Recipe: Chicken Soup to Soothe a Cold
An author claims to have found the first scientifically vetted recipe.
June 6, 2007 — -- It's a mother's tale that's been passed down for generations: Chicken soup can help cure a cold. But is it really true?
Anahad O'Connor, author of "Never Shower in a Thunderstorm: Surprising Facts and Misleading Myths About Our Health and the World We Live In," sought an answer to that question and found that scientists have come up with a recipe that can help ease the symptoms of the common cold.
In his book, O'Connor reveals what he claims is the first scientifically vetted recipe for chicken soup. Whip up a batch the next time a cold hits home.
1. Add the chicken to a large pot of cold water and bring to a boil.
2. Add the chicken wings, onions, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips and carrots. Boil for about 90 minutes, removing fat from the surface as it accumulates.
3. Add the celery and parsley. Cook the mixture about 45 minutes longer.
4. Remove the chicken, which is no longer needed for the soup. (The meat makes excellent chicken Parmesan.)
5. Put the vegetables in a food processor until they are chopped fine or pass through a strainer.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Recipe by Celia Fleischer, granted by Stephen I. Rennard. The recipe originally appeared in the article "Chicken Soup Inhibits Neutrophil Chemotaxis In Vitro," Chest, Vol 118.
