With the weather changing over from Summer to Autumn, the entire office started with sniffles. One day I woke up and the flu had caught its grip on me. All I could think of as I lay in my bed while the frosty morning only got colder was, “I need chicken soup.”

Chicken soup is one of the most comforting dishes I have ever known. When I was younger, my mom would cook up a huge pot of this magical soup when we got sick and bring it to us while we were all cosied up on the couch with blankets and a good Disney movie.

Of course now, when I get sick and my fiance is at work, I’m the only one who can make it. Not as comforting having to muster up the strength to cook while you feel like the flu is trying to engulf you… but it is certainly worth it! And the best part is that this soup is so easy to put together that you don’t need to gather much strength to make it. What could be better?

This recipe has been passed down our family for generations, from my mom’s Vovo down to my gran, my mom and then to me. It is really that good that we haven’t found a single recipe of chicken soup that tops this one.

You may get a surprise when you see that cinnamon is an ingredient for this dish but I promise you, it is the secret ingredient that makes it so warming and soothing. I tried making it without the cinnamon once and the soup didn’t have the magical glow to it. Plus cinnamon has so many health benefits, just give it a try!

Sometimes, it’s nice to just have a clear broth with some noodles and to give the chicken pieces a skip. I don’t know how attached you are to having chicken pieces in the chicken soup but my mom found a great way to extend the meal into 2 dishes by taking the chicken pieces out after they’ve been boiling for about an hour and grilling them in an oven with chicken spice and potatoes. Let’s just say we were rather stuffed afterwards.

So please, get better if you’re here to find the healing power of the chicken soup and I hope you thoroughly enjoy it as much as I do. If you’re not sick… well make some anyways 😉

Old Fashioned Chicken Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 level tablespoon of mixed dried Italian herbs (oregano, parsley and basil)
• 1/3 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 chicken bouillons
• 5 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2x chicken thighs and 2x chicken drumsticks
• 2 litres of water
• 1 cup tiny pasta

Method:

1. Chop up the onion and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a medium sized pot and throw the onion and garlic in.
2. Let the onions fry until slightly golden then add in the cinnamon stick, cloves, mixed Italian herbs, pepper and salt. Stir until combined and allow to release their flavours.
3. Add the water to the pot then place the chicken pieces into the water. Turn the stove to high heat and let the water come to a boil then turn it down to low heat.
4. Let the soup simmer for 3 hours. This is the optimum cooking time, however, I know you working mama’s out there don’t always have that time so you can turn the heat up to medium and allow to cook for at least an hour.
5. Once the soup is done cooking, grab a separate pot and add 1,5 cups of water. Salt the water with 1 tablespoon of salt and add in 1 cup of tiny pasta.
6. Cook the pasta for about 10 minutes (or according to the packet instructions) then add both the water and the pasta to the soup.
7. Fish the chicken pieces, cloves and cinnamon stick out of the soup and use a fork to shred the meat from the bones. Add the meat back into the soup and stir to combine.
8. Ready to serve! Grab a fresh buttery roll to accompany your healing soup and enjoy.