Healing Chicken Soup

Yesterday, my dear husband came home with a cold. Since that time of year is approaching, it is bound to happen.  Tonight's dinner will be chicken soup, a salad and homemade bread.  Chicken soup always seems to make you feel better.  I did  a little research on soup and found some interesting facts:

• Chicken soup is a favourite healing soup all over the world. It has often been called Jewish penicillin and scientists have spent time and money examining the actions of chicken soup on colds and flu. It’s no surprise that they’ve found evidence of the way chicken soup combats the symptoms of a cold.

• 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.

Here is a recipe for 'healing chicken soup' that can be used for several days.

Stew your chicken first:

Place a 3 to 4 lb. chicken in a 5-6 qt. pan and cover with water.  Add 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Cook for 1/2 hour over medium heat until chicken is done and falls off the bone. Remove bones and chicken from the pot to cool.  Keep the broth in the pot and set to simmer.

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 & and pepper
For richer flavor, add 3 or 4 chicken bouillon cubes or 1 cup chicken stock.

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 on medium heat.

Last 10 minutes of cooking:  Add Important Healing Herbs
Add 1 bunch of chopped parsley to soup
.If you have thyme, 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

There are a few additions to make to this soup to add variety for a couple days.  Adding noodles and broth the second day and cream of celery soup the third day will keep flavor alive and new. 

Read Healing Chicken Noodle Soup for more information on the healing properties and detailed recipes.