There's not much to do when you've got a cold but kick back and enjoy some catch-up tv, wrap yourself in blankets oh and give the 'Grip' the boot with an immune system boosting freshly squeezed orange juice and Turkish chicken soup.

 

My favourite is 'Lokanta or Çorbacı' style. Often open 24 hours a day soup makers offer amazing tasting soups and with a little patience, a slow cooker or a large saucepan they're easy enough to make up yourself.

 

Once the chicken is cooked and shredded a rich lemony egg yolk & yoghurt dressing is added in. And to really give a natural cold busting remedy this Turkish chicken soup is served covered with red pepper flakes (Aleppo pepper) and dried herbs, plus a generous squeeze of more lemon. 

Perfect Turkish style winter soup!

 

Lokanta Style Terbiye Tavuk Çorbası Recipe

 

For the chicken: 

1 bunch of spring onions, roughly sliced.

2 large carrots, cut into rounds

1 whole chicken

1 teaspoon whole peppercorns

2 bay leaves

4-6 cloves garlic

4-6 thin sliced of fresh ginger

1 tablespoon rock salt

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 cinnamon stick

(sometimes a star anise)

(sometimes celeriac root)

enough water to cover the chicken

 

for the dressing

 

2 egg yolks

4 tablespoons strained or greek yoghurt

1 garlic clove, minced

juice of 1 small lemon

 

Method

Place all the ingredients into a slow cooker and cooker either on high for 3 hours of 5 ish low.

(If I know were coming down with a cold I often put it on overnight and allow it to stay on keep warm function and have it for breakfast!)

 

Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and pull shred / debone, the slower and lower it is cooked the better.

If you wish to strain the water to remove some fat this is the time to do it.

Place everything back into the slow cooker and remove/turn of the heat.

 

For the dressing; 

In a separate bowl gently whisk the egg yolk and mix in the yoghurt, garlic and lemon juice.

Add one ladle of the warm chicken stock into the yoghurt/egg mixture and gently whisk together. Repeat twice more and the pour the dressing bowl into the slow cooker.

Mix and serve with lemon wedges and pul Biber / Aleppo pepper flakes, oregano, mint and /or cumin to be added to the soups as desired.