Foodie Friday: Chicken Soup Ain’t Just For The Soul

Homemade chicken soup for the common cold

During the winter months, my family tends to get slammed with one cold after another.  As we all know, there are no cures for the common cold, but there are non-medicinal remedies that can work wonders. As moms and grandmas have known for centuries, one of the best ways to deal with a cold is a steaming hot bowl of chicken soup. Or, in the case of serving soup to a toddler, a lukewarm sippy cup of chicken soup broth. When I’m sick, as I am this week, I would still much rather spend a few minutes prepping my own soup than pull out the canned stuff. There is something so healing about homemade soup, even when you’re the sick one who has to make it!

According to the Mayo Clinic, chicken soup for the common cold it’s not just an old wives’ tale. Scientists have verified the medical benefits to slurping down chicken soup during cold and flu season. The ingredients in chicken soup can serve two really beneficial purposes for combating a cold; it can act as an anti-inflammatory which can help sooth sore throats and it can speed up the movement of mucus which can help relieve congestion.

Some people are intimated by the thought of making homemade chicken soup or may believe that it takes too long to prepare. Not true! I have found a very quick and easy recipe from Martha Stewart that I love because it’s so easy and quick.  The original recipe is very good, but lacking a bit in flavor. Here is the original version of the recipe along with some of my minor tweaking:

Basic Chicken Soup (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Serves 6-10

• 1 Whole Chicken (about 4 lbs) – I  either buy pre-packaged cut-up chicken pieces or have a butcher cut up a whole chicken. If you’re comfortable butchering your own whole chicken, go for it! Also, I prefer to buy organic and local chicken.
• 8-10 cups of water – the recipe calls for only 8 cups of water but I use 10 cups. Not only does that give you more soup, but the soup is still very rich despite the additional water.
• 1-2 tablespoons of coarse salt – I prefer kosher and/or sea salt
• 2-3 medium onions, diced – the recipe calls for 3 onions but I find that 2 good-size onions give it plenty of flavor.
• 2-4 celery stalks, sliced crosswise about 1/4 inch thick – I use 2 since my husband hates celery, but I would use a few more if that weren’t an issue.
• 4-8 garlic cloves, crushed – I use about 8 cloves of garlic even though the recipe calls for 4. Why? Because there is never such a thing as too much garlic.
• 6-8 medium carrots, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick – the more carrots, the better. I use about 8.
• Pepper, to taste.

1. Bring the chicken pieces, water, and salt to a boil in a large pot. Skim the foam. Add the onion, garlic, and celery. Reduce heat. Simmer, partially covered, for about 30 minutes.

2. Remove the chicken breast and set aside. If you don’t remove the breast at this point, it will overcook. Add the carrots. Simmer, partially covered, for about 40 minutes.

3. Remove the remaining chicken and discard the wings, back, and neck-bone. Let cool. Remove the skin off the meat by simply peeling it off. It will almost fall away. Cut the meat from the bones in bite-sized pieces.

4. Stir in the desired amount of chicken. Season with more salt and pepper to taste.

During cold and flu season, I make this soup almost once a week. It stays very fresh in the fridge for about a week. When you get ready to heat up a pot of soup, make sure to skim off the surface layer of fat! Yuck.

Enjoy…and stay healthy!