Cold-blasting Chicken Noodle Soup

Spicy Gal's Note:

This is the favorite soup at our house whenever anyone has a cold. We invented it over time, adding more spices as we went! The combination of the garlic, onion, ginger, chili pepper and cilantro really seems to give the immune system a boost. (But if you don't like one of these ingredients -- or don't have it on hand -- just leave it out; the soup will still taste good!) I prefer using leftover roast chicken for this recipe, but you can also use uncooked chicken -- just let it simmer in the broth until it cooks. And note: if you don't have lemon pepper, just use plain black pepper.

• Total Time: 35 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 bay leaf
• 32 ounces chicken broth
• 1 cup dry pasta
• 1 cup chicken (cubed or shredded)
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper (store-bought blend)
• 1⁄8; teaspoon fresh ginger , minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic , minced
• ½ cup onion , chopped
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro , chopped
• red chili pepper flakes or red chili paste or minced fresh serrano chili pepper , to taste

Directions:

1. Heat the chicken broth with the bay leaf until broth boils.
2. Add pasta; return broth to boil.
3. Add chicken and lemon pepper; return broth to boil.
4. Let mixture cook until pasta is done, about 10 minutes (if you're using uncooked chicken, test the chicken for doneness-- but it should be cooked by the time the pasta is done).
5. Add ginger, garlic and onion; cook a few more minutes until onion pieces start to turn translucent.
6. Stir in cilantro and chili; cook one more minute, then serve.

Reviews

[jane49423]

My 11 year old and I really enjoyed it, but my husband thought it was too heavy on the onion. It is spicy, which was a nice change.

[RoxiGirl]

Wonderful soup! It's a nice change from the more traditional. And I think it did help ease my cold!!!

[Chef #160360]

I have to give this soup a 5 star rating. It was a soup that I was sceptal about because of the amount of cilantro, but I was wrong. It had a really nice taste and my family loved it and asked for more.