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Tag: Pho Ga

  • Chicken Soup for a Sick Friend

    If you have a friend suffering from a bad cold or the flu, one of the nicest things you could do for them would be to deliver some wonderful chicken soup. 

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    Dehydration is one of the side effects that can make a person sicker and sipping soup or broth can help with that issue. A study in 2008 tested the effect of hot liquids on cold and flu symptoms and found,

    "The hot drink provided immediate and sustained relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough, sneezing, sore throat, chilliness and tiredness, whereas the same drink at room temperature only provided relief from symptoms of runny nose, cough and sneezing. The effects of the drinks are discussed in terms of a placebo effect and physiological effects on salivation and airway secretions. In conclusion the results support the folklore that a hot tasty drink is a beneficial treatment for relief of most symptoms of common cold and flu."

    Homemade Chicken Soup

    If you're a cook, make some homemade. Here are two of our soup posts:

    This Is A Chicken Soup Week

    Variations On A Soup Theme

    Update 01.27.13: Here, from JacquelineChurch.com is a great post: Taking Stock: Sze’s Magic Mineral Broth (AKA Antivirus Soup)

    Take Out Chicken Soup

    If you are a food lover, go to one of your favorite soup spots and order up something as take out. 

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    We would highly recommend a large order of Pho Ga from Pho Basil on Massachusetts Avenue. They pack the components of the soup separately which would allow your friend to have the wonderful pho broth if that's all they want. And, if you are the one who is sick, they deliver!

    You can also go to one of the delivery services like Foodler, GrubHub, or Seamless and enter "Chicken Soup" into the menu item search box to find options near you. 

    What's on your Food Lover's Shopping List? Shop Amazon for all your kitchen & dining needs and support this site!

    Details:

    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: ©2013 Penny & Ed Cherubino 

    Related articles

    Chicken Noodle Soup for the Soul
    Spoonful of Comfort Chicken Soup
    Poached Chicken Soup with Lemon and Spinach
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  • Poached Chicken is a Cook’s Treasure

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    Poached chicken is something you will often find in our refrigerator, especially when we're busy. It doesn't take long to poach a whole bird, chicken parts on the bone, or boneless chicken. You can poach it in water and aromatic vegetables. But for the bonus of a super rich chicken stock, start with a low-sodium chicken broth.

    Here are a link for learning how to poach a chicken. I use the Chinese White Chicken method.

    Perfect Steeped White Chicken

    Once cooked, you can turn the chicken and broth into chicken soup. Here's how we deal with that option. Variations on a Soup theme

    Of course, you or your household guests could turn sliced chicken into a wonderful array of chicken sandwiches. We recommend you grab a loaf of When Pigs Fly Bakery's "Savory Cranberry" bread, or as we call it, "Stuffing Bread." It tastes just like a favorite holiday bread stuffing and makes a great sandwich with some swiss cheese, chicken, and a dab of spicy cranberry chutney.

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    Then, there are salads. We're not mayo fans, so we turn our poached chicken into a Curried Chicken Salad with an oil and vinegar dressing. But, traditional chicken salad may be exactly what your family will welcome.

    And, from there, you can let your imagination fly. Stir fry some veggies and toss in the chicken to warm it. Heat up some pasta sauce and make a quick chicken sauce. 

    We even make poached chicken for our favorite pup when she's not feeling peckish and we need to tempt her with something special. She loves it.

    A heavy pot like a Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron French Oven is perfect for poaching chicken. 

     

    Details:
    Words: Penny & Ed Cherubino
    Photos: © 2011 Penny Cherubino