Chicken Zoodle Soup

INGREDIENTS

For the Chicken Broth:

• 1 tsp Olive oil
• Aromatic spices { 3 Cloves + 2 Bay leaves +1 tsp Peppercorns}
• 2 whole Garlic cloves, lightly bruised (leave skins on)
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 Onion, thickly sliced
• 2-3 cups Water
• 1 cage free chicken thigh fillet (skinned and cleaned)
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt

For the Zoodles:

• 1/2 Broccoli, cut into medium sized floret
• 1 Carrot,  cut into matchsticks
• 4 or 5 Button mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 Zucchini, spiralised into Zoodles
• Cooked Chicken meat (after making the broth)

• Lime wedges to serve (optional)

PREPARATION

To make the chicken Broth

1.) Warm up the oil in a sauce pan and very lightly sautee the aromatic spices (the heat helps extract maximum flavour from the spices). Add the garlic cloves, sliced ginger and onion and sautee on gentle heat till they’re slightly soft.

2.) Pour the water and stir the broth gently for a minute. Add the chicken thighs and make sure they are fully covered by the broth (add a bit of extra water if they are poking out of the cooking liquid / broth. Cover the saucepan and cook on gentle heat until the chicken is done.

3.) Using a pair of kitchen tongs, remove the cooked chicken thighs from the broth and place them onto a clean plate and allow it to cool down to room temperature. Shred into bite sized pieces using a fork or your fingers. Set aside.

4.) Using a fine mesh seive, pour the freshly made broth into a clean bowl or container. This step is very important as it also helps you get rid of the chicken fat and foam).

To make The Soup:

1.) Heat the olive oil in a thick bottomed sauce pan. Add the broccoli and saute for a minute. Add the carrots and mushrooms saute till they’re tender. Add the spiralised zucchini and stir for a few seconds to coat in the “strands” in the oil.

2.) Pour the prepared spice-infused chicken broth and simmer everything for 8-10 minutes to allow the veggies to cook as soak in the flavours from the broth (yum!!)

3.) Add the shredded chicken a few minutes before you turn off the heat and stir gently.