Gran's Penicillin

Ah, the post Christmas flu season.  If you're anything like me, you ran on empty and then some prior to Christmas and then as soon as you slowed down just a tad - wham, a cold, the flu, the 'lergy' or worst of all, 'man-flu'.  I like many here in the UK am going on my third week of one illness after another (sigh).

But I'm getting a little fed up with it now and wanted a little something to make me feel if not well, better.  Options for that are drugs (had enough, tired of them), whiskey (makes me feel much better in the evening, but much worse in the morning) or maybe it's time to pull out the ultimate in 'make you feel better' remedies, a batch of 'Gran's Penicillin'.  Yup, it's time for chicken soup.

Now I'm not talking about the boring, tasteless stuff found in a can.  I'm talking about spicy, chickeny, flavourful simmered soup that makes you feel better even as it cooks - that's Gran's Penicillin.  There are a variety of studies trying to scientifically prove whether or not chicken soup really makes a difference when one is ill, but at a minimum hot liquids are great for opening nasal passages and soothing those scratchy, raw throats.  That'll do for me.

There's a trick to it though, chicken soup has taken such a knocking - it's so difficult to find a decent bowl of the stuff.  The trick is to make it yourself.  What?!  Make it myself, but...I'm ill!  Here's the recipe I use, even when I'm at my worst.  Simple, easy to make if you can make it to the kitchen - or easy to tell someone else to make when you've reached the really pathetic stage where someone will run back an forth to the kitchen to make and get you stuff.  This recipe is a bit spicier, all the better to reawaken those taste buds!

Gran's Penicillin

(For one.  If there's two of you down, double it.)

1 chicken leg (thigh and drumstick), can be pulled straight from the freezer

3-5 cups of water

Spices - Black and red pepper, garlic, sea salt

(Because I'm sick, I'm lazy, so I use a steak (yes, steak!) seasoning mix that has all of these ingredients)

Throw the chicken leg and the water in a pot, turn the heat on high and shake in a bunch of the spices.  Put the cover on and boil the heck out of the chicken, until the meat starts to fall off the bone.  It is now safe to taste.  If it tastes of water with a vague chickeny background, it's not there yet.  If you can't taste rich, flavourful, salty, spicy chicken, then shake in some more spices (I've been known to add it a good pinch of cayanne pepper).  The goal here is, cold and all, to brew something you can actually taste!

When the meat is truly falling off the bone, the aroma is something that cuts through even blocked sinuses and the liquid tastes so good you cannot leave it in the pot for even a second longer, it's done.  Pour yourself a big bowl, position yourself right above all those delicious vapours and enjoy every hot, savoury, tasty mouthful - it may not cure you, but it'll make you feel a heck of a lot better!