Good Ol' Chicken Soup

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Grandmas are the best. They have incredible wisdom, with their wrinkles and white hair. They have powerful knowledge that was gained before Facebook and Instagram. They actually learned to cook/bake with their grandmothers, and inherited old family recipes (and didn’t just check Tasty/Allrecipes).

This week I was a bit under the weather. I needed a quick fix. I felt like I needed a home remedy like some home-made chicken soup.

I wasn’t sure where to get all of the knowledge and wisdom I needed before going to the grocery store to shop for ingredients for the soup. “I need a grandma NOW” my brain was yelling.

Following some notes from my mom, I came up with this recipe. It was easy to make and grandma-like; comforting and forgiving. I realized while making this that it’s really hard to ruin chicken soup. The key is in the quality of the ingredients. And to use lots of them.

Makes 6-8 servings

6 chicken drum sticks (Organic if possible)
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced in rounds
4-5 celery stalks, with leaves if possible. Slice 3 and leave the other stalks whole
1 zucchini, rough round slices
1 onion, cut into quarters
4 garlic cloves
2 small potatoes, rough cubes
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into rough cubes
8 cups of water
A bunch of parsley and/or cilantro
Salt to taste

  1. Grab a big pot. If you prefer to remove the skin of the chicken before cooking the soup, here’s a trick: use a clean paper towel to pull the skin off. But you can also leave the skin on and pull it out later.

  2. Put everything in the pot BUT the potatoes, sweet potatoes and herbs. Bring to boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for like 40 minutes.

  3. After 40 minutes add the potatoes, sweet potatoes and herbs. Cook for 20 minutes or until soft (but not too soft).

  4. Use a strainer or a wide scoops, and separate veggies+chicken from broth. If you don’t do this step, the veggies will get too soggy. You also want to get the herbs out of the way. I never eat them, they are just there for flavor.

  5. To serve, make your own combination: it can be with many veggies or with just a little.

  6. Enjoy up to 5 days!