A few weeks ago I was pretty sick. It was the typical back-to-school bug, stuffy nose, bad cough, and pounding head that plays the host to various microscopic viruses; forget about waking up at 8 a.m. to make it to that 8:30 class. That was me.

Back in the good old days when I fell ill, I would spend the day on a couch with a box of tissues and my mother would make me some delicious homemade soup packed with tomatoes, ditalini and fragrant flavors.

Unfortunately due to the 600 miles of highway between me on my apartment couch and home, that wasn’t an option. So I took matters into my own hands.

I had recently discovered a recipe that, while not identical to my mom’s soup, shares several Mediterranean-Middle Eastern similarities. Moroccan Chicken Soup.

I prepared the necessary ingredients: cubed chicken (obviously), olive oil, and garlic (a personal touch, everyone says garlic is great for ailments) and fried them in a huge skillet.

While the chicken browned, I set to work chopping up a yellow onion, which adds more to the mix than would a white onion, and preparing the necessary spices: cumin, ginger and paprika.

The chicken and garlic had a great aroma, but the addition of the spices and onion created a rich, spicy scent. After a minute of mixing the flavors together the addition of 5 cups of chicken stock created a huge plume of smoke. My roommates, intrigued by the wafting scent, started asking questions.

“What’s that you’re cooking?” The skillet’s contents began to boil and I added the last few ingredients, chickpeas, instant couscous, salt, pepper and several sprigs of cilantro.

Finished, the soup smelled spicy, fragrant and delicious. I had a feeling it might give my sinuses a much-needed kick.

My roommates, either sick themselves or resigned to the fact that living with sick people meant they’d likely get sick too, all asked for a bowlful, and agreed it was good, one even exclaiming it was the best soup she’d had in some time.

The great thing about Moroccan Chicken Soup is that being sick isn’t vital to its enjoyment. It just as delicious when in good health, but I definitely recommend a bowl-full if you are ill.
Moroccan Chicken Soup is an easy and inexpensive dish. The cost of all the ingredients is roughly around $15, mostly due to the spices but those are really a one-time purchase, and all ingredients are available at local food stores. The total time to cook the meal was about 15-20 minutes. If you’re into flavorful and interesting dishes, then this is one you’ll certainly enjoy!

The recipe is easy to follow, and the end result is well worth the work: You’ll need: 2 tablespoons of olive oil 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts 1 Medium onion 1 tablespoon cumin 1 tablespoon ginger 1 teaspoon paprika 5 cups chicken stock cup instant couscous 1 16 ounce can of chickpeas Salt, pepper, 8 cilantro sprigs

1. Place oil in a heavy skillet and heat stove to medium-high. Cube chicken into inch pieces. Add to the skillet, place heat on high, and stir once or twice.

2. Let chicken brown. Peel the onion and chop finely. Combine onion, cumin, ginger, and paprika with chicken. Stir and cook for 1 minute. Pour stock into skillet and use a wooden spoon to stir together, making sure to scrape the skillet’s bottom. Cover pan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes. When soup boils, add instant couscous.

3. Open chickpeas; pour into a colander, rinse and drain. Add to pan. Cover and bring back to a boil, then lower heat so the soup simmers. Simmer for 4 minutes. Add salt and pepper and cilantro leaves. Stir, cook for 1 minute then serve. (recipe courtesy of culinarycafe.com)