The Chicken Soup That Will Save Your Life
When I started writing here, I mentioned food. Probably rude of me not to come back to that more quickly.
Part of this whole Fifth Level journey is believing in food. Believing that, for reasons both medical and mundanely existential, it’s the path — maybe the path — to a best-lived life. Or at least the one part you can still control on the long and unpredictable road.
There are heroes and devils in this pursuit. Sodium versus Protein. Sugar versus Vitamins. Carbs versus Content. You know the lineup.
On my own path, sodium is the real villain. Too much and things start to both swell up and shut down — a physiological metaphor if ever there was one. My daily limit doesn’t look that different from the general USDA recommendation, but in America that number’s usually in the rearview by lunchtime.
So, like every other midlife “special diet” — the ones you choose and the ones chosen for you — there are right ways and work-arounds. Yes, yes, more fresh vegetables. But also: really good imitation salt. Curated low-sodium finds from a tiny grocery in Minnesota. And the irreplaceable Zoup! Low Sodium Chicken Broth.
All those come together in my favorite super-low-sodium, eat-it-all-day chicken soup. If you or someone you love ever have to do this whole low-sodium thing, I’ll recommend it this way: when nothing else tastes good, this tastes good. You can eat it for weeks on end while you solve the daily word problem of what’s for dinner.
Low-Sodium Chicken Soup
10+ servings
This recipe is loosely based on Naz Deravian’s Brodo di Pollo con Pastina. At this point, the ingredients and ratios have drifted far enough from the original that Naz might not appreciate the name check, but much of the how came from her. I don’t know why it works to throw raw onions into roiling water, or why the two kinds of garlic arrive at different moments — but it does, and they do. So, thank you, Naz.
Ingredients
2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5–6 jars Zoup! Low-Sodium Chicken Broth (half water if you like)
2 bay leaves
1 big bundle of thyme, tied with kitchen string
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp black pepper
~2 tbsp My Salt or My Super Salt
8–10 carrots, diced
6 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tbsp no-salt-added or Bionaturae tomato paste
½–1 box pasta (I use fusilli)
Grated Parmesan, for serving
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Directions
- Place chicken, broth, thyme, and bay leaves in a large pot and bring to a slow boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, olive oil, salt, garlic powder, and pepper. Stir and bring back to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 10 minutes.
- Add carrots, celery, garlic, and tomato paste. Return to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.
- Taste and adjust seasoning; remove bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
- Remove chicken, cool slightly, and shred (use a hand mixer if you’re feeling stressed or maniacal). Add a little more salt and pepper to the warm shredded chicken.
- Meanwhile, add pasta — yes, the whole box — stir, and bring back to a gentle boil.
- Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 8–9 minutes or as the box instructs.
- Combine everything. Serve in a lovely shallow bowl with a sprinkle of Parmesan and maybe a glass of wine.
This is the chicken soup that will save your life — or at least make you feel like it tried.
It’s low in sodium, and probably most other things you might be avoiding, too.
It is warm and satisfying — nourishing in ways that have nothing to do with actual nutrients.
It feels like a craft, but without much effort. The herb sachet is unnecessary but delightful — the culinary equivalent of lipstick for Zoom.
And yes, there’s protein. You probably want to know how many grams. I suppose that depends on how much of the box of noodles you pour in and how many small bites of chicken you pass to your pets. Less than a David bar, more than yogurt. Probably.
Cooking like this is a kind of faith. You can’t control much — not your bloodwork, not your deadlines, not the weather — but you can put a pot on the stove and make something that you still have a say in.
