Since my career is being a first grade teacher, it’s around this time of year I start falling ill. It’s only a matter of time before I begin to feel under the weather from germs floating around my classroom. This is when I love a comforting soup packed with ingredients to help me combat flu season. 

This green soup from author and chef Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen, is packed with ginger, garlic, and spinach. The best part? You can prepare this in large batches and place into the freezer for when your next sick day strikes. It really does pack a strong punch, so if you don’t love heat I would recommend sticking to a more traditional chicken noodle soup.  *I leave the garlic, ginger, and jalapeño raw so they are immune-boosting. However, if you are prone to heartburn, sauté them for a few minutes before blending.* It’s sure to clear out your sinuses and help you start feeling better in no time. 

You will need:

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups packed baby spinach 

1 heaping cup cooked short-grain rice

1 cup fresh flat leaf parsley

2 stalks green garlic or 2 scallions 

2 medium jalapeños 

4 medium garlic cloves, peeled

1 ( 2 inch) knob fresh ginger peeled and grated 

1 cup cooked and pulled chicken

Soy sauce

2 lemons for serving 

Kosher salt

In a large Dutch oven or pot, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Stir in the spinach and cook just until it wilts, about 1 minute. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the spinach to a blender and set it aside to cool. (Blending hot things will cause your blender to explode so please don’t skip this step!)

Add the rice to the broth and allow the liquid to return to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered about 10 minutes.

Add your parsley, green garlic (or scallions), jalapeños, garlic, ginger, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water to the cooked spinach. Blend until smooth, about 60 seconds. If the mixture gets stuck, splash some more water in. 

Fold your cooked chicken into the rice-thickened broth, along with about half of the garlic and ginger purée. Taste and add a bit more until it is flavored to your liking. It is very pungent, don’t say I didn’t warn you! Season with more salt and a few splashes of soy sauce to taste and turn off the heat.

Ladle the soup into bowls and finish with parsley and a few jalapeño slices with a lemon wedge on the side. 

It will store in the fridge for 4 days, or freezer for 6 months!