Chicken Soup for the Sick

I'm sick again. To be more exact, not again - just can't shake off my nasty lingering cough that comes and goes now for over a month. So I decided to make myself another version of chicken soup, with no noodles this time.

I had a can of artichoke hearts, dried mushrooms and a Georgian (that is, the Republic of Georgia in the Caucasus) chicken soup recipe that I wanted to try out, so I decided to try this new combination.

Here's the list of ingredients I've used:

1. For the broth: One chicken breast and two chicken thighs with bones; one medium-sized red onion and a medium-sized carrot; a stalk of salary if desired.

2. For the base: Two tablespoons of salted butter or ghee, 2-3 garlic cloves, a teaspoon of chopped dried onions, one table spoon of wheat flour.

3. One 12-ounce can of artichoke hearts.

4. About 50g of dried gourmet mushroom mix (I've used the one Costco sells; it made about half a pound of soaked mushrooms). Before cooking, soak them for about 30 min, drain and soak for 15 min more. These can be substituted with other dark mushrooms such as bella or shiitake. Button mushrooms will not add any flavor but will be good for texture, I guess.

How to cook:

1. In a medium-sized pan, boil the chicken and whole vegetables for about 45 min to an hour. When done, take the meat and vegetables out. I usually throw the vegetables away as at this point they will be virtually tasteless. My mom, however, would put them through a blender and return them to the broth at a later stage. Set the meat aside to cool until you are able to pull it. Strain the broth through a sieve if you want it clear.

2. For the base, take a medium-sized frying pan and melt the butter or ghee. Add garlic and onions and simmer on low until golden brown. Add flour and stir until it all has the same consistency. The authentic Georgian soup would call for a table spoon of apple cider vinegar here, but I've had artichoke hearts to add acidity to the soup, so I decided to skip it.

3. Strain the soaked mushrooms and add them to the base in the frying pan. Saute for about 10 min, stirring frequently. When the mushrooms take in the moisture, add about half a cup to a cup of your chicken broth.

4. While the mushroom base is sauteing, return the broth to the soup pan. Drain and add artichoke hearts to the broth. Bring to boil and cook for about 10-15 min before adding the mushroom base to the broth. Bring to boil again.

5. As the last step, add pulled chicken to your soup. Bring to boil and cook on low for about 30-45 min. When done, let it sit for about 20 min before serving with a dollop of sour cream and dill or other fresh herbs as garnish.

The cover picture in this story shows my soup one minute before I turned the heat off. It may not look appealing but it tastes amazing. Just like any soup, it will taste a lot better tomorrow and even better - the day after tomorrow. I hope you'll give it a try. It's versatile and you can add any other spices you like and even use it on a bed of rice or quinoa rather than as a soup.

If you would like to make an authentic Georgian chicken soup (called Chikhirtma), you won't need mushrooms and artichokes, but will need a couple of eggs and a lot of dill and cilantro or coriander. Here's a quick recipe: