[Guest Post] – Kitchen Sink Chicken Soup

I have a little surprise for you all today, a Guestpost by our dear Aimée from Food: Je t’Aimée. Aimée has been a great help and friend over the past months and an inspiration to me. She traveled the world before coming back beginning of 2011 to her hometown Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Every recipe of Aimées is prepared and cooked with Passion and love. I always marvel at her vision for Food Photography and her Ideas and the energy she adds into her meals. Truely an Artist in all ways and a future talent to look out for!

Thank you Aimee for sharing with us your comforting, healthy, delicious Chicken soup recipe today! =)

Hi everyone! I am absolutely thrilled and honoured to be guest-posting on Masala Herb today. My name is Aimee and I author the food blog Food: Je t’Aimee.

I spent several years traveling, working, and eating abroad, so I know how Helene feels about not owning an oven! I came home to Canada earlier this year, and I now own an oven for the first time since 2006. I’ve spent the past several months reacquainting myself with a North American kitchen, which has been lovely and an awesome learning curve. What I know best, however, is anything that can be made in a pot and with two stove-top elements, at most.

With that in mind, and with Helene’s request to guest post coming at a time when I was getting a terrible chest cold, I thought I’d share one of my favourite, stove-top comfort foods with you: chicken soup! Sounds simple, right? But what is it about chicken soup that warms and soothes the hearts, minds, and bodies of so many? Even if it didn’t cure my cold, it certainly made me feel comforted and happy, and sometimes that’s medicinal in its own right.

With autumn being my favourite season – otherwise known as ‘soup season’ in my household – I needed no excuse to make this big pot of soup, but I was feeling extra self-indulgent the night I prepared it because of having that cold. It would be difficult to give my chicken soup a specific name because its contents vary every time I make it, depending on whatever vegetables I have in my fridge (and almost anything qualifies!). Even the measurements are tailored toward not having a great deal of energy, as you’ll see. Some things always remain the same in my soup, however, like the herbs and spices. But isn’t it fun to take such creative liberties in the kitchen? I find soup especially conducive to this kind of experimentation.

This time, I took great care to record and measure everything I did, in order to share with you my latest, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink creation.  You can substitute in any of your favourite veggies, but I highly recommend the spices.

Fill a large stock pot with the water and bring to a rolling boil. Add chicken breasts and boil for about 20 minutes. Remove them from water and allow to cool in a dish. In the meantime, add potato, carrot, onion, leek, ginger, garlic, bay leaves, and spices then decrease heat to medium.

When chicken is cool enough to handle (about 10 minutes), pull the meat from the bones in chunks and shred. Add the chicken to the vegetables and broth, along with the mushrooms, pasta, and spinach. Allow to cook over medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat, add the milk or cream, and let the soup rest approximately 10 minutes before serving.

Best served with hearty bread – and a side of Vitamin C!