This chicken soup recipe brings ginger and turmeric to the classic warming bowl
The chicken soup I grew up eating, the Jewish penicillin my grandmother and generations before her made, is such a part of who I am, I cook it from deeply ingrained memory, and I make it often. But recently, while I was starting to whip up a batch, I had the urge to spike it with a warming tingle of ginger instead of the usual dill.
That tweak opened a wide gate, which ultimately led to this deeply delicious, nutritious recipe my grandmother would have found totally unfamiliar.
Along with the ginger, I added garlic and turmeric to bring both flavor and additional anti-inflammatory benefits to the usual onion-carrot-celery trio. I used chicken broth and added breast meat, as she would have, but you could use vegetable broth and omit the chicken to make it vegetarian if you prefer. Instead of the usual egg noodles, I went in a healthier direction with the add-ins, using a can of chickpeas for heartiness and vegetable protein, and green beans and spinach for more texture, color and nutrition.
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The result is a soup that seems the very essence of healing goodness, comforting, belly-warming and full of flavor. With its golden-hued broth, bounty of green vegetables and chickpeas, it may bear little resemblance to my grandmother’s soup, but I’m 100 percent sure she would love it.
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Storage Notes: Leftover soup can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.
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