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Chicken soup for a cold

Feeling feverish or having a cold is horrid, and when you lose your appetite on top of it, it just seems to add to the misery. Our grandma’s may have just been right about chicken soup – it seems to be good for the soul and it helps fight the symptoms of a cold. Just how it does this isn’t clear. What is clear though is that it’s comfort food at its best.

The hot steam and liquid helps ease congestion and hydrates your body, and typical ingredients like garlic, ginger and lemon all help fight inflammation – plus they have other health benefits too.

Preparing the soup with homemade instead of a shop-bought stock means that you can control the amount of salt in the soup and we all know that salt makes us thirsty – which is the last thing you need when you’re already feeling dehydrated. Also, by adding loads of fresh vegetables and herbs you increase the nutritional value of the soup, as they’re packed with vitamins and minerals. The chicken also cooks in the liquid, adding even more taste and goodness.

You’ll definitely feel better after a bowl of this homemade remedy.

Homemade chicken soup

Ingredients

  • 4 chicken thighs on the bone, excess fat removed
  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive or avocado oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 leeks, sliced
  • 3 celery stalks with the leaves, thinly sliced
  • 2 carrots, cut in diagonal slices
  • 3 baby marrows, cut in diagonal slices
  • 375 ml dry white wine (alternatively use pure apple juice or diluted rooibos tea)
  • 1, 75 litres water
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 6 thick slices fresh ginger
  • 30 ml (2 tbsp) dried origanum
  • 150 g broccoli, cut in florets
  • 100 g green beans, cut in thirds
  • 15-30 ml (1-2 tbsp) lemon juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Method

  1. Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat and fry chicken, without any oil, skin side down until golden brown. Turn portions over and fry on the other side for a few more minutes. Spoon out and set aside. Remove the skin of the chicken if preferred.
  2. Heat oil in the same saucepan and sauté onion, garlic and leeks until soft. Add celery, carrots and baby marrows and sauté for a few more minutes.
  3. Stir in the wine, water, bay leaves, ginger and origanum with the chicken. Cover with a lid, and bring to the boil.
  4. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is just cooked. Spoon out the chicken and remove the meat from the bone. Discard skin and excess fat if you haven’t already done so.
  5. Add broccoli and green beans and simmer for 5 minutes or until the broccoli is just cooked. Add the stripped chicken and heat through. Season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper and stir in the parsley.

(Serves 6)

Recipe: Food Consultant, Heleen Meyer