Who isn't comforted by a steamy bowl of chicken soup when they're down with the winter cold? There was even a study that said chicken soup did, indeed, have a healing effect on the common cold and the misery that goes along with it. But if you have picky kids, they may not be so open to the goodness.
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.
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 stock
I large organic skinless, boneless chicken breast
5 carrots, chopped into small rounds
3 celery stocks, chopped into small pieces
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled but left whole
1 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 oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 Yukon gold or waxy potato, peeled and chopped
1 tsp salt
1 (14-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (32-oz.) box vegetable or chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup letter pasta
1/2 cup corn (I used frozen)
1/2 peas (I used frozen)
__
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 crackers
1/2 cup butter
6 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 onions, minced
5 ounces matzo meal
96 ounces chicken broth
5 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,