Our grandmothers knew the benefits of chicken soup as good medicine. While many call it “Jewish Penicillin,” chicken soup is a common cure for colds and flu worldwide. In Greece, Portugal, Brazil, Eastern Europe, the United States, China and Korea, it is believed to cure and prevent illness.

Historical records show that chicken soup has been used by cold and flu sufferers for thousands of years. In the 10th century, the Persian physician Avicenna described its curative powers. Two centuries later, the Jewish scholar Maimonides recommended it for convalescents and wrote that it “has virtue in rectifying corrupted humours.”

Modern medical research is validating these claims. Researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami, Florida confirmed that soup relieves nasal congestion better than plain hot water.

Dr. Stephen Rennard, a pulmonary specialist at the University of Nebraska’s Medical Centre, tested chicken soup and found that it significantly reduced inflammation in the throat and nose due to colds or flu. His study, “Chicken Soup Inhibits Neutrophil Chemotaxis In Vitro,” was published in the Oct. 17 2000 issue of Chest, the journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

We know that colds and flu result from viral infection that causes inflammation in the upper respiratory tract. “Chicken soup might have an anti-inflammatory activity, namely the inhibition of neutrophil migration,” says Rennard. Neutrophils are the white blood cells that defend the body against infection. “All vegetables and the soup had activity … I think it’s the concoction,” writes Dr. Rennard. Other scientists believe that the curative power of chicken soup comes from cysteine, an amino acid in chicken skin.

Soup provides warmth to a feverish, chilled body, hydrates, and offers easily absorbed nutrients. Steam from the hot liquid relieves sinus pressure, acting as a natural decongestant, and warm soup creates mucus that soothes the throat. While there is no conclusive proof that chicken soup helps when you’re sick, sitting on the couch wrapped in soft, warm blankets and sipping salty chicken broth makes you feel better.

Nutritious, easy to digest, simple to prepare, and inexpensive, chicken soup can be a simple broth or a hearty meal. Accompanied by wholegrain bread and salad, chicken soup has enough substance and protein for a healthy supper.

How will you make your soup? There are so many ways. Chicken noodle is a favorite of many. There is chicken rice or chicken vegetable, each seasoned with an assortment of herbs and spices.

Chicken soup is so common around the world, that every culture adds its flavors. The French serve a consomme seasoned with bay leaves, garlic, fresh thyme and dry white wine. Greek avgolemono is made with chicken broth, garlic, rice, eggs, and lemon juice. In Korea, chicken soup is seasoned with ginseng, garlic, and ginger.

Ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil make a Chinese soup. Dill, parsley and root vegetables bring Eastern European flavors. Cumin, laurel and rice make Portuguese canja. Colombian ajiaco includes corn, avocado, capers, potatoes and the herb guascas, and is served with a dollop of sour cream.

In all these variations, soup is made by boiling chicken parts or bones in water with vegetables and flavorings. Some recipes are quick and easy to prepare; others demand longer cooking and are suitable for crock pots. It’s best to bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook for a while. Longer cooking times allow more calcium and other minerals to leach out of the bones, but vegetables cooked too long can become tasteless and soggy. I find it best to cook the meat and seasonings for a while, then add vegetables shortly before serving. Fresh herbs should also be added at the end for maximum flavor. For a low-fat version, chill the soup and skim the layer of congealed fat from the top. This also results in a clearer broth.

Grandma’s Chicken Soup

Today many use packaged broth or bouillon, but our grandmothers didn’t have this luxury.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 quarts water

1-2 pounds chicken pieces (wings, necks, backs, thighs)

1 teaspoon salt

3-4 whole grains allspice

3-4 peppercorns

2 or 3 bay leaves

2 potatoes

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1 wedge cabbage

1 turnip

2 onions

1 clove garlic

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon sage

1 teaspoon rosemary

1/4 cup fresh minced parsley

Directions:

Bring water with chicken pieces and seasonings (salt, allspice, peppercorns, bay leaves) to a boil; lower heat to simmer. Cook for two hours or longer, until meat falls off the bones. If too much liquid evaporates, you may need to add more water.

While broth is cooking, prepare vegetables and cut into desired lengths.

Cool the broth until you can handle the contents. Remove chicken. Some also like to remove the allspice berries, peppercorns and bay leaves at this point.

Return broth to a simmer. Add vegetables and cook until tender; do not overcook.

Remove bones and discard. Cut up the chicken meat and return to the soup.

Season with herbs and adjust seasonings, adding salt and pepper to your taste.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream or some grated cheese on top, if you wish, or with croutons sprinkled in, or just “as is” with wholegrain bread and a salad.

Option: omit potatoes and add cooked pasta or rice at the end.

Serves 6 to 8.

Avgolemono – Lemony Greek-style chicken soup

Ingredients:

1 3-lb. chicken (or 3 pounds chicken pieces)

2 quarts water

1 teaspoon salt

1 bunch parsley

1 onion

2 carrots

2 stalks celery

1/3 cup long-grain rice

1 or 2 lemons, to taste

2 eggs

1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Directions:

Place chicken, water, salt and parsley in a large kettle. Bring to a boil, cover and lower the heat to a simmer.

Peel the onion, and mince fine. Add to the pot.

Simmer for about an hour.

In the meantime, chop celery and carrots fine and set aside.

After an hour, remove the parsley and discard. Carefully remove the chicken and set on a plate or cutting board to cool.

Add finely chopped carrots and celery to the pot, along with the rice. Return to a simmer and cook 20 to 30 minutes.

When rice and vegetables are cooked through, turn off the heat and cool slightly.

Squeeze juice from the lemons into the soup, and stir.

In a medium small bowl, use a whisk to beat the eggs with the cornstarch.

While whisking continually, add hot broth from the soup into the eggs, a little at a time, until you’ve used about 2 cups of broth. This tempers the eggs and cooks them, so they don’t curdle but they’re no longer raw.

Slowly stir the egg-broth back into the soup. This will thicken the soup.

Remove the chicken from the bones, chop the meat, and stir into the soup.

Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add some black pepper and fresh minced parsley, and serve.

Serves 6 to 8.

Shortcut Chicken Soup

Use 6 cups chicken broth and 2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken in place of water, herbs and spices and chicken or chicken pieces. This cuts down on cooking time for the soup. Proceed as above for the rest of the recipe, being sure to cut vegetables fine so they will cook quickly.