Easy Chicken Veggie Soup- Serves 4

I have many American friends here in Taiwan that don’t have much experience in the kitchen or simply just don’t have the time to look for recipes with the ingredients they can find locally. It’s been a goal of mine to post something like “20 Easy Meals” for people that fit this description, but I don’t quite have that many and I am working on moving back to the states in a few weeks so I am not putting as much effort into it the project as I first wanted to. Yesterday made a meal just for the sake of recipe adjusting and taking pictures and but ended up deleting the pictures and eating the dish. I was really upset because I wasn’t even in the mood for the dish but felt I should try it if I am going to post it! My husband laughed when I said, “I didn’t make it to eat, I ate it because I made it!” And then the other evening, I made a dessert and we ate all of it before I remembered I was supposed to take step-by-step pictures of it! But over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting a meal under the title…

Ideal Meals for the “Wai Guo Ren” (Foreigner)

Living in Taiwan for a few years has taught me how to make foods I am familiar with back home but with limited resources and on a budget. If you have access to a COSTCO, than your options broaden, but for the most part, we eat simply and this recipe is a part of a collection for the American teachers living in Taiwan with a simple stove, toaster oven and small grocery store in town.


Today’s Recipe: Chicken Veggie Soup- You can find different bouillon flavors at the local grocery store. On the left is a picture of what they look like on the shelf. They have a little picture on the box that helps you decide what you want if you can’t read Chinese. In this recipe, you will need chicken!

Items Needed:

• Pot and lid
• Stove top range
• Cutting board
• Peeler and knife
• A Rainy Day (those are perfect for soup!)

Ingredients Needed:
1 chicken breast
5 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 potato, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Pinch of black pepper

Anything can be omitted or added depending on your likes, dislikes and what you have in the refrigerator that needs to be used up. Try any of these ideas: mushrooms, a handful of chopped green beans, some chopped onion, ½ cup corn, 1 cup chopped cabbage, ¼ cup of uncooked elbow noodles, minced fresh garlic, or broccoli.

Directions:
1. Cut the chicken and add to a pot. Add water to just cover the chicken. Bring to a boil for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain, rinse and set aside.
2. Place the 5 cups of water in pot and bring to boil. Add bouillon cubes and dissolve.
3. Add all the other ingredients. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until veggies are soft.