Immune-Boosting Chicken Soup

By Bailey1_

Ingredients

• Broth:
• 1 whole organic chicken (4 to 5 pounds)
• 16 cups water
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 4 to 5 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1 whole head garlic, cut in half cross-wise
• 2 to 3 inches fresh ginger, cut into thin slices
• 2 tablespoons dried astragalus
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1 stalk lemongrass, chopped (optional)
• Soup:
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 carrots, sliced
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 to 3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
• 4 to 5 cups sliced napa cabbage
• 1 cup chopped cilantro

Details

Servings 1
Adapted from nourishingmeals.com

Preparation

Step 1

I've also added plenty of fresh ginger, garlic, shiitake mushrooms, and some red chili flakes. Did you know that both the astragalus and shiitake mushrooms stimulate natural killer
cells, whose job is to directly attack viruses and harmful bacteria? The ginger and chili flakes give the soup some heat to stimulate the sinuses to
drain. Ginger is also a broad-spectrum antimicrobial and is an amazing anti-inflammatory herb.

This is one of my favorite soups to make during cold and flu
season. Feel free to add any vegetables you prefer. Diced yams or winter squash
are an excellent addition, so are finely chopped hot peppers. You can also replace the napa cabbage with either green or savoy cabbage.

To start making the soup, add all ingredients for the broth into an 8-quart stockpot, cover, and simmer for about 1 ½ to 2 hours on low heat.

Place a large colander over another 8-quart pot or large
stainless steel bowl. Pour the broth through it to strain out the chicken and
vegetables. Place the pot of broth back on the stove. Place the chicken onto a
plate to cool. Bring the broth to a boil, add the all of the ingredients for
the soup except the napa cabbage and cilantro. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20
minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, pull all of the meat from
the chicken and cut into smaller pieces. Add the chicken to the soup. Once the
vegetables are tender, turn off the heat and add the chopped cabbage and
cilantro. Taste and adjust salt and seasonings if desired.