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From Tina Jenkins, FGHG Naturopath
One of the things I love about winter is the delicious warming soups! This following recipe is one I make regularly throughout the colder months and freeze in small batches so that I always have it at the ready whenever needed. I love warming it up during the day and having a hot mug of chicken broth instead of a herbal tea. It is not only full of lots of nutrients and healing properties (did you know that there is even research on chicken soup helping to speed up healing and recovery from the common cold?) it tastes delicious too. It is certainly a great one to have on hand if someone is coming down with a cold or winter bug or if recovering from an upset stomach. When I was studying naturopathy, one of my lecturers used to refer to it as “liquid gold for the gut” and it is certainly a lovely, gentle nourishing soup for the digestive system and importantly non-irritating for those with sensitive tummies.
What you will require (apart from the ingredients below) is a good 4 or 5 hours at home. The longer the stock simmers away for on the stove the more flavour and the better the taste. I will often cook this up on a cold wintery Sunday and there is nothing nicer than the lovely smell of the broth cooking filling the house. Whilst I have outlined below what I throw into the stock mix, you can certainly throw in any leftover vegies you have in the fridge that you need to use up.
I also suggest making up a BIG batch (especially considering it takes so long to cook!) and then freezing in smaller batches as mentioned previously.
What you need
A massive stock pot
2 free range organic chickens
3-4 bay leaves
4-5 black peppercorns
2 onions (quartered)
4-5 carrots, roughly chopped
4-5 celery stalks, roughly chopped
4-5 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley (I don’t bother chopping this; I just throw it in)
Directions
Pop all the ingredients into your big stock pot and cover with water. Make sure the chickens are completely covered with water. Bring to a simmer. Cook at a simmer for 4-5 hours. Skim any muck off the surface during cooking. You can cook it for longer if you are home; 6 hours of cooking can give the broth a stronger flavour. Strain and enjoy!
Tina Jenkins, FGHG Naturopath
Tina is a highly qualified naturopath bringing more than 20 years of experience to FGHG. After finishing her final year of studies at the Southern School of Natural Therapies, Tina worked as a naturopath in Singapore for 12 years. During her time there, she practiced in multidisciplinary clinics alongside gynaecologists/obstetricians and spent 4 years working as a naturopath in an international IVF clinic alongside a leading IVF specialist. Tina returned to Australia at the end of 2008 where she resumed practice and completed her Masters in Reproductive Medicine through the University of New South Wales.