Chicken soup is not only good for the soul, it’s been used by mothers all over the world in one form or another, to cure what ails you.  Ever wonder why Grandma’s chicken soup was such a ‘cure-all’ back in the day?  For generations loving caregivers have bundled up their sick ones and put that proverbial pot of chicken soup on the stove…to minister to their loved ones convinced that their magical recipe would indeed cure them of any nasty colds or flus.

Medical science is learning the reasons why some of those old folk remedies really do work, and studies are providing explanations…i.e. an apple a day keeps the doctor away (fresh apples ingested daily helps keep your body pH slightly alkaline for optimal cell functions, not to mention the benefits of fiber)…spread honey on cuts and burns (unpasturized honey acts as a sterilization/healing medium and can actually reverse gangrene)…and chicken soup acts in several ways to sooth the ailing:  cleansing (by providing plenty of fluids to flush the body), disinfecting (since a salty hot liquid acts to remove the bacteria in the mouth and throat), clears the sinuses (as any hot liquid’s steam would do), strengthening (due to the nutrients in the broth which your mother made you suck down even though you had no appetite!), and last but not least, it’s always psychologically boosting to have your doting mother waiting on you hand and foot, making homemade soup just for little ole you!

Studies have shown that chicken soup inhibits the production of inflammation and mucus (like stuffy nose, sore throat, phlegm, etc).  Also beta-carotene from the carrots and vitamin C from the celery bolsters the immune system and fights infection.  Onions provide antioxidants to reduce inflammation and anti-histamine relief, the amino acid cysteine from the chicken helps thin the mucus in the lungs, not to mention the hyalauronic acid extracted from the chicken bones due to the prolonged cooking, which provides relief from joint inflammation thus soothing the aches and pains that accompany the cold/flu.

The long simmer of this type of soup makes it ideal to include any of those broken egg shells that I know you’ve been storing in your freezer every time you make scrambled eggs.  Just toss them into the soup at the beginning and strain them out at the end along with the spent bones/skins/veggies.  The result will be a nutrient rich broth which will do wonders for your joints.

At the beginning of every winter season I make a pot of chicken soup and store it in the freezer in case a cold bug dares to catch me unawares.  Sounds silly, but I feel rich knowing I have a frozen cache of chicken soup stored away.  Of course I not only use it for when I’m sick with a cold, but to moisten turkey stuffing, to make the gravy for a chicken pot pie, to pour the clear hot broth over a bowl of steaming udon noodles and sprinkle it with soy sauce and slivered scallions with a grind of black pepper…yum!

Have I said enough about chicken soup?  Let’s not forget that a perfectly made chicken soup will enhance your hair and nails…the gelatin that you leached from the chicken carcass during the long cooking process will strengthen your hair and nails much as gelatin made from beef bones/hooves/skin processed in this same fashion would.

Right about now, you’re exhausted from reading all this and just want me to get to the recipe…which is very easy, requires a long simmer to achieve the desired ‘gel’ state when refrigerated…then you know you’ve created the perfect, magical chicken soup!

GRANDMA’S CHICKEN SOUP

Ingredients:

• 1  6-8 lb stewing chicken (or roaster) rinsed, include the neck bone but never the liver which turns bitter when boiled
• 3 medium carrots chopped in large pieces
• 4 stalks of celery in large pieces
• 1 large onion quartered
• 1/2 bunch fresh parsley
• 1/2 ripe tomato
• 8 whole peppercorns
• 1 or 2 cloves garlic (if desired)
• broken egg shells (if available)
• pinch of sugar, salt & pepper to taste

Toss everything in an 8 quart soup pot, cover it all with cold water and bring to a boil.  Once it begins to accumulate a scum on top, skim this off and turn down to a low simmer.  Cover the pot and simmer for 4-6 hours.  Let cool.  Strain out all the chicken bones, skins, meat, veggies and shells.  Refrigerate overnight and next morning remove the solidified chicken fat.  At this point, a properly boiled chicken soup should be slightly gelled.

So it will be easy to remove the layer of fat from the top.

The chicken meat would make a pot pie, or can be cut up and tossed back into the soup.

If you like veggies in your soup, add fresh bite-size pieces of them now and simmer just until the veggies are tender.  Noodles/rice/matzoh balls should always be cooked separately and added to the hot broth just before serving.

See?  Chicken soup is not only for the soul…………mmmm it feels so good sipping it with a sore throat!   This is pure comfort food!

(psssst…I saved the schmaltz (chicken fat) to make matzoh balls)