Fear not, there are three chicken soup recipes out there that are more appealing to the palate of the young, plus one easy option that won’t make you break a sweat. Here are four options your little patient will be lapping up in no time.
Kid Food Chicken Soup
Kind of a perfect recipe for my daughter who loves the noodles more than anything. If you’re going for straight homemade, Meal by Meal has your basic kid-friendly recipe. I add curly pasta which is always a winner in my pasta-obsessed home. I did take out the parsley when making, as my daughter will scream about “the salad” in her soup. Crazy, I know.
What you’ll need:
2 boxes organic chicken stockI large organic skinless, boneless chicken breast5 carrots, chopped into small rounds3 celery stocks, chopped into small pieces1/2 onion, chopped3 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole1 cup of any or any combo of the following frozen peas, fresh or frozen corn, fresh or frozen broccoli chopped into bite-size pieces, zucchini chopped finely, or any other veggies you have on-hand that your kids might like.1/2 cup of leftover plain pasta, any shape, already cooked (I use egg noodles)Salt and pepper
In a large saucepan, add chicken stock, chicken breast (no need to chopped it yet), carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil and simmer until chicken is fully poached, about 20 minutes.
Remove chicken breast with a slotted spoon and place on a cutting board. Chop chicken into very small pieces and return to pot with vegetables and pasta, if using. Simmer everything until veggies are cooked through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Alphabet Soup
From Weelicious, she knows the best way to get kids to eat veggies and anything good for them is to make it fun. So head to the store and pick up the following, then look at Wee for the easiest instructions ever for what looks like a complicated soup.
What you’ll need:
1 tbsp olive oil1 small onion, finely diced1 stalk celery, finely chopped1 large carrot, finely chopped1 Yukon gold or waxy potato, peeled and chopped1 tsp salt1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes1 (32-oz.) box vegetable or chicken stock1 bay leaf1/2 cup letter pasta1/2 cup corn (I used frozen)1/2 peas (I used frozen)
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Matzo Ball Soup__
The original soup that was tested to prove its ability to battle a cold, matzo ball soup is also the first chicken type soup my daughter would eat. It’s the super fun dumplings that did it. This was a recipe from somebody’s Oma, but I added in carrots to add an extra vitamin value.
What you’ll need:
2 (10-ounce) packages matzo crackers1/2 cup butter6 eggsSalt and pepper to taste3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley2 onions, minced5 ounces matzo meal96 ounces chicken broth5 carrots chopped in rounds
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Break matzo crackers into small pieces, and place in a large bowl. Add water to cover; allow to soak for a few minutes, until soft. Drain off excess water.
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat and stir in drained matzos; stir until mixture is dry and slightly brown. Remove from heat, and mix in eggs, salt and pepper to taste, parsley, and onions.
Mix in just enough matzo meal to make mixture hold together. Roll one golf ball-size matzo ball. Place matzo ball in the boiling water to test the mixture. The ball must rise to the top of the water and not break apart. If it does not rise, then too much matzo meal was added. In this case, add another beaten egg to the mixture and try again. When desired consistency is reached, roll all of mixture into golf ball size spheres.
In a large saucepan, bring chicken broth to a slow boil over medium heat with carrots; add balls to broth. Serve soup as the balls rise to the top of the broth.
Images (top to bottom): iStock/Nadzeya_Kizilava, iStock/mg7, iStock/Patrick Heagney,
