Most of us have grown up, regardless of our generation, (? well maybe!) hearing about chicken soup for recuperation. And that is because it has therapeutic properties! Why would this be? Here are some reasons, followed by a recipe to make your own easily.
1) Nourishment. The soup stock in days of yore was and still should be bone broth.
If you make your own it will be superior to any other! Bone broth would supply minerals so helpful for cellular regeneration and nutrition.
2) Plant properties of the ingredients can thin mucus, reduce inflammation, and aid in sleep quality. This is super helpful during an upper respiratory illness.
3) Easy to digest. A bone broth on its own or created further into a soup is easy to digest.
And hey- it does not have to be chicken! I have made nourishing broths from fish frames and other bones. Chicken and fish bones are , to me, easiest to prepare for a quick nourishing broth. Years ago someone was going to do a teaching at our school about making bone broth- and it was a crazily lengthy and difficult process requiring days. It sure does not have to be that way!
Easy chicken broth- use the picked off bones of a whole roasted chicken. Break it a bit apart, and use 3 or so quarts of purified water, and 1/4 cup of either apple cider vinegar, OR rice vinegar, OR juice of 1-2 lemons. Add 2 teasp salt - this is all you need for a basic bone broth. The acid in the vinegar or lemon juice is necessary, so make sure you include it. I put all this in a crock pot to barely simmer all day- noting that it usually takes several hours for my crockpot to even get to a "simmer" point. Use a potato masher or other instrument to crush the bones down a couple times during. THATS IT!!
Then I let it sit and cool for several hours or overnight, and strain, and portion out. My broth ALWAYS forms a gel, meaning any connective tissue (collagen and elastin) has dissolved in the broth.
OTHER ADDITIONS - garlic, chopped onion, even onion skins and a few potato skins. Celery and Carrot in the broth or later when making any broth into soup.
TURBO ADDITIONS- For a bold and very therapeutic bone broth, I add 4 teaspoons of turmeric powder and 2 teaspoons of black pepper, and an entire head of chopped garlic, skins and all. I have added hot pepper- cayenne powder or a raw hot pepper. Cayenne and hot pepper in general open up vascular circulation and tone bascular tissue.
Other Botanical Additions- a handful (1/4 cup) of Hawthorn berries. Some elderberries. or both. You could also add some comfrey and lemon balm- with these proportions about 1/4 cup of each or either. Comfrey will regenerate tissue and lemon balm will add a calming and anti-anxiety effect. Feel free to add thyme, holy basil, and other spices you may like.
Note- you can easily adapt to an Instant pot- just follow any directions. You can also easily use a regular stock pot or any pot large enough- but do use a deeper pot with a lid. There is more flavor to a chicken or other meat stock if the initial bones are roasted or if the critter they came from was roasted. This is not necessary for fish. A fish frame (frame means the central skeleton of bone) I use is whitefish, which is common here, and which my local natural foods store is willing to save for me and sell cheap to me.
Take in smaller doses if you are sick- it thins mucus making breathing and clearing easier for kids and adults alike. Take a cup or bowl at a time for convalescence. Bone broth is wonderful to have , and you can freeze it for later use.
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