Hearty Chicken Soup

I am sick.

I woke up on Friday morning with a rather raw-feeling throat and it's been all downhill since then.

I worked for 10 hours yesterday and grabbed some Tim Horton's on my way. I got some chicken noodle soup as it always makes me feel at least a little bit better when I'm not feeling good.

Well.

The soup wench gave me all broth! Don't get me wrong, I LOVE chicken broth. I've drank straight up chicken broth on several occasions. But not when I'm paying three something for it. I did an inventory of my soup and this is how it read:

Chicken broth, 2 peas, 8 noodles, 5 small chunks of chicken.

Ridiculous.

Needless to say my craving for chicken soup was not satified. I decided that today, as a reward for finishing my HUGE care plan and a pathophysiology paper on schizophrenia today, I would create a delicious chicken soup for John and I.

It's hearty, it has just enough broth and it made me feel warm and cozy inside. And it's healthy!

Jamie's Feel-Better Hearty Chicken Soup

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Place 2 chicken breasts into pot and let boil until the chicken is cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from water and let cool.
2. Dice one onion and sautee in a large pot with 1 tbsp olive oil until slightly translucent. Cut 1/2 a red pepper, 1 zucchini, and a handful of green beans into small chunks. Chop about 1/2 cup of kale into small peices. Add to the onions and sautee for one minute.
3. Add in 6 cups of water or more if your pot is bigger. To the water add 3 tbsp of chicken broth mix and stir. Bring to a boil then turn the heat down to low and allow the soup to simmer with the lid on until the vegetables are soft. Season with black pepper.
4. Meanwhile, using a fork, pull the chicken into bite-sized peices. If you've never tried this technique before this is what you do: Hold the chicken at one end and drag the fork from top to bottom. Continue to do this until the chicken is shredded. Add the chicken to the soup while it is simmering.
5. Serve and enjoy!

I like the addition of the kale because it gives it that hearty feel. And kale is really good for you. And I have more kale then I know what to do with so this was a really good option! I wanted to add in edamame but forgot. And okra, but again forgot. Feel free to experiment with different vegetables and add noodles if you want a more filling soup.

In other news, my mom, aunt Wendy, and sister are coming here for dinner next Friday! I've been trying to brainstorm some delicious dinner ideas but haven't hit upon anything that jumps out at me yet. My sister is getting her wisdom teeth out on Tuesday so I want to make something that will be easy to chew. Chicken is very versatile so I may start looking in that direction.

I may try and do some spring cleaning....and then take a steamy bath and try to steam out this cold.