Soup power

Feeling under the weather? Feed your cold with our homemade spicy chicken soup recipe and you'll feel much better. People have used chicken soup to treat the common cold for centuries, and now scientists are trying to zero in on the compounds responsible for its apparent healing power. Some researchers believe the soup works because it contains an amino acid that chemically resembles the prescription drug acetylcysteine (used for bronchitis and other respiratory problems). Others say that it’s effective because it slows the activity of neutrophils, white blood cells whose response to germs can cause inflammation and upper respiratory tract infections.

The researchers agree on one thing: A simple chicken soup—even a canned one—is helpful to cold sufferers. We’ve taken the benefits a big step further, adding ingredients that turn the soup into a powerhouse cold stopper: garlic (an old folk remedy) and chili peppers, which relieve congestion (think what happens to your sinuses when you eat spicy food).

So take time to make this Spicy Chicken, Tomato & Garlic Soup for whoever is ailing in your household. Comfort and cure—what could be better than that?

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