Chicken Vegetable Soup

Here is something quite simple to do and tastes good. About the only thing I did to this was remove the noodles and get rid of any salt in the cooking process... Chicken is one of those things that has been pushed to the production limits by modern agriculture. They are vaccinated, injected, force fed on animal byproducts, etc... and are generally an unhealthy thing when coming from major poultry producers. I won't tell you not to buy them from the Tyson's of the world, but I personally would look for something better. It is possible to find, but costs for free range chickens are higher. The balance of this scale is that meat when used in cooking becomes a condiment, not the center-piece.

I use pressure cookers a lot because they can cut the prep time in half or better. They are not necessary, but I would have great difficulty in cooking without them. In this case, I honestly haven't a clue how long you would boil chicken, maybe half an hour to 45 minutes?

Place a couple of skin-on chicken breasts in a pressure cooker with 2 to 3 quarts of water. Actually you can cut up a whole fryer to throw in here also as what we need to do is not only cook the chicken but create some broth too. You will be discarding the skins, skimming the fat, and using maybe only 1/2 the meat at most, but right now we are after soup stock. I like my chicken flavored with garlic and onion as well as parsley, so chop up some fresh garlic cloves (2 or 3 minced), sliver up a medium onion, and mince up 2 stalks of parsley to throw in with the breasts while they cook. When you purchase a pressure cooker, they come with a bottom grate that holds solid foods away from the bottom of the pan. Leave this grate in place.

Cook the meat for approximately 6 minutes. This is bringing the cooker up to temperature and not starting the timing until the top begins to shake. Turn it off at the end of 6 minutes and let it reduce by itself. (The safety valve in the top of the cooker will drop and be free moving.

Pull the chicken out. If you used an entire fryer, I would remove roughly half the bird for other things and bone out the back, neck, etc... along with either the legs and thighs or the breasts. Remove all skin and bone from the meat being used in the soup. Cut meat into 1/2 cubes. Skim the excess fat off the top of the broth in the cooker and discard. The balance of the meat can be used cold on salads, for instance or reheated with steamed vegetables or whatever you care to do with it.

Add 3 cups of shopped/cut up mixed vegetables according to your dietary choices. Green beans, broccoli, carrots, peas, bell peppers, whatever is right for your diet. Do not use canned vegetables-only fresh or fresh-frozen. Canned have added salt, sugar, and other preservatives you do not need to be putting in your body! Put the cut meat back in with the vegetables and we will cook it for another 5 minutes.

Note here that I use no salt. Fighting cancer calls for many changes. Reducing salt intake is a good plan as it places less strain on the heart, kidneys, and liver. These organs are all having a tough enough time fighting your disease, don't make things tougher for them.

Reduce the cooker by placing it in the sink and running cold water over the top until pressure is relieved.

Serve in bowls with a small sprig of parsley floating on top for eye appeal.