Mama's Spicy Chicken Soup

There are a few recipes that my mother made that really stood out a lot to me, and one of them is her medicine soup - essentially. It's a spicy chicken soup she traditionally always made with chicken thighs or legs, and I, myself, preferred it with the thighs, but nevertheless. This soup is truly magical, and the healing it brings when you are suffering from a cold or some allergies is a welcome relief.

See me read this video on TikTok right ↳➜⇢➤ here!

Even if you are not sick, the aromatics of this soup and the vibe it brings when you are making it create a wonderful atmosphere, which lends to the soulful aspect of this dish.

Since we are coming off the heels of Mother's Day, I thought I should share this. It's a pretty simple recipe, but it's one that I know all my family relies on for a pick-me-up and makes it much more delicious medicine soup!

Ingredients:

This will yield a large pot, and it is recommended that you use a large stockpot for the one-pot meal. Feeds approximately 4-6 people.

1 Package of Egg Noodles

1 Package of Chicken thighs or legs - whichever type you prefer

1 large tomato or 3 Roma tomatoes

1 Four large jalapenos - (do not seed for best effect as the capsaicin in the chiles helps with the relief of nasal congestion and mucous build up. It makes you able to breathe again.)

1 Onion

1 Can Tomato Sauce

Salt and Pepper

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Bunch of Cilantro

Directions:

First, you will take your chicken and rinse it prior to putting it with the seasonings into your stockpot, and fill your pot about 3 inches from the top with water. (The amount will vary, but I recommend using at least a deep stockpot. This can also be done in a crockpot slowly if preferred.)

Chop your vegetables and place them to the side - do this with all of them except the cilantro bunch, which will be added later whole. You can chop off ends that look gnarly or undesirable from the cilantro, but you will not want it chopped for this recipe.

Boil the chicken until nearly done, then add in chopped onions, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Add in the egg noodles and allow to boil until the noodles are done al dente.

You can add other things to the soup to make it go further if you'd like, but this is the basic recipe of my mother's that we are most accustomed to. There were variations on it that she made sometimes, where she might add potatoes or carrots, but this was rare, and the usual base recipe was the normal practice.

The resulting broth left over from the soup after straining can be used as a broth for other base dishes such as rice or sauces. It is a bit spicy due to the chiles, but that only makes it that much more flavorful when you consider the translation to mixing. It can be frozen and saved for that purpose, and also offers the same medicinal value that the soup does, due to all the good minerals and vitamins that the broth contains.

It's a hearty meal that will stick to the ribs and alleviate many of your woes, even if you are not feeling under the weather, and it's one that I hold close to my heart. Whenever I make it, I feel close to my mother, and I also feel rather matronly. It's a beautiful thing to know that we can create meals that serve to nourish and heal our families, and that by sharing those recipes, we can connect in millions of beautiful ways.