(Note: This is enough to make quite a bit and freeze, it’s involved and not the kind of thing you want to try to whip up when you’re already sick!) You can also half the recipe.
Ingredients:
-4 lbs organic chicken breast cut into half inch cubes
-12C chicken stock (preferably homemade)*
-1 box dried pasta 4Tbs olive oil
-1/2C minced garlic
-1/3C fresh minced ginger
-1C mixed fresh herbs of: thyme, rosemary, parsley, and marjoram
-Shiitake mushrooms thinly sliced (1C dried or 2C fresh)
-1/2C dried wakame seaweed
-4 medium sized potatoes large dice
-2 sweet potatoes medium dice
-4 carrots 1inch rounds
-4 parsnips 1inch rounds
-1/2 celery root or 2C turnips small dice
-4-6Tbs salt
-1/4C lemon juice
-1Tbs ground black pepper
-2tsp paprika
-1/8 th tsp cayenne pepper
Herb Bags:** Place the herbs in either cheesecloth or jelly bags, these can also be added to the stock ingredients if you’re making that from scratch. 1 Oz dried astragulus 1 Oz dried eleuthero 1/2 Oz dried burdock root
Sauté the garlic and ginger in the olive oil until fragrant on medium heat, about 2 minutes, add the spices and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Add the herb bags if not already cooked into the stock.
Add celery root/turnips, carrots, and parsnips reduce heat and simmer until they start to become tender. Add the fresh herbs. Add the potato and sweet potato, add the cubed chicken and bring to a boil for 10 minutes.
Cook pasta (gluten free works just as well as glutenous) separately according to package instructions. Test the tenderness of the vegetables, adjust spices and lemon juice to taste. Remove soup from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes, stir in the pasta and serve.
**If you made the homemade broth with herbs then no need to add more of the medicinal herbs and some of the fresh garlic or ginger, unless you love garlic and ginger like me!
Some notes on astragalus, burdock, and eleuthero:
Eleuthero: There are concerns around hypertension, so if you have high blood pressure please check with your medical provider.
Burdock Root: If you’re allergic to chrysanthemums or daisies you might also be allergic to burdock since they’re in the same family. If you’re pregnant or nursing please consult your medical professional.
Astragalus: Not to be taken medicinally during pregnancy or lactation, and can interfere with immunosuppressant drugs or cause complications for those with autoimmune disorders.