It’s winter and I, like so many others, have a cold. I walk around trying not to cough all over the innocent people around me or avoiding sneezing in anyone’s direction. One of the problems with CKD is that I can’t just buy a can of soup and heat it up, as most soups contain additives and far too much salt. Instead, I found this soup recipe online that seemed simple and already made me feel warm and healed.
With some simple changes, I made it work for the CKD diet. I did not add any salt to this recipe and cooked the chicken from scratch vs buying a pre-roasted bird. It took close to 45 minutes in total to make and filled me right up. I also loved the combination of the ginger, lemongrass, garlic and turmeric – they gave the soup enough zing that I didn’t miss the salt.
Original recipe here: http://soupaddict.com/2015/01/couscous-chicken-soup/
COLD-FIGHTING COUSCOUS CHICKEN SOUP
Author: Original – SoupAddict, Revised – Me 🙂
Serves: 4 generous servings
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup chopped onions (about 1/2 of a medium)
- 3/4 cup sliced leeks (about 1 medium, white and light green parts only)
- 1/2 cup sliced carrots (about 1 medium)
- 1/2 cup chopped celery (about 2 ribs)
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 tablespoon minced lemongrass (or paste)
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 4 cups salt-free chicken stock
- 8 ounces chicken tenders or thin-cut chicken breasts
- 1 cup pearl couscous
- 1/2 of a large lemon or 1 small full lemon
- pepper
- chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut up the chicken tenders or thinly-sliced breasts into small pieces. They should be chunks easily consumed in one bite.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat. Add the small pieces of raw chicken. Cook for about 5-6 minutes or until the pink has disappeared.
- Add the onions, leeks, carrots, and celery. Saute until the vegetables are soft, about 6 minutes. If necessary, add a tablespoon of the chicken stock to make sure none of the mixture sticks to the bottom. Stir in the ginger, lemongrass, and garlic, and heat until aromatic. Sprinkle the turmeric over the vegetables and stir.
- Add the stock, chicken, and couscous, and bring to a light boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer; cook for 15 minutes. Squeeze the lemon into the soup, taste, and season with pepper your liking. Top with parsley before serving.
Take a good, long breath of the amazing aroma and enjoy!!
Spilling the Beans 