Green Tea Chicken Soup

A warm bowl of soup always tastes nourishing. Add green tea to the broth, and the soup is even more nourishing, offering anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties that can have a positive effect on a wide range of health issues. If you’re not a bonafide green tea lover, this soup might turn into a favorite way to “drink” green tea. The flavor that green tea adds to soup is very subtle, a little herbal, with just a hint of the astringency that tea is known for. Otherwise, it’s still the familiar, savory bowl of soup you love.

You can steep green tea into your own favorite chicken soup recipe, or try this one. In this simple recipe, garlic and ginger are simmered in chicken broth, then the green tea is steeped in the broth for 5 minutes. Thinly sliced mushrooms and spinach are added at the very end (plus optional shredded chicken).

Loose-leaf green tea, which is often thought to be fresher, more flavorful and more healthful, is ideal when steeping green tea into soup. But if you already have a box of green tea bags in your pantry, or if buying tea bags is the most practical option for you, then do it. The soup will still be delicious and nutritious in every way.

Time in the Kitchen: 25 minutes

Servings: 2

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken stock (1.4 L)
• 2 inches ginger, peeled and cut into thin coins (5 cm)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 green tea bags, or 3 tablespoons loose-leaf green tea leaves put in a tea ball or T-Sac (45 ml)
• 8 ounces mushrooms, shiitake or cremini, thinly sliced (230 g)
• 2 handfuls baby spinach or tatsoi (2 ounces/56 g)
• Optional: 1 cooked chicken breast, shredded or cubed

Instructions

In a large pot, simmer the ginger and garlic in the chicken stock for 10 minutes.

Turn off heat. Add the green tea bags. Steep tea bags for 5 minutes.
Remove tea. Strain out garlic and ginger.

Bring broth back to a simmer. Add mushrooms and simmer 5 minutes. Add spinach or tatsoi and chicken (optional) to the broth. Simmer 1 minute more. Turn off heat and serve.

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