I have a pretty bad cold, so I decided that I needed some real Chicken Soup for the soul…..fragrant, comforting, and warm.   There is some research that proves that chicken soup does actually provide some relief for colds.    This soup has lots of garlic, onion, and parsley.  I like to add ginger and hot pepper to soup when one of us has a cold or flu.  However, the kids do not like those flavors, so I had to add them to mine separately.  You could certainly make all the soup with the ginger and pepper, it tastes very good that way, in my opinion.  Just add them when you add the water, or after you return the shredded chicken to the pot.

2 complete chicken legs (so 2 thighs, and 2 drumsticks)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1/3 bunch chopped parsley
1 onion chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
salt, to taste
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
5 carrots, sliced into medallions
1-2 bay leafs
Pinch Italian seasoning
Optional : cubanelle pepper, grated ginger

Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in medium pot.

Add parsley, onions, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon turmeric.  Saute a minute or so, then cover and reduce heat to medium to sweat out the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes.

Add chicken and carrots, stir, and cover for another 5 minutes.   Add 8 cups of water, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1-2 bay leafs, and a pinch of Italian seasoning and let come to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 45 minutes.

Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool just enough to handle.  Remove chicken meat from the bones.  (I use two forks to pull the chicken) Return the chicken to the pot and simmer 10 more minutes, adjusting salt and seasoning.

* At this point, I poured one bowl’s worth of soup into a separate small pot.  I added 1 tablespoon chopped cubanelle pepper and half a teaspoon grated ginger and simmered separately. This added some spicy flavor, but not real heat to the soup.