Chicken Vegetable Soup fight inflammation special

Whole chicken, fryer OK, but Hen will add more flavor, but also more fat. Whole chicken will weigh about 2 to 2.5 pounds. Cover chicken in large pot with water and boil until meat starts to separate from bones. Remove from water. Strain off any skin or fat floating. Chop onions, garlic green pepper, celery and cabbage. Chop or puree canned tomatoes if not already diced. Add onions and garlic. Cook 10 minutes. . Bring broth to boil and add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Mixed vegetables is a gumbo mix as the okra will add flavor and thicken soup, plus it very good IF rating. Once chicken is cool debone chicken and discard all fat and skin. Return deboned chicken to mixture. Simmer for one hour more and serve. Note ;you can adjust water to just cover chicken. The less water the more taste. Also bouillon can be a bit less if taste is up enough, so it’s better to add three bouillon cubes (if using hen I would leave out all the bouillon until I tasted it toward the end. You can always add later). and only add fourth if needed toward the end. You can serve with noodles or rice, but that will diminish the anti inflammatory rating and it’s a great hardy vegetable soup on its own.

IF rating per serving 137 Moderately anti inflammatory

Calories per serving 90

Cost per serving $0.67 without noodles or rice.

This food is low in Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Protein, Riboflavin, Vitamin B6, Folate, Magnesium and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K and Manganese.

Chicken can be a challenge as it starts off inflammatory with a whole chicken like this stewed. The secret is to overwhelm it with powerhouses of anti inflammatory ingredients to make a thick hardy almost stew like chicken soup. Serve with as big a salad as you want and have seconds of the soup if you want. The end result is a chicken soup mother or grandmother would love and wonder how you got so smart.

It is also cheap to make and better after sitting the refrigerator for a day or so for leftovers. Great meal for a large family. Make ahead on the weekend if you want. It freezes great. Take it to work and watch your coworkers drool.

If you can find a hen that is on sale use it. The added fat can be skimmed off the top (especially after refrigeration) and the increase in flavor is significant and will probably allow you to cut down on sodium by using less bouillon. We look for chicken on sale and never pay more than $0.79 to $0.99 per pound or for a hen $0.99 to $1.19 per pound.

This recipe is a winner at every level.