Chicken soup: a recipe

Chicken soup

When I did my menu planning on Sunday for the week, I did not anticipate getting sick. So the meal I had originally planned for last night was a slightly fancy soup, a riff on a traditional Greek magiritsa, but using leftover roast chicken. But then I got sick, so of course all I could think about was chicken soup.

I looked for an easy chicken soup recipe online and in my favorite cookbooks but couldn't find one that was quite speaking to me. Then ... FATE STRUCK.

[OK, time for a sidebar: Have I mentioned that I firmly believe everything happens for a reason, exactly as and when it should? Nooo? Well, I'm mentioning it now, so file that away. End of sidebar.]

So last night, I sat down to enjoy an evening's cocktail (I'm sick but not THAT sick ... jeesh) and browse through this week's copy of the local independent newspaper. Lo and behold, it contained an article on soups and stocks, complete with a recipe for chicken soup! And it called for veg I had lurking around in the fridge, while NOT calling for herbs that would require me to venture out to the garden in the pouring rain! Score!

Chicken Soup (adapted from the article Taking Stock: Making Soup that Doesn't Suck by Suzanne Podhaizer and Alice Levitt)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small onion, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced thinly
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
4 cups chicken broth
2-3 medium yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
2-3 cups cooked chicken meat
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Directions
Cook carrots, celery and onion in oil over medium heat to a medium tenderness (some will be slightly browned). Add garlic and cook for one minute. Next, addd broth and some salt and pepper; cook about a minute. Add potatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender (this took about 8 minutes for me). Add chicken and heat through, about a minute. Stir in lemon juice and additional salt and pepper to taste.