Creamy Chicken Soup with Parsnips, White Pepper, & Peas {to cure a bad mood}

I've been having one of those weeks. You know the kind - where everything and everyone conspires to  irritate, annoy, and infuriate.

But that's okay, because I have a secret weapon: soup. Yes, soup. We all know the restorative properties of chicken soup, and this version adds even more punch with the addition of a little cream and half and half and a sinus-clearing amount of white pepper.

Each slurp of this soup not only contributed to an increased sense of equanimity and well-being, it gave me strength to (figuratively) vanquish my annoying enemies.

Or maybe that was the booze?

Either way, make this. You'll feel better.

This comes together very quickly, particularly if you have homemade chicken stock in the freezer, as I usually do. I also had 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, and so I prepared them using this method from the Kitchn, which unfailingly produces an incredibly juicy product.

And the rest is business as usual: saute 1 chopped white onion in some butter. Add chopped garlic to taste, 4 or 5 sliced carrots, 3 or 4 sliced parsnips, 4 (or so) cups of chicken stock, a few sprigs of thyme and a sprig of rosemary and simmer until tender. Temper 1/4 cup cream and 1/4 cup half and half with the broth and add to the pot. Shred the chicken and add it, along with a cup of frozen peas, and simmer. Salt to taste and - this is the key - add plenty of white pepper. More than you usually would. The white pepper's heat plays very nicely with the sweetness imparted to the broth by the cream. Remove the thyme and rosemary stems and garnish with fresh parsley.

Another easy weeknight meal and a cure for the blues, all in one delicious bowl.