Friday Favorite: Healing Chicken Soup

The weather in Texas has been crazier than ever lately. With the crazy temps and lots of sick students. This recipe has become one of my Favorites. I make this at the first sign of not feeling well. 

The reasons why Chicken soup is healing

• Soup has anti-inflammatory properties that helped sore throats and helped stop the movement of neutrophils (white blood cells that encourage the flow of mucus that accumulates in the lungs and nose). 

• steam is a real benefit. Sipping the hot soup and breathing in the steam helps clear up congestion.  This can also be said for many hot soups.

• Spices that are often added to chicken soup, such as garlic and pepper(all ancient treatments for respiratory diseases), work the same way as modern cough medicines, thinning mucus and making breathing easier.

• chicken soup contains drug-like agents similar to those in modern cold medicines. For example, an amino acid released from chicken during cooking chemically resembles the drug acetylcysteine, prescribed for bronchitis and other respiratory problems.

• Chicken Soup puts needed fluids back into the body.
  

Curative properties

According to food historians chicken soup was prescribed as a cure for the common cold in Ancient Egypt. The 10th century Persian physician Avicenna referred to the curative powers of chicken soup in his writings. In the 12th century the Jewish sage Maimonides wrote that chicken soup “has virtue in rectifying corrupted humours”, and recommended it as nutrition for convalescents; Maimonides also particularly recommended chicken soup for people suffering from hemorrhoids and the early stages of leprosy.

Modern research conducted by Dr. Stephen Rennard, professor of pulmonary and critical care medicine, and his colleagues at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha suggests that there might be some scientific basis for the belief in the curative powers of chicken soup. They found that the particular blend of nutrients and vitamins in traditional chicken soup can slow the activity of certain white blood cells. This may have an anti-inflammatory effect that could hypothetically lead to temporary ease from symptoms of illness. Their research was published in 2000 in the scientific journal Chest. This was not, however, an in vivo clinical trial, and did not demonstrate that chicken soup was the best foodstuff for this purpose.

Because it is simple to prepare, relatively cheap, nutritious, and easily digested, chicken soup is a good food for winter convalescents. Sipping warm soup can also clear the sinuses because of the steam ventilating into the nasal passages, serving as a natural decongestant, which also relieves cold and flu symptoms. Last, but not least, chicken soup can be beneficial due to the placebo effect of comfort foods.

Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

Healing Directions

1. Stew your chicken. Most of the time I don't do this. I just buy chicken breast from the store. Add to 1 can of chicken broth 

2. Add to simmering broth:

2 large onion diced

3 celery ribs diced (seeds are good too)

3 carrots diced

1/2 stick of butter

3 cloves of chopped garlic

juice of 1/2 a lemon

salt & pepper

If you want a really stronge /rich flavor:

Nows the time to add...

Add 3 or4 bouillon cubes

or 1 can of chicken stock.

(Note: if you are cooking this for someone who is already sick.... their taste buds may not be up to par and may need the soup to be stronger in flavor so they can taste it better.)  Getting them to eat it is the key to getting well.  It may be to strong for you but just right for them.  You can always add water to your own bowl if it's to strong for you personally.

3. Cut chicken up into large chunks.

Replace chicken back into simmering broth.

Add 1 cup of large diced potatoes

Cover with water

Cook for another 30 minutes

4.Last 10 minutes of cooking:

Important Healing Herbs

Add 1 bunch of chopped parsley to soup.

If you have tyme, add 1/2 teaspoon.

If you have sage, add 1/2 teaspoon.

If you have basil, add 1/2 teaspoon.

pinch of poultry seasoning

Add 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper!!

Cook for 10 more minutes

2rd  Day: Left overs

Re-warm the left over Chicken Soup

Add 4 ounces of egg noodles to the soup.

1 can of broth

1 cup of water

It's now Chicken Noodle Soup!

The Chicken Noodle Soup

will taste the best on this 2nd day!

3rd  Day: Left overs

Note: Changing the soup slightly each day will add variety to the soup so it doesn't seem so boreing while keeping the regiment of someone eating it. This soup is packed full of vitamins and minerals so the more they are willing to eat, the better.  If you go for a 3rd day, try adding a can of "Cream of celery soup"  to thicken it up and add a new feeling in the mouth.

And if you have been feeling under the weather.... 

by now you should be feeling the effects of healing soup.