Easy chicken soup recipes to help kick that cold

If you’re fighting a winter cold or the flu, there’s nothing like a hot bowl of chicken soup to jump-start the healing process. It’s comforting, tastes great and is easy on the stomach.

Here are three different recipes for chicken soup that will warm you up in no time. There’s a recipe for wheat harvester’s soup with shredded chicken and chicken livers, a recipe for chicken soup with matzo balls and a recipe for chicken soup with dill and cumin.

HARVESTER’S CHICKEN SOUP

Total time: 3 to 3 1/2 hours | Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 1 (4 1/2 -pound) chicken, rinsed and cut in half, excess fat removed
• 1 large carrot, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 2 stalks of celery, cut into 3-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, peeled, quartered
• 8 peppercorns
• 3 sprigs of parsley
• 2 sprigs of thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/3 pound fresh chicken livers, trimmed and cut in 1/2 -inch dice
• 1 sprig sweet basil
• 1 plum tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped fine
• 1/3 pound fresh tagliatelle or fettuccine pasta or egg noodles broken into 2-inch pieces
• Parsley leaves

Directions:

Make chicken stock. Place the chicken, carrot, celery, onion, peppercorns, parsley, thyme and bay leaf into a large pot. Add 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a low simmer (the water should be barely bubbling). Simmer uncovered for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, occasionally skimming off the fat and impurities that rise to the surface.

Carefully remove the chicken to a bowl. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer. Discard the solids.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and the bones and discard. Shred the dark meat and set aside. Reserve the white meat for another use.

In a small skillet, heat the olive oil and quickly saute the chicken livers until pink inside, about 2 to 3 minutes.

Place the strained stock in a large saucepan. Bring it to a boil and turn down to a simmer. Add the basil sprig, chopped tomato and fresh tagliatelle. Cook until the pasta is done, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the livers and shredded chicken.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve in warmed, shallow soup bowls. Garnish with parsley leaves.

Each serving: 363 calories; 31 grams protein; 26 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 14 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 166 mg. cholesterol; 549 mg. sodium.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH MATZO BALLS

Total time: 3 1/2 hours | Serves 6 to 8

Soup ingredients:

• 2 pounds chicken pieces, preferably legs and thighs
• 2 carrots (1/2 carrot cut in 2 chunks, the rest quartered lengthwise and sliced about 1/4-inch thick), divided
• 1/2 pound asparagus (about 8 spears), bases reserved and spears cut into thirds, divided
• 1 large onion, cut into 8 pieces
• 2 celery ribs with leafy tops, cut into thirds
• 4 dill stems (leaves reserved)
• 4 cilantro stems (leafy tops reserved)
• 11 cups water
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 white squash (Mexican squash) or 1 to 2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced about 3/8-inch thick (1 2/3 cups)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped dill leaves and fine stems
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves and fine stems
• Herb-flecked kneidelach (See related recipe)
• Zehug, a chile-garlic relish (See related recipe)

Directions:

In a medium, heavy-bottomed pot, combine the chicken, carrot chunks, the asparagus bases, the onion, celery, dill stems, cilantro stems and water.

Bring to a boil, skimming the foam a few times. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Skim thoroughly.

Add the cumin, turmeric, a pinch of salt and one-half teaspoon ground pepper. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender and the soup is well flavored, about 2 hours, skimming occasionally.

Discard the pieces of vegetables and herbs. Remove the chicken pieces and cool slightly, then discard the skin and bones. Cut the meat in strips and return them to the soup. Skim the fat from the broth.

In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of the broth to a simmer. Add the carrot slices and return to a simmer, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Add the asparagus spear pieces and the squash pieces to the soup and continue to simmer, uncovered, for 1 minute. Add the asparagus tips and continue to cook until the vegetables are done to your preference, about 2 or 3 minutes. Remove the vegetables with a slotted spoon. Return the vegetables’ cooking broth to the rest of the soup.

Before serving, bring the soup to a simmer. Add the cooked vegetables and heat through. Add the chopped dill and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasoning if desired. This makes a scant 2 1/2 quarts of soup.

To serve, put 2 or 3 matzo balls in each soup bowl using a slotted spoon, and ladle hot soup over them. Add some vegetables and a few chicken strips to each bowl. Serve with the zehug in a small bowl.

Each of 8 servings: 193 calories; 17 grams protein; 13 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 8 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 135 mg cholesterol; 2 grams sugar; 274 mg sodium.

Matzo ball ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil such as grape seed or safflower oil
• 2/3 cup matzo meal (sometimes labeled matsah meal) (about 2 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 3 cups plus 5 tablespoons strained chicken soup (or prepared chicken or vegetable broth or water), divided, more if needed
• 1 tablespoon minced dill leaves and fine stems
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro leaves and fine stems
• 2 quarts water (or 1 quart water and 1 quart chicken broth)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the eggs with the oil to blend. Add the matzo meal, salt and pepper, and stir to a smooth batter. Stir in 2 tablespoons chicken soup. Stir in the dill and cilantro. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove the chilled batter and stir. Thin the batter by adding more chicken broth, 1 tablespoon at a time, so that the mixture is soft but just firm enough to be formed into rough-shaped balls (you will need about 3 tablespoons soup).

In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt. Reduce the heat so that the water bubbles gently. Moisten your hands, measure a mounded teaspoonful of batter and take it off the spoon. Transfer the batter from one palm to the other, gently giving it a roughly round shape. Drop the matzo ball into the simmering water.

When all the matzo balls are in the pan, cover and return to a simmer. Cook over low heat until the matzo balls begin to float and are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the matzo balls to a container to refrigerate them or to another saucepan for reheating. Ladle the remaining 3 cups of chicken soup over the matzo balls to cover them.

Refrigerate the matzo balls, or cover and keep them warm until ready to serve. Reheat them in the chicken soup in a covered saucepan over low heat, without stirring. Serve hot.

Each matzo ball: 21 calories; 0 protein; 3 grams carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 1 gram fat; 0 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 0 sugar; 167 mg sodium.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH DILL AND CUMIN

Total time: 2 hours | Active work time: 50 minutes | Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken pieces, preferably thighs or legs
• 1 large onion, cut in large dice
• 4 carrots (3/4 pound), peeled if you like, sliced 1 inch thick
• 4 to 6 boiling potatoes (1 1/4 pounds), peeled, cut into 1-inch squares, or 1 1/2 cups thin egg noodles
• 2 large stalks celery with leafy tops, sliced, optional
• 2 bay leaves
• 6 to 8 cups water
• Salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 to 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 4 zucchini (1 pound), sliced 1 inch thick
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, quartered, optional
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 or 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 1 tablespoon dried

Directions:

Place the chicken, onion, carrots, potatoes (but not the noodles), celery and bay leaves in a large stew pan or soup pot. Pour in enough water to cover the ingredients by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil. With a large spoon, remove the foam from the soup’s surface. Add salt, pepper and cumin to taste. Cover and cook over low heat, occasionally skimming off the foam and fat, until the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes.

Add the zucchini, mushrooms and garlic and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender and the soup is well flavored, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.

If adding noodles, bring a saucepan of water to boil and add salt. Add the noodles, stir and cook uncovered over high heat until tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain well. Keep the noodles in a separate dish so they won’t soften when you reheat the soup.

Skim the fat from the broth with a large spoon. If you refrigerate the soup until cold, the fat solidifies on top and can be easily removed. Remove the chicken and discard its skin. Leave the pieces whole or cut off the meat, discarding the bones. Return the chicken to the soup or save part of it for other uses.

Reheat the soup to a simmer. Add the dill and more salt and pepper, if needed. Divide the noodles among shallow soup bowls, then ladle the hot soup over them.

Each of 6 servings: 321 calories; 158 mg sodium; 98 mg cholesterol; 14 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 29 grams protein; 3.09 grams fiber.

Want more easy dinner recipes? Follow me on Twitter: @Jenn_Harris_

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