Several years ago, our whole family came down with colds during the same week, and because we don’t run to the medicine cabinet straight away, I searched online for natural remedies. I saw repeated references to coconut oil, ginger, lemon, and bone stock to promote healing and immune support. Since I was planning to make chicken soup anyway, I tossed all those ingredients into the pot for good measure and ended up with one of the most flavorful chicken soups I’ve ever eaten! Ginger might be an odd addition, but it simply adds more flavor. If you love ginger (as I do), add more for a stronger ginger flavor.
Prep time 20 minutes
Serves 6
1 to 11/2 pounds (455 to 680 g) chicken (boneless, skinless breasts or thighs)
Sea salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons (28 g) coconut oil
4 large carrots, peeled and diced small
1 leek, white part only, quartered and thinly sliced
1 large stalk celery, diced
4 cloves garlic
Juice from 1 small lemon
2-inch (5 cm) knob of ginger, finely grated
6 cups Simple Chicken Stock
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon sea salt
Hot sauce, for serving
1 Sprinkle the chicken liberally with sea salt and black pepper.
2 Heat the coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides, creating a nice, golden brown crust, and transfer to a 4-quart (3.8 liter) slow cooker. (The chicken does not need to be cooked through at this point.)
3 Add the rest of the ingredients and 1 teaspoon sea salt into the cooker. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours (or high for 3 to 4 hours).
4 Taste, and add more salt if necessary. If you used homemade unsalted stock, you might want to add up to an additional 1 teaspoon of salt.
5 Serve. We really liked it with hot sauce, which can also help clear out stuffy sinuses.
