Alright, so here’s my take on chicken soup, sometimes known as Jewish Penicillin for it’s curative effects. Indeed, I usually make this soup when I’m feeling a little under the weather and it does make me feel better. But that could just be because it’s hot, liquidy and delicious and ends up in my stomach. I learned how to make this from my dad which lends more credence to my theory that the Chinese are the Jews of Asia. When I eat it, I like to squeeze some lime or lemon juice into the soup which is something I picked up more from eating various chicken and noodle soups in Southeast Asia (soto ayam or pho) and Central America (caldo de pollo). It seems like many cultures have valuable contributions to the realm of chicken soup. Sorry Jews, you might be the chosen people, but chicken soup belongs to everybody.

So a brief word about my version (Chicken Soup 2.0 – or, more like v.1.3). It’s a not a refined or delicate soup at all. Basically it’s just a bunch of basic ingredients thrown into a pot and boiled for a while. But somehow, the results are usually really good. Alright without further ado, here are the ingredients with rough estimates of amounts (as usual) and the instructional vid. Enjoy!

Chicken Soup Ingredients:

4-6 chicken thighs – or a whole chicken cut into pieces (skinned – or if you leave the skin on, you’ll need to skim some fat off later, because while delicious, they be hella greasy)
1 large onion
1/2 – 1 whole head of garlic
7-10 stalks of celery
1 lb of carrots (grated – watch the video, you’ll understand)
1-2 tsp of oregano
1-2 tsp of thyme
5-7 bay leaves
Salt and pepper to taste.