Couscous Chicken Soup
I am sorry that I abandoned you in the heart of the storm. Full disclosure, we were visiting my parents and enjoying snow where snow belongs–in Bozeman, Montana. In between skiing and sledding, I was getting updates from home (I am forever indebted to our intrepid dog sitter for holding down the fort) and was just ever so slightly disappointed that we were missing the excitement. Regardless, I did plan to post remotely on Monday but lo and behold, we woke up to a powder day. As every skier knows…”there are no friends on powder days,” and therefore up and out I went. And, so it goes.
We arrived home yesterday, as scheduled, with the kids not missing a single day of school, practice or game. As a matter of fact, schools are still closed today (this is how we roll in Maryland) so they have a day to “recuperate.” I will try to make up for lost time by spending the day cooking up an array of comfort foods. Successes will be detailed here in future posts. But for now, I have for you a delightful chicken soup because nothing warms your bones on a cold winter day like chicken noodle soup. Despite the fact that everyone has their own version, I think that this Couscous Chicken Soup, from Soup Addict, is worth a try for several reasons.
First, the pearl or Israeli couscous (the big balls vs. tiny balls of regular couscous) replaces the traditional noodle and doesn’t get soggy. Second, the addition of ginger and lemongrass (both which can be bought as pastes in most supermarket produce sections) not only give a dimension to the flavor but seem to amp up the soup’s legendary healing powers. And lastly, the color. Just a pinch of turmeric deepens the color of the broth and enhances the soup’s visual appeal.
With all that said, this Couscous Chicken Soup is still as easy to make as any other version and relies upon pre-cooked (read: store bought/rotisserie/leftover) chicken. You will notice that the soup thickens considerably as it sits–the couscous seems to magically absorb copious amounts of liquid. So unless you want a stew (which is fine if you do), add more chicken broth, as needed. If you are reheating leftovers, just add some water. Stay warm and enjoy!
Couscous Chicken Soup
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January 29, 2016 @ 1:15 pm
As I am currently sick, this could not have been more timely. I am tired of my “same old, same old” chicken soup recipe and could not wait to try this. We loved it! I did not have lemongrass on hand and only used 8oz. of chicken, but it did not matter. I could really taste the ginger and was very liberal with both that and the garlic for their medicinal properties. Thanks so much, Sly Rooster!
January 27, 2016 @ 9:45 am
That’s a great question–I should have been more clear. I actually used 2 1/2 cooked chicken breasts, which was certainly more than 8 oz. I think that each breast was probably close to 5-6 oz cooked, so I probably ended up with about 13 oz of chicken in my soup. You really can’t go wrong, though. If you are buying a rotisserie chicken, I’d just use all of the meat. If you’re planning to serve the soup for family dinner, I’d just put in as much chicken as you would normally eat.
January 27, 2016 @ 9:28 am
yum!!! how much chicken is 8 oz??