Chicken Vegetable Soup with Quinoa

We plan and God laughs. That appears to be somewhat of a running theme in my life.

I just returned from an amazing research symposium where I was asked to give a talk kicking off the conference. A humanistic focus to help the physicians and researchers remember why it is they do what they do. Given my, ahem, illustrious history, I was thrilled to oblige. The feedback was amazing. One of those times when you know you’re in the right place at the right time.

I had wanted to  post a terrific Breakfast Biscotti that I discovered on a wonderful new food blog as soon as I returned. That’s coming very soon because of the ‘we plan and God laughs’ part. It had to wait. Mixed in with all the wonderful praise that came my way was a nasty (sorry, you are nasty) little bug which wasted no time in making his way to my lungs and boom! I have myself a case of bronchitis. My sister Annie immediately appeared on my doorstep with a container of Jewish penicillin AKA chicken soup which disappeared in no time.

I rummaged through my fridge and freezer. I had some chicken pieces, which was immediately pulled out to defrost.

Once the chicken was defrosted, I  pulled out some basic soup vegetables I always have on hand, plus lots of ginger and garlic because they help me feel better. I grabbed some fresh herbs, in this case dill and parsley, tied them together with a bit of kitchen twine, and plopped it in to my stock pot with lots of cool water (room temp or cool water makes for a more flavorful soup -just ask my mom). Why twine? The easier to fish it out at the end, my pretty.

After the chicken cooked through, I removed it from the pot and placed it in a bowl along with some broth. That prevents the chicken from getting overly cooked and sitting in the broth keeps it moist. Later, when it cools, I pull the chicken off the bones with my fingers, keeping the drumsticks whole, and reserve the bones with bits of chicken still on them for a little private snack, usually eaten then and there, while standing at counter. (Thank you Julia Child, for stating this on public television, thus giving us your stamp of approval.) When the soup is all finished, I returned the chicken to the pot.

Before I add the bite-sized veggies, I remove the parsnip, celery heart, ginger, quartered onion (some people leave that in; since I was adding some more chopped onion, I took them out) and herbs.

What vegetables did I find to add? I had some green beans and zucchini. I wanted a little more, carrots, celery and onion. I also had some cut-up cauliflower that I was going to roast for Popcorn Cauliflower. Sometimes I save the core and the leaves for soup stock. I did, so I had thrown that  into the stock earlier along with the chicken. Veggie possibilities? My oh my! Cubed potatoes, yams, chard, kale, turnip, rutabaga, fennel, leeks.  The list is endless on what veggies to add. Just add the quicker ones in the last ten minutes. Things like shredded cabbage, or peas, or spinach.

If you cut up more than you need. No es una problema. Save it for a quick stir-fry the next day.

The seasonings are very simple. Salt, pepper and turmeric. Why turmeric? It adds a nice golden color to the broth and it’s good for you. Trust me.

This was very fortifying to stand over and inhale. Excellent for clearing the sinuses. A culinary humidifier, if you will. Also very nice to look at.

I hadn’t used quinoa in soup before. I wanted to make the soup a little heartier but wanted  something that wouldn’t feel too heavy after I ate it. The quinoa was perfect. Reminiscent of the pastina (teeny pasta) I ate in chicken soup as a little girl, but it provided the extra protein I wanted and added a wholesome and earthy feel to the soup.

Throw in the quinoa and give it a good stir, stirring it up from the bottom every so often. In ten to fifteen minutes, soup’s ready!

We’re making a sopa de quinoa!

Novio! Hurry up before I eat it all!

Chicken soup for body and soul

Lulu called just as I was finishing my soup. Nothing like hearing Lulu’s voice to boost my spirits. We talked and laughed for a while. Then I went to ladle out another bowlful of soup…

… with one more thing… a pulkeh (PULL- keh or PULL- kee… Yiddish for chicken leg or drumstick)

I love pulkees.

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Quinoa

Ingredients:

Directions:

Place cleaned chicken in stock pot and pour cold water over. Add quartered onion, halved parsnip, celery, carrot chunks, split garlic cloves and knob of ginger. Tie fresh herbs into a bundle with kitchen twine and add to soup, leaves dipping into water. Bring up to boil and then down to a very gentle simmer. You want to see just a few bubbles coming up. Cook, uncovered, for about 40 minutes or until chicken pieces are fully cooked through.

Remove chicken to bowl and pour a little broth over it to stay moist. Set aside.

Add vegetables and salt, pepper and turmeric.  Cook for 30 minutes more. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add quinoa and stir through every few minutes to prevent quinoa from sticking to the bottom.

Using your fingers, pull chicken off bones and pull to bite-sized pieces. Remove any skin that might still be hanging around. Return chicken pieces to soup with the broth. Check seasonings.

When reheating, add a bit more water or broth if you like.

Serves about 8. In this house, 6-8 is more like it. Freezes well.

I shot this image to show you the delicious quinoa. Don’t worry. I’ll go add more broth now. And grab a spoon.