“That’ll clear your sinuses,” says Wishbone Kitchen’s Meredith Hayden, sniffing a bit as she tries her own recipe for Green Garlic & Ginger Chicken and Rice Soup. She loved it, noting that she had it for lunch several days in a row. A lot of other people loved it, too; it has 2.2 million views on TikTok.
Hayden explains that she created this recipe to use up leftovers and hopefully boost her immune system during flu season with lots of anti-inflammatory goodies added to a simple chicken soup. Just bring broth to a simmer to blanch the spinach lightly and scoop it out to cool a bit. Add cooked rice to the broth to simmer and thicken as you puree the greens with fresh ginger, whole garlic cloves, raw scallions, fresh parsley and jalapeños, then pour it back in the broth along with shredded chicken. Garnish with jalapeño slices, parsley leaves and a citrus wedge, and you’re done!
A commenter on Hayden’s original video called it “Swamp Soup,” perhaps after growing up eating the Southern standard turnip soup of the same name, and the moniker stuck, as hundreds of admiring videos put the recipe through its paces. TikToker @kirrupt calls hers “Soup i would make Shrek if I were Fiona.”
Although a lot of commenters are a little concerned about its field of green appearance, the flavor is universally praised.
“It looks pretty disgusting, but I promise you it’s delicious,” swears the @pairswithwhat TikTok account, which suggests serving with a 2022 Scala Ciro Bianco.
Many note similarities to Peruvian aguadito, Middle Eastern mulukhiyah, Mexican pozole verde or the garlicky garnish topping Asian green congee, and there certainly is overlap in the color and the preparation methods, but there’s a unique take here, too; instead of hominy and tomatillos, or carrots and potatoes, there’s rice and ginger, and with the essentially raw greens making up the bulk of the dish, this soup promises to be intensely fresh and sharp through and through.
Assembling the aromatics is a delightful sensory experience by itself. I can’t wait to try it!
One spoonful, and I’m an immediate devotee. You’re going to want to make double the recipe the way Hayden does in her video, because it’s addictive. The color is striking, but I think it’s gorgeous.
The pungent flavor is one of the main selling points to me, but if there’s any ingredient you’re wary of, Hayden suggests starting out by pouring in just half of the puree and then adding more to taste. You can also always microplane a bit more garlic or jalapeño if you decide you want the full one-two punch.
You could also tone down the raw garlic and ginger by cooking with the rice for a few minutes, but in that case, beware of an effect commenters like @champsmama noted, asking, “What did I do wrong that my soup turned mossy green?”
If you puree and simmer the aromatics separately and wait to add the greens until the end, it will ensure you don’t dim that gorgeous color. It’s also helpful to wait to add the citrus squeeze until just before serving, since acid yellows most green veggies.
When reheated the next day, it was still delicious, but the aromatics had mellowed quite a bit. I thought it was perfect even before adding the lemon and soy sauce on day one, but on day two, it really benefits from a little citrus squeeze in particular.
Making this dish with cubed tofu, shredded pork, leftover white fish or cooked shrimp added at the last moment would all be dreamy. In fact, the variations are endless. You could try basil, Thai basil, cilantro, dill or fennel fronds in place of some of the parsley. Other toppings that might work well: pickled daikon radish, fish sauce, chopped peanuts, chili crisp, crushed tortilla chips, a dollop of plain Greek yogurt or crumbled feta. A few drops of bright red Sriracha would be a stand-out addition, too.
Does a soup like this really boost your immune system? It’s possible. There are some studies showing an apparent reduction in occurrence and severity of respiratory system infections, for instance, and that might be especially true for raw garlic. This soup has a lot of other nutrient-dense ingredients, too, like spinach and peppers, so if it helps you get your veggies in, it’s likely to help support your health in more ways than one.
I think the next version I’ll try is TikToker Shelby Varieur’s, which leans into the commonalities with pozole by adding cilantro and corn, but any way you swamp it, this soup is an all-star.