Asian Chicken Soup (good for your soul, i promise)

It's been very hot in Boston.  There's a heat wave here, seriously.  It always looks gorgeous outside but as soon as I step out, I'm covered in sweaty stickiness. Yeah, not sexy.  I know.  In any case, I read somewhere that when the weather is warm our body craves for hot foods because it helps us sweat and sweat helps cool the body.  Hence, why you're not supposed to wipe your sweat in Bikram Yoga until you're done with practice. Tonight, I'm checking out Exhale Yin at Exhale Spa Boston, which couldn't be more opposite from Bikram Yoga.

I like the western version of chicken noodle soup, etc. but the Asian version of chicken soup holds a dear place in my heart.  I am sure everyone approaches it differently and I approached mine with convenience in the back of my mind.  I might be potentially moving at the end of this month so I aimed on using whatever I have in my fridge.  With luck, I had most of what I would have wanted to use in my soup in my fridge.  Always make my day when that happens.  Yippee!!!

Broth:
8 cups of water
2lbs of bone-in chicken pieces (I'm a leg and thigh kinda' girl)
Half an onion
Knob of ginger
2 Ts of chopped leeks
2 Ts of sugar
1 T of kosher salt

Other stuff:
Carrots
White Radish
Shiitake Mushrooms
Confit Shallots, Onions, and Garlic (optional)
Shredded chicken (from the ones you used to make the broth)

Directions:

Cook the broth first on very low heat.

Once done, remove the chicken and place it in a bowl of iced cold water. Once cool, shred the meat and return them back to the broth pot or keep it separate until ready to serve. That's what I did.

Add the other ingredients to the broth pot. Cook until it boils and serve.

A few weeks ago, some friends came over to see how I was doing since I wasn't feeling well. With nothing in my fridge to entertain my guests (I know, how surprising is that?), I took a walk to Sweet Bakery down a few blocks from where I live and picked up some mini cupcakes. This bakery isn't my favorite but it was convenient. 

I wasn't great at photo documenting this whole thing. This is when I first added the radish as you can see. 

The confit stuff really adds depth to this soup. 

Once fully cooked.  How beautiful is that. 

The shredded chicken in all its natural glory and beauty.  So moist and flavorful.

It was so delicious. I ate this by the bowlful. 

In addition, I used the broth to cook up some collard greens. 

This was also a really smart way to braise collard greens - definitely gave it a lot of flavor as well. 

ENJOY!