highly recommend incorporating this into your diet on a regular basis. It took a lot of experimentation to get this soup where I wanted it, but it really does help us feel better whenever we get sick.
Tis the season, so maybe do yourself a favor and make this gigantic batch of soup and freeze out a few portions for those moments when you need it most and don’t feel like moving off your tissue covered couch.
