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Today, I want to introduce another classic from my series of helping angels:

chicken soup.

Hardly any home remedy reminds me so much of warmth, comfort, and that feeling of:

Now I am taking a little care of myself — and of the people I love.

Chicken soup has been valued as a strengthening meal for a very long time.
A rich broth is also traditionally part of postpartum recovery for many people.
I personally enjoyed eating it a lot while I was breastfeeding.

And whenever I felt a cold coming on, a warm bowl of chicken soup was one of those things that immediately made me feel a little more cared for.
And there is actually more behind this old home remedy than nostalgia alone.

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Why Does Chicken Soup Feel So Good When You Have a Cold?

When we have a cold, the body mainly needs:

rest, fluids, and enough energy.

And this is exactly where chicken soup fits in beautifully.

It provides fluids.
It is warm.
And it is often easy to eat even when your appetite is not particularly strong.

Depending on how you prepare it, it can also provide:

protein,
vegetables,
minerals, and a variety of other nutrients.

For that reason alone, I find it an almost ideal meal for days when the body is busy dealing with something else.

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Can Chicken Soup Really Ease Cold Symptoms?

There is actually an interesting study on this.
Researchers examined chicken soup in the laboratory and found that it was able to influence
the movement of certain white blood cells known as neutrophils.

These cells are involved in inflammatory responses.
The researchers therefore suggested that a mild anti-inflammatory effect might help explain
why chicken soup can feel soothing during respiratory infections.

However, one thing is important:

The experiment took place in the laboratory.
It does not prove that chicken soup kills cold viruses or cures a cold.

Even so, I find it fascinating that such an old home remedy may have at least one plausible biological mechanism behind it.

What About Swollen Mucous Membranes?

When we have a cold, the mucous membranes in the nose and throat become inflamed.

This can lead to:

swelling,
a runny nose,
blocked airways,
and that familiar feeling of pressure.

A warm soup cannot simply remove the cause. But warmth and fluids can help keep mucus thinner and can feel soothing when the mucous membranes are irritated.

For me, the warm steam rising from the bowl also adds to that comforting effect.

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Can You “Sweat Out” a Cold?

You often hear people say:
“You need to sweat the cold out properly.”

But that is not quite how the body works.
Sweating does not directly remove cold viruses from the body.
If a hot bowl of soup warms us up and makes us sweat a little, that can still feel comforting.

But I would not turn that into a treatment.

Especially if you have a fever, it is more important to:

drink enough,
rest,
and avoid putting additional strain on the body.

Warmth is allowed to feel good. But it does not have to drive an infection out of the body.

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Chicken Soup During Postpartum Recovery and Breastfeeding

Chicken soup can also be a wonderful meal during the postpartum period.
After giving birth, the body needs energy, and during breastfeeding in particular, the need for fluids and energy increases.

A nourishing soup can therefore be very practical:

It provides fluids.
Protein.
Vegetables.
Energy.

And it is easy to prepare in advance and freeze in portions.

I personally enjoyed eating chicken soup during my breastfeeding period and found it comforting and strengthening.

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Why I Pay Attention to Ingredient Quality

When I make chicken soup, I pay particular attention to the quality of the meat.
Not because organic meat is automatically a medically “healthier” food, but because origin, animal welfare, and flavour matter to me.

That is why I like to use chicken from a source where I can understand how the animal was raised.
Especially with a soup that simmers for several hours and where the meat is one of the main ingredients, I personally notice the difference in flavour as well.

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And What About Blood Pressure?

There is some interesting research here too.
Certain protein components from chicken collagen have been studied scientifically.
The focus is mainly on so-called peptides, which can form when collagen is broken down.

In smaller studies involving people with mildly elevated blood pressure, specially produced chicken collagen hydrolysate has been associated with blood-pressure-lowering effects. I find that quite interesting.

But:
Ordinary chicken soup is not the same thing as a standardised collagen hydrolysate.

So I would not conclude from these studies:

“Eat chicken soup every day and you will no longer need blood pressure medication.”

If someone has high blood pressure, necessary medical treatment should never simply be replaced with food.

What we can say, however, is this:
Certain protein components found in chicken are being scientifically investigated for their possible effects on the cardiovascular system.

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Chicken Feet, Collagen, and a Rich Broth

If you want to make an especially rich broth, collagen-rich parts of the chicken have traditionally played an important role.
During long cooking, some of the collagen is converted into gelatine.

You can often see this when a good broth becomes almost firm once it has cooled.
That is exactly the texture many people appreciate in a traditional nourishing broth.

It does not automatically turn the soup into a blood pressure treatment.
But it does explain why long-simmered broths develop such a different texture from a quickly prepared soup.

Does Chicken Soup Have to Simmer for Hours?

Not necessarily.
A quick chicken soup can still be delicious and nourishing.

But when I want a proper nourishing broth, I like to let it simmer for longer over low heat.
This allows more flavour and certain components from the meat, bones, and vegetables to pass into the broth.

The result is a richer, more aromatic broth that is often slightly more gelatinous.

My Simple Chicken Soup

Ingredients

1 stewing chicken or about 1–1.5 kg chicken pieces
2–3 carrots
½ celeriac or a few celery stalks
1 leek
1–2 onions
1–2 garlic cloves, optional
parsley
a little thyme
1–2 bay leaves, optional
salt
pepper
approx. 2–3 litres of water

Depending on your taste, you can also add parsnip, parsley root, or other soup vegetables.

Preparation

1. Place the chicken or chicken pieces in a large pot and cover with cold water.
2. Heat slowly. If foam forms on the surface, skim it off with a slotted spoon.
3. Roughly chop the vegetables and add them together with the herbs and seasonings.
4. Let the broth simmer gently over low to medium heat. I like to give it around two hours.
5. Then remove the chicken. Take the meat off the bones and add it back to the soup later.
6. Season the broth to taste. You can either serve it straight away with the vegetables and chicken, or strain it and use it as a clear, nourishing broth.

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What About Bay Leaves During Pregnancy?

I used to recommend avoiding bay leaves completely during pregnancy because they were said to trigger contractions.
Today, I would not phrase it quite so broadly.

When bay leaves are used as a normal culinary herb, there is no good basis for claiming that the small amounts typically used in food reliably trigger labour.
Highly concentrated herbal preparations or essential oils are a different matter — during pregnancy, I would generally be more cautious with those.

If you are unsure, you can of course simply leave the bay leaves out.
The soup still tastes good without them.

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My Tip: Make a Big Pot Straight Away

When I make chicken soup, I rarely make just two portions.
The effort is almost the same whether the pot is half full or nearly full.
So I prefer to make more and freeze a few portions.

That is especially practical:

during the postpartum period,
on stressful days,
when someone gets ill,
or when you simply do not feel like cooking in the evening.

Then the helping angel is already waiting in the freezer.

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When Is Chicken Soup No Longer Enough?

A cold will usually clear up on its own.
Chicken soup can make that time more comfortable and help provide the body with fluids and nourishment.

However, symptoms should be medically assessed if you experience:

• shortness of breath
• a very high or persistent fever
• severe pain
• pronounced circulatory weakness
• confusion
• or a significant worsening of symptoms

Influenza can be considerably more severe than an ordinary cold..

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My Conclusion

For me, chicken soup is one of those home remedies where tradition and everyday life come together beautifully.

It warms you.
It provides fluids.
It offers protein and — depending on the recipe — plenty of vegetables.
And there are even some early scientific indications that certain components of chicken soup may influence inflammatory processes.

For me, it is especially during the postpartum period and on cold days when I have a cold that I keep coming back to it.

Perhaps its strength lies precisely in the fact that it does not need anything exotic.

A pot.
A few good ingredients.
Time.
And rest.

Sometimes care simply tastes like a warm bowl of soup.