The Space Between in the Florida Keys

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Shopping in Old Town, kayaking the mangroves, and leaving room for the day to unfold The first thing I loved about our week in the Keys was the space between the things we did. We had ideas. We knew there were shops to explore, places to eat, and water to get out on. But most mornings began with sitting around, enjoying the slow pace, and eventually asking what everyone felt like doing. Sometimes the answer depended on whether we were hungry. Sometimes it depended on what we were making for dinner. Did we need groceries? How long would dinner take to cook? Should we save room for something delicious later? These were perfectly satisfactory matters around which to arrange a day. We had exchanged our usual responsibilities for the question of whether lunch might interfere with dinner. An excellent trade. Our one fixed appointment was Tuesday’s anniversary sail. Around it, the week had room to breathe. A starfish clip on Petronia Street One shopping wander took us to Petronia Street in Ba...
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Chicken Soup for the Working Woman

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My Down-and-Dirty Weeknight Version — and Why I Still Believe in Chicken Soup

I make chicken soup.


I make chicken soup because it is comforting, because it smells like somebody is taking care of you, and because—despite everything modern medicine may say—I remain convinced that a good pot of chicken soup has healing powers.

Not actual raise-the-dead powers.

Although I have been told mine could come close.

On the very rare occasion my husband comes down with a cold or flu-like symptoms, chicken soup goes on the stove. No discussion. No vote. It is simply what happens.

And there are really two versions in this house.

There is my full-fledged, cure-a-zombie chicken soup, which takes its sweet time. Raw vegetables slowly cook in the broth, herbs and aromatics have plenty of opportunity to work their way into everything, and the pot simmers until the kitchen smells like the sort of place where nobody could possibly stay sick for long.

Then there is this version.

My down-and-dirty chicken soup for the working woman.

It is the chicken-soup equivalent of applying a Band-Aid, tucking someone under a blanket and saying, “Here. Eat this. We’re going to get you through the night.”

And sometimes, that is exactly what you need.

So… Does Chicken Soup Really Help?

Chicken soup does not cure a cold or the flu. Viruses are going to do what viruses are going to do.

But the old-fashioned remedy isn’t entirely folklore either.

Hot liquids can help loosen nasal mucus, while broth provides fluid and salt when you may not feel particularly interested in eating or drinking. Research has also raised the possibility that chicken soup may have mild anti-inflammatory properties, although that evidence comes from laboratory work and shouldn’t be mistaken for proof of a clinical cure.

And our ancestors have believed in the stuff for a very long time. Chicken broth was being recommended medicinally centuries ago; the 12th-century physician and philosopher Moses Maimonides famously included chicken broth among foods he recommended for people who were ill.

Personally, I don't require much more encouragement than that.

Warm broth. Vegetables. Protein. Steam. Hydration.

And someone bringing you a bowl while you are miserable on the sofa.

There may be a little science involved.

There is definitely love involved.

The Working-Woman Version

The secret to making this one on a weeknight is simple: use what is already working in your favor.

Cooked chicken? Perfect.

Good boxed chicken bone broth? Absolutely.

Pre-shredded carrots? This is not the evening for unnecessary heroics.

Fresh broccoli and peppers lingering in the refrigerator? In they go.

And then there are the noodles.

Please, for the love of chicken soup, use the big Amish-style egg noodles.

Those broad, slightly chewy noodles turn ordinary broth into comfort food. They give you something substantial to twirl around the spoon and somehow make the whole thing taste as though Grandma has been simmering it since noon.

One rule, however:

No frozen mixed vegetables.

I am perfectly happy to take shortcuts.

I simply have standards about which shortcuts.

My Secret Ingredient: Lemon

This was the surprise of last night’s pot. Right before serving, I squeezed in a little fresh lemon juice — and wow. The entire soup woke up. The broth tasted richer, the vegetables tasted fresher, and suddenly this very practical weeknight soup tasted much more intentional.

A few kitchen essentials

My soup pot, kitchen knife, and wooden cutting board are the everyday tools behind this comforting meal—from chopping the vegetables to simmering everything together.

You’ll find tools for your own soup-making evenings in my In the Kitchen collection.

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Easy Weeknight Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 2 cups fresh broccoli, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 32 ounces good-quality chicken bone broth
  • 1 teaspoon rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 8 ounces wide Amish-style egg noodles
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • A little olive oil or butter for the pot
  • ½ lemon, for finishing

Directions

Warm a little olive oil or butter in a large soup pot. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots and cook until they begin to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook briefly, just until fragrant.

Pour in the chicken bone broth. Add the cooked chicken, broccoli, rosemary and thyme.

Bring everything to a gentle simmer and let it cook for about 10 minutes so the vegetables soften and the flavors begin to mingle.

Add the wide egg noodles and continue cooking according to the noodle package directions, usually about 6–8 minutes, until tender.

Taste and season generously with salt and pepper. Then, just before serving, squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice. Start with about a tablespoon, stir, taste, and add more if needed. You are not looking for lemon soup — just that little hit of acidity that makes the whole pot suddenly taste brighter and more finished.

Then ladle it into the biggest soup bowls you own.

Preferably while wearing pajamas.

And About That Zombie Soup…

This isn't my only chicken soup.

My serious chicken soup—the one reserved for occasions requiring considerably more culinary intervention—starts earlier, simmers longer and includes my full herbal packet. The vegetables go in raw and are given plenty of time to surrender themselves to the broth. Bone broth is non-negotiable.

That recipe is less Tuesday night after work and more I have declared war on whatever has entered this household.

I'll share that one, too.

Because apparently every family needs an emergency chicken-soup protocol.

Until then, this is the pot I make when somebody needs something warm, nourishing and homemade—but life still expects dinner to happen on schedule.

It might not cure the common cold.

But served steaming hot, with those great big noodles and somebody you love sitting across the table?

I'd argue it does quite a lot.

À la Table — Bring It to the Table.

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