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Fight Cold & Flu Season in Your Freezer

For Less than $10 Be Prepared this Winter with a Long-Trusted Remedy

Oct 15, 2009 Brett McKenzie

Since the 12th century, the healing properties of a certain homemade remedy have been touted and trusted in the face of colds, coughs and flus: chicken soup.

In October 2000, CNN.com ran this headline: "Chicken soup is medicine, U.S. scientists confirm."

The detailed study revealed that "chicken soup... helped stop the movement of neutrophils--white blood cells that eat up bacteria and cellular debris and which are released in great numbers by viral infections like colds. Neutrophil activity can stimulate the release of mucous, which may be the cause of the coughs and stuffy nose caused by upper respiratory infections such as colds."

From the 12th century to today, when even the pharmaceutical information database Drugs.com lists chicken soup as a medicine, people have turned to chicken soup--from a can or from mom, with noodles or without--at the first sign of a sniffle or a cough.

But who, in the early throes of a flu or aggressive cold, has the energy to cook?

Ingredients for Homemade Chicken Soup

This cold and flu season, health-savvy individuals can be prepared by having 100% homemade chicken soup ready to go in the freezer. All necessary ingredients can be purchased for less than $10:

One rotisserie chicken from a local grocery store (Jewel, Dominicks, Giant, Whole Foods, etc.)
One bag of frozen mixed veggies--carrots, peas, pearl onions, broccoli, etc.
Noodles or rice, if desired
Salt, pepper, and any desired seasonings: thyme, rosemary, etc.

How to Make Homemade Chicken Soup

After enjoying the rotisserie chicken for dinner one night, deposit the remaining parts of the bird--bones and all--in a large pot
Add four cups of hot water
Turn your burner to "low," cover the pot, and let simmer for an hour or two. If water is evaporating too quickly, turn burner down or add another cup of water
Using a colander or sieve, drain the broth from the pot into another pot. This step is important, because the colander should catch any bone pieces that could potential cause choking. Feel free to repeat this step to ensure all bones are caught.
Toss out any bones or undesirable remaining chicken pieces. Simmer your remaining broth in the pot, and add desired amounts of frozen veggies and pasta or rice. If chunks of chicken were leftover from rotisserie chicken, add these as well. Season to taste. Bring to a boil. Add water as needed.
Turn off burner, remove pot from heat. Once pot has cooled to room temperature, deposit broth in a freezer-safe bowl or Tupperware and put in freezer.

The next time you're under the weather or start to feel fluish and don't have the energy to cook, you've got medicine in your freezer ready to reheat and eat!

The copyright of the article Fight Cold & Flu Season in Your Freezer in General Medicine is owned by Brett McKenzie. Permission to republish Fight Cold & Flu Season in Your Freezer in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.