I’ve been struggling with a winter cold for weeks now and while I’m normally an ‘it will pass’ kind of sick person, I’m about at the end of my tether with this particular cold, so it’s definitely time to dig out the big guns – in this case a chicken broth stellette soup.
The chicken in this recipe is already cooked, left over from Sunday lunch and it’s worth mentioning that the ratios of the spring onions, mushrooms, chicken and pasta can vary. It won’t hugely affect the end result, and it’s better than leaving a random mushroom alone in the punnet in the fridge!
Mushrooms are great for colds and flues apparently, containing cytokines that play an important role in defending the body against viral infections and tumours and help boost the immune system. And I’ve read conflicting advice about the consumption of mushrooms, but it seems that in order to get the most nutrition from them, they must be cooked otherwise they’re undigestable.
According to Chinese medicine, spring onion is good for expelling a winter cold, especially if consumed within the first two days of the cold.
Parsley has high levels of Vitamin C, Vitamin B12, and betacarotene that boosts the immune system of the body and protects it from colds, cough, and other infections.
Chicken is rich in a compound called carnosine, and it’s this that studies suggest helps reduce that stuffy, congested feeling in your nose and throat.
I also like using Stellette or Stelline pasta as they are small and don’t require much chewing and small enough to swallow (great when you have a sore throat) and then they are kind of pretty too!
I might try adding ginger and garlic next time too, not only because of the health benefits but because they might add a little extra flavour kick at a time when you can’t taste much!
- 500ml chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 spring onions, chopped
- 1-2 cups white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 shredded chicken breast
- 1/2 cup stellette soup pasta
- 125ml dry white wine
- 3-5 stalks fresh parsley
- salt and pepper to taste
- Place the chicken stock and bay leaf in the Thermomix and heat Varoma/Speed 2/ 2 minutes/Reverse Speed
- Add the spring onions, the mushrooms and pasta to the pot and cook Varoma/Speed 2/5 minutes/Reverse Speed
- Add dry white wine & parsley and cook for a further 2 minutes/Varoma/Speed 2/Reverse
- Remove the bay leaf, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
- Place the chicken broth and bay leaf in a pot and bring to the boil
- Add the spring onions, the mushrooms and pasta to the pot and boil for 8 minutes
- Add dry white wine & parsley and boil for another 3 minutes
- Remove the bay leaf, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
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