Grandma Was Onto Something: Why Chicken Noodle Soup May Help You Feel Better When You’re Sick, Plus Her Recipe

Every family has the same sick-day ritual: someone stays home under a blanket, and someone else starts a pot of chicken noodle soup. Maybe it was your mom, maybe your grandma, but the smell of that simmering pot meant somebody was taking care of you. It turns out grandma was onto something. Researchers have spent decades trying to explain why a warm bowl of chicken noodle soup may help you feel a little better when you have a cold, and right now millions of Americans are typing that exact question into Google as cold season starts. Here is what the research actually says, in plain words, plus grandma’s classic recipe made from a whole chicken..

What Researchers Have Found About Chicken Noodle Soup

The most famous study came out of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Stephen Rennard tested his wife’s family recipe, a Lithuanian grandmother’s chicken soup, in the lab, and published the results in the journal Chest in October 2000. In test tubes, the soup slowed down the movement of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that gathers during a cold. The researchers said this suggests soup might have a mild anti-inflammatory effect. It is important to know this was a lab finding, not a study of sick people, and Dr. Rennard himself said nobody knows exactly which ingredient is responsible. “I think it’s the concoction,” he said.

An older and much smaller study from 1978, done at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami with 15 healthy volunteers, found that sipping hot chicken soup or hot water helped mucus in the nose move faster than cold water did, according to a summary by McGill University’s Office for Science and Society. In other words, part of the magic may simply be the warm steam.

Then there are the simple, everyday reasons. A bowl of chicken noodle soup gives you fluids and a little salt, which matter when you are not eating or drinking much. It has protein from the chicken and easy carbs from the noodles, and it is gentle on a sore throat. Researchers also point out that comfort counts, and few foods feel more comforting than this one. So the honest answer is that chicken noodle soup may help you feel better, and it is linked to some real effects in the lab, but it is comfort food, not medicine, and it will not make a cold or the flu go away on its own.

A quick note: a warm bowl is a comfort, not a substitute for care. If you have a high fever, trouble breathing, symptoms that keep getting worse, or a cold that hangs on for more than about 10 days, please ask your doctor. The same goes for babies, older adults and anyone with a chronic health condition.

Why Homemade Beats the Can

Canned soup is handy, and Dr. Rennard’s team found that many store bought soups had a similar effect in the lab. But homemade chicken noodle soup has real advantages. You control the salt, which is a big deal since many canned soups are high in sodium. You get a rich, golden broth from real bones, plenty of tender chicken and as many vegetables as you like. And a big pot costs about the same as a few cans while feeding the whole family for days. If you love a cozy bowl, you will also enjoy our comfort soups that taste like a warm hug on a cold night.

Grandma’s Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe

This is the classic way, starting with a whole chicken. It takes about two hours, but most of that time the pot is simply simmering on the stove. Makes about 8 servings.

You will need:

• 1 whole chicken, about 4 lb
• 12 cups cold water
• 2 onions (1 quartered, 1 diced)
• 4 carrots (2 in chunks, 2 sliced into coins)
• 4 celery stalks (2 in chunks, 2 sliced)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 2 bay leaves and a few sprigs of fresh thyme
• 2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste, and black pepper
• 8 oz wide egg noodles
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or parsley
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)

How to make it:

1. Put the chicken in a large pot with the cold water, the quartered onion, carrot and celery chunks, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and 2 teaspoons salt.
2. Bring it slowly to a boil, skim off any foam, then turn the heat down and simmer gently, partly covered, for about 1 1/2 hours.
3. Lift out the chicken and let it cool. Strain the broth and throw away the cooked vegetables and herbs. Skim some of the fat from the top.
4. Pull the chicken meat off the bones and shred it into bite size pieces.
5. Bring the broth back to a simmer, add the diced onion, carrot coins and sliced celery and cook 10 minutes until tender.
6. Add the egg noodles and cook 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the chicken, dill and lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Shortcut Chicken Noodle Soup: Rotisserie and Crockpot Versions

Rotisserie shortcut (30 minutes): Soften 1 diced onion, 2 sliced carrots and 2 sliced celery stalks in 2 tablespoons butter for 5 minutes. Add 8 cups chicken broth, 1 bay leaf and a pinch of thyme and simmer 10 minutes. Add 8 oz egg noodles and cook 7 minutes, then stir in 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken, dill and pepper. Taste before adding salt, since store bought chicken and broth are already salty.

Crockpot version: Searches for chicken noodle soup in the crockpot are climbing fast, and it is easy. Add 1 1/2 lb boneless chicken breasts or thighs, the diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic, 8 cups broth, a bay leaf and thyme to the slow cooker. Cook on low 6 to 7 hours or high 3 to 4 hours. Shred the chicken, then stir in the noodles and cook on high 15 to 20 minutes until tender.

Freezing Tips and Easy Add-Ins

Chicken noodle soup freezes beautifully, with one rule: freeze the broth, chicken and vegetables without the noodles. Noodles soak up broth and turn mushy in the freezer. Cool the soup quickly, pack it into containers with a little room at the top, and freeze for up to 3 months. When someone gets sick, thaw it overnight in the fridge, bring it to a simmer and cook a fresh handful of noodles right in the pot.

Want to change it up? Grate in a little fresh ginger with the vegetables for warmth. Add a few extra cloves of garlic. Squeeze in fresh lemon at the end to brighten the broth. Stir in a big handful of spinach or kale just before serving for extra greens. Or swap the egg noodles for rice, small pasta or even dumplings.

Chicken Noodle Soup FAQ

Does chicken noodle soup really help a cold? It may help you feel better. Warm fluids, salt, steam and protein are all helpful when you are sick, and a lab study found soup may have a mild anti-inflammatory effect. It is not a treatment for a cold or the flu.

Is canned soup just as good? In the Nebraska lab tests, many store bought soups had a similar effect. Homemade lets you use less salt and add more chicken and vegetables.

How long does homemade soup keep? About 3 to 4 days in the fridge, or up to 3 months in the freezer without the noodles.

Sources and further reading: University of Nebraska Medical Center news release on Rennard et al., Chest (Oct. 17, 2000); McGill University Office for Science and Society on the 1978 Mount Sinai Medical Center study. Who made your sick-day soup growing up?