Chicken Soup: my favorite cold-busting food

A nasty cold had my toddler and me both feeling miserable a couple days ago. Desperate for something to soothe my sore throat, I scrounged through my kitchen hoping to find the ingredients for some chicken-noodle soup. I had most of the classic ingredients but no noodles or carrots, so I crafted this flavorful and healthy chicken & barley soup instead. This made my sore throat feel so much better, and tasted wonderful too. Homemade soup is infinitely preferable to canned alternatives, which are loaded with additives, MSG, and too much salt. This chicken soup is really easy, too -- perfect for days when you feel crummy and don't want to do a lot of work in the kitchen.

Use this basic recipe to craft your own version of delicious homemade chicken soup. The key cold-busting ingredients are fresh chicken, chicken stock, onion, and fresh crushed garlic. Chicken meat and chicken stock are loaded with zinc (a powerful immune booster) and cysteine, an amino acid that helps break up mucus. I prefer to use chicken thighs because they have slightly more fat than the breast, which makes the soup a little heartier and more flavorful. Onions are a good source of quercetin (a strong antiviral) and immune-boosting vitamin C. Fresh garlic contains allicin, which is another powerful antiviral / antibacterial compound. Veggies, spices, and grains (like wild rice or barley) add additional flavors and healthy nutrients.

This recipe yields about 5 servings, but you can stretch it out by adding more stock or water. It can be made ahead and saved in the freezer; allow it to thaw on the counter or in the fridge before reheating it over low heat on the stove. Skip the microwave for this one -- microwaving destroys many of the beneficial micronutrients that make this homemade soup effective against viruses.