3 Healthy Chicken Soup Recipes To Try — For A New Take On The Classic

Chicken soup might just be the ultimate home remedy, and we all have our go-to recipe, be it a family favorite or one pulled from a much-loved cookbook. And the benefits are far from folklore: A study published in the October 2000 edition of Chest suggests "that chicken soup may contain a number of substances with beneficial medicinal activity. A mild anti-inflammatory effect could be one mechanism by which the soup could result in the mitigation of symptomatic upper respiratory tract infections."

In other words, there's science behind this classic soup, and its potential ability to relieve cold symptoms. For the study, they used a fairly classic chicken soup recipe (they even called it "Grandma's Soup"): chicken, onions, sweet potato, parsnips, turnips, carrots, celery stems, and parsley, plus salt and pepper. One of the best ways to boost the health benefits of any soup recipe is using a bone broth for the base, or a homemade stock (since they're not all that different, really).

This chicken soup gets something of an overhaul but requires only five ingredients: chicken breast, bay leaves, carrots, cashews, and coconut milk. Award-winning chef and author Monisha Bharadwaj also shares some quick swaps, like using almonds or even sunflower seeds instead of cashews. She further notes that adding potato to the mix can add more body to an otherwise simple (and super flavorful) soup. Keep in mind it isn't based on a broth or stock, though, so it might not have the same benefits as other recipes.