‘Flu Fighting’ Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup with Chickpeas

Cold and flu season has officially hit and I thought I would post one of my favorite sickness fighting powerhouses. Whether you’re making soup to prevent future illness or currently in the throws of a nasty bug, this recipe is for you! While most kids would disagree, the most nutritious stuff for you really can be delicious as well. This soup is full of anti-inflammatory fighting ingredients that may also help with sinus congestion, nausea and sore throats. Turmeric, garlic, lemon and ginger are a few of these heroic ingredients and they just happen to be delicious. I like to use my own chicken stock for this since it offers its own set of health boosting ingredients. While you can make the rice and add it into the soup after it’s done cooking you can also make single servings for each bowl as you go. The benefit to making smaller servings is that it won’t soak up all the broth as it sits in the fridge. This recipe has become a favorite of mine especially when I start to feel like I’m coming down with something for a quick immune system boost.

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'Flu Fighting' Lemon Chicken & Rice Soup with Chickpeas

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 500 kcal

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 lbs boneless skinless Chicken thighs about 6
• 1 yellow onion chopped
• 4 carrots diced
• 3 leeks diced
• 4 celery stalks diced
• 1 tbsp ginger minced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 8-10 cups chicken stock
• 3-4 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp lemon zest
• 45 oz chickpeas washed and drained
• 1 large handful parsley chopped
• 8 servings rice about 3-4 dried or 1/2 cup dried per serving/bowl
• shaved Parmesan or Romano for garnish (optional)
• sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. In a stock or soup pot, heat the olive oil and cook the chicken with a little salt and pepper. Once cooked just through, set aside the chicken and place in the refrigerator. Scrape the brown bits up from the pan.
2. Add a little more oil if needed and add the onion, celery, carrot and leek. Cook about 7-8 minutes until soft.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about one minute until fragrant.
4. Stir in the turmeric, cumin, bay leaf and lemon zest.
5. Stir in the white wine. Cook uncovered for a few minutes.
6. Add the lemon juice, chicken stock and chickpeas.
7. Cover and cook about 2 hours. During the last half hour of cooking, shred the reserved chicken and transfer back to the pot. Stir in the parsley at this time as well.
8. Cook the rice as directed on the package. *You can either make all of the servings up front and transfer the whole batch to the pot or make them piecemeal, about 1/2 cup dry, for each bowl over the next few days.*
9. Garnish with a little lemon juice and serve with a sharp cheese like Parmesan or Romano.

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